How to make a cloud mobile for a baby......

     I have been loving all of the precious cloud mobiles I have seen on Pinterest.  I am not a fan of the ones with raindrops hanging from them (sorry if I offended anyone who was wanting to add raindrops to their mobile).  I like the ones with hot air balloons, rocket-ships, and airplanes.  I decided to make one to hang above the changing table.  I thought that it would be a cute accent with the rocket-ship fabric i have in the nursery.  Bunting will be hanging above the crib so I wanted to have something to hang above the changing table for Leland to look at!

     Here are some simple steps if you would like to make one for yourself:

clouds cut out and pinned for sewing

 Step 1:  Cut cloud shapes out of white felt.  I decided to make 4 clouds.  You will need a front and back to sew together to make them 3-D.  If you are making 4 clouds, you will need to cut out 8 pieces.  Using disappearing ink is the best so that you do not have dark edges on your finished product. I just free handed the clouds.  All clouds are different so there is no messing up with this project!

clouds sewn together, ready for stuffing

 Step 2:  Sew your cloud pieces together.  I do not have the best sewing technique and sharp turns are not my friend.  You may have better luck than I did when sewing your pieces together.  Slow and steady wins the race in a project like this!  If your technique is not sensational then I recommend using white thread instead of gray like I did so that your imperfections do not show up as much as mine do!

 **Be sure to leave a small space open so you can stuff your clouds with fiberfill to give them a more "realistic" look! **

clouds stuffed and sewn closed

 Step 3:  Fill your clouds as full as you would like them.  In my case, I filled them as much as I felt comfortable being able to sew the last part closed.  The puffier they are, the more difficult to sew closed! 

clouds attached to the mobile and hanging in the nursery

 Step 4:  Choose an embroidery hoop to attach your clouds to.  I chose an 8 inch hoop that I had in the craft room.  I used silver thread to attach the clouds to the hoop and the hoop to the ceiling.  I tied three strings to the top of the hoop.  This is the part that I found to be the most difficult.  Making the top three strings exactly the same length is challenging.  You need to spend time to make this perfect so that you do not go crazy staring at a lopsided hoop hanging above your baby's head.  After you have attached the hoop to the ceiling you can hang your clouds at the desired length from the hoop.  If your hoop is level before you hang the clouds, then adding your clouds should not alter your hoop. 

finished product

Step 5:  Admire your finished product!!

I had white felt leftover from another project, an embroidery hoop, and silver thread in the craft room so this project cost me 2 hours and $0!  My kind of project for the nursery!  Since you only tie the thread to the hoop, it can be used again when I want to change up the nursery! 

Lamp on the bookshelf in between the crib and twin bed!

 I bought this lamp from the thrift store for $4.  It had ugly fabric on the shade that would not look good in the nursery.  It is just the right size and very slender so it fits just right on the book shelf that is in between the crib and the twin bed.  I recovered it with navy and white stripped fabric in about 15 minutes using spray adhesive and hot glue, a crafter's best friend!