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Make a Fairy Mobile for a Baby! (Show 1278)
Susan was pretty excited that her aunt was having a baby. (So were Jack, Steve, and Sam). If there's a baby in your life or in the life of someone you know, here's an idea for a beautiful gift you can make yourself. Hanging from the ceiling, it looks like a circle of fairies gently moving overhead. The fairies (or angels, if you prefer) are very easy to make.
For each fairy (and you'll probably want to make about 5 of them) you’ll need:
* thread (a light color)
* a small bit of stuffing (for this you could use a small cotton ball, poly-fill, a wooden bead about 3/4" in diameter, crumpled tissue paper, etc.)
* a *6.5" square of silky fabric or tissue paper (in a pastel tone; it's nice if you use a different color for each fairy)
You’ll also need:
* a ring-shaped “frame” (craft stores carry rings made out of wrapped branches, as well as metal rings) or two thin branches or wooden dowels tied together at the center (with sturdy thread, string, yarn, raffia, etc.) to form an X
* a needle
* more thread
* a package of star stickers (the small, shiny kind teachers use)
To construct each fairy, simply put enough stuffing to make about a 3/4" ball in the very center of the fabric or tissue paper square. (If there is a "nicer" looking side to the fabric, make sure that side is facing down so the stuffing will be placed on the side that isn't as nice.)
Now pull up all 4 corners, and pinch the fabric together around the stuffing to form a little head. Wrap the thread around where the neck would be, tie it tightly, and trim the thread so it's not too noticeable.
That's it! You've already made one fairy, so go ahead and make 4 more. When you've finished making all the fairies, it's time to attach them to a frame of some sort.
If your frame is X-shaped, hang one fairy from the very center, and the other four from each end. If your frame is ring-shaped, arrange them, evenly spaced, around the ring. Having the fairies hang at different levels creates an especially pleasing effect.
To attach the fairies to the frame, simply thread a needle, tie one end of the thread around the frame, and pull the needle end through the top of the fairy's head. Bring the needle all the way through until it comes out the bottom of the fairy, and tie a good knot so the thread won't fall out. Use a different length of thread for each fairy so some will hang lower than others. (If your frame is ring-shaped, have each piece of thread get longer as you go around the circle.)
Now you'll need to attach thread to the frame so the mobile can hang from the ceiling. For an X-shaped frame, it's super easy: just tie some thread around the very center of the X, and make a tiny loop at the end that will attach to the ceiling. (An easy way to make a loop is to tie a knot around a pencil; then remove the pencil.)
If your frame is ring-shaped, it's a little trickier. You'll need to tie 4 pieces of thread to the frame, evenly spaced. Each piece of thread should be about a foot long. Knot all 4 pieces of thread together (into one knot) in the very center of the ring, leaving a few inches of slack. Now make another, very sturdy knot (still with all 4 threads) close to the end of the threads. This is the knot from which the mobile will hang.
For an extra special touch, you can also hang a few strands of stars from the frame. To make star strands, stick a few star stickers (the golden and/or silver ones look especially nice) along new pieces of thread, and attach identical stars to the back of each of these stars so the sticky side doesn't show (and also to keep the stars from falling off). Attach the star strands to the frame so they hang down with the fairies.
That's all there is to creating a gift that a baby will enjoy looking at. But here's something to keep in mind: toddlers and older children also may enjoy a fairy mobile hanging from their own bedroom ceiling! |
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