How to make a mobile

Video: Art Lessons with Rossi: How to make a Mobile

Content

Method 2 of 3: A wire hanger mobile
Method 3 of 3: A hoop mobile
Tips
What do you need
Simple straw mobile
Wire hanger mobile
Round hoop mobile

1 Place three paper clips on one plastic drink straw. Slide one paperclip exactly to the center of the straw. Place the other two paper clips on opposite ends.

The center paper clip should be facing up, and the two paper clips at the ends should be facing down.
Slide the staples at the ends 1.25 to 2.5 centimeters from their respective ends.

2 Make two more of these from the straws. Likewise, make the other two pieces of straw and paper clips.

Each straw should have one paperclip in the center pointing up and two paper clips on opposite ends, each one pointing down.

3 Connect the parts with staple chains. The mobile will look more interesting if chains of different lengths are used.

Use as many paper clips as you need to create long or short chains.
In our example, connect the second straw to the first using the center paperclip of the second straw and the right paperclip of the first.
Attach three more staples to the left paperclip of the first straw. Attach the bottom of these staples with the middle staple of the last straw.

4 Cut out the shapes from the cardboard. Draw stars, hearts, geometric shapes, letters, numbers, and other shapes on colored cardboard. Cut them out with scissors.

You should have between four and six shapes for a given mobile. The first one was made from a straw, there should be no figures hanging on it, but all other parts must withstand three figures.

5 Attach the shapes to the mobile using paper clips. Stick the cardboard directly to the paper clips that hang from the ends of the straws.

You can use chains of paper clips to make the mobile less symmetrical.
For example, on the second piece, attach the leftmost paperclip directly to the shape. Attach two more to the center paperclip, and attach another shape to the lowest one. Attach three more paper clips to the right paperclip, and attach the shape to the bottommost one.
For the third piece, attach the shapes directly to the paper clips at both ends. Attach two paper clips to the paperclip in the middle before attaching the last shape.

6 Balance your mobile. Since your staples and stars may not be evenly spaced, you may need to move some staples to keep the mobile in balance.

If the staples are loose and move even after you finish placing them, you can secure them with a small piece of duct tape or a bead of glue. Let the glue dry before continuing.

7 Make a chain at the top. Attach the remaining paper clips to the top paper clip of the first piece of straw. Use as much as you need to get the length you want.

Method 2 of 3: A wire hanger mobile

1 Cut out four shapes for your mobile. Draw animals, hearts, letters, or other simple shapes on sturdy felt and carefully cut them out with scissors.
- You can also use thick paper or cardboard.
- If you like, you can print the pictures from your computer and cut them out, instead of drawing the pictures by hand.
2 Cut a piece of thread for each shape. You should have four pieces of thread, one for each shape, and each piece of thread should be slightly different in size from the others.
- For example, make one piece of thread 30 centimeters long and each additional piece 5 centimeters longer or shorter.
- You can use yarn, twine, line, ribbon, thread, or any other material for this step, but thicker options like yarn or ribbon will last longer.
3 Attach your shapes to the string. Place each strand in the middle of the top of the corresponding shape. Attach the threads with a stapler.
- Alternatively, you can punch holes in each shape using a hole punch. In this case, you can not use a stapler, but tie the threads using the holes.
4 Cut the bottom off each wire hanger. You should cut a piece of wire approximately 30 centimeters long from each hanger.
- Use wire cutters. Don't use regular scissors.
- Work carefully to avoid cuts on sharp edges of the wire.
5 Make loops at the ends of each piece of wire. Use a pair of pliers to shape each end of the wire into a loop.
- The diameter of the loops should be about 12 millimeters.
- Make a closed loop to keep any sharp edges from sticking out. In addition, after you attach the thread to it, the closed loop will prevent the thread from falling out.
6 Make a loop in the center of one of the pieces of wire. Use a pair of pliers to bend one of the two pieces of wire in the middle. Twist the wire to make a loop in the center.
- This loop should be slightly larger. Try to get a loop with a diameter of about 2.5 centimeters.
7 Pull the other wire through the loop. Pass the wire without the center loop through the center loop of the other wire.
- If you are having difficulty pulling the end loops through the center loop, gently unbend one of the loops to pull the wire, then bend it back.
- Place the second wire so that the middle of the wire is inside the loop of the first wire.
8 Make a loop on the second wire around the loop on the first. Use a pair of pliers to bend the second wire into a loop that snaps around the center loop of your first wire.
- Both loops should be in the middle of their wire pieces, and both should be about the same size.
9 Attach the shapes with threads to your mobile. Tie each of the strands to the loops at the ends of the wires.
- Change the lengths of the strands as needed until you get an end result that suits you.
10 Hang up the mobile. Pass another thread through the center loop. Use this string to hang your mobile.

Method 3 of 3: A hoop mobile

1 Cut six to nine pieces of tape. Each piece of tape should be long enough to make a bow.
- Sizes may vary if you are going to make knots of different sizes for an asymmetric effect.
- The length of the tapes should be 6 to 10 inches (15 1/4 to 25 1/2 centimeters).
- Choose ribbons of different colors and textures to create something more visually interesting.
2 Tie each ribbon in a bow. Tie each ribbon using a standard bunny ears knot.
- Depending on the condition of your ribbons, you can iron them before tying to keep the bow smooth.
- If you want a stronger bow, make a double knot in the center of the bow.
- Cut the ends of the tape after tying so they look the same.
3 Cut a piece of twine or yarn for each bow. Each string must be 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) apart.
- Make the first piece of string about 15 inches (38 centimeters) long. After that, each piece should be 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) smaller.
4 Tie pieces of string to matching ribbons. Pass each piece of string through the center loop at the back of the bow. Tie a simple knot to keep the bow on the string.
- For added security, you can tie the string to the bow with two knots.
5 Attach the ribbons to the round hoop. Hoop the other end of each piece to a wooden round hoop.
- Place each piece of string evenly around the hoop. Note that it will be easier to do this if the number of strands is even.
- Arrange the pieces of string so that they fall in height from the longest to the shortest. It will look like a spiral.
6 Cut and tie the extra twine to the top of the hoop. Cut two pieces of string about twice the length of the hoop. Hoop them to the hoop by tying them in the middle.
- To secure the string, tie it with one or two knots to the hoop.
- The pieces of string should be perpendicular to each other and intersect at the top of the hoop.
- On one piece of twine, loop around the center of the other piece so that they are tied together.
- When you need to hang your mobile, hang it through the center loop that you created when crossing the strings.
7finished>

Tips

Get creative with the shapes to hang from your mobile. Instead of carving out 2D letters, animals, and geometric shapes, make 3D shapes by folding a crane or other origami. You can also hang a small toy or model airplane for sturdier mobiles, such as those made from wire hangers or round hoops.