Woodland Felt Mobile
I saw a handmade felt mobile on Instagram. The shop was closed for Christmas, but I was inspired by the design and decided to make a similar version for my colleague who was shortly to be going on maternity leave.
Since my colleague was a fan of birds and nature, I decided to include animals native to Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. I, therefore, decided on a badger, a mallard, a pink-footed goose, a fox, and a pair of toadstools. I also decided to include decorative elements such as bluebells and oak leaves to help balance the mobile.
I first began by sketching out the animals and then creating a 2D paper template to ensure that I was happy with the size and design.
After that, I used the paper template to cut out the fabric shapes and started sewing them together using a back stitch in matching colours to disguise the sewing.
Once I was happy with the construction, I stuffed the animal and then attached any final details, such as wings, tails, or legs. I drew the eyes directly onto the felt with black pen and then sewed on a tiny black button to give the faces greater depth.
Once all five elements of the mobile were assembled, along with the bluebell petals and the oak leaves, I began weaving them onto the mobile. I created the basic mobile structure using a needlepoint embroidery frame and a set of wooden beads I had in storage. I had a few false starts and the fox, which hung opposite the badger, had to be weighted down with marbles inside his tail, since the badger was rather larger and heavier than I had initially planned.
