Butterflies are so peaceful, so beautiful, and bring wonder to all. A butterfly mobile, hanging above the cot, is the perfect way to capture the imagination of a newborn baby. Little ones will be enthralled, watching these dancing butterflies flutter-by, as they settle into a sweet sleep. You could make up more little butterflies as the perfect take-along toys for babies on the go.
• 25.5cm x 25.5cm (10in x 10in) each of a selection of six ‘Snug as a Bug’ fabrics
• 2m (21⁄8yd) of 1.8cm (3⁄4in) wide bias tape to match your fabrics
• 10cm (4in) lightweight fusible fleece
• One 20cm (8in) wooden embroidery hoop
• Wooden beads: one 40mm and one 25mm
• Small scraps of fabric to cover beads
• 1m (40in) fine 2mm aqua cord (antennae)
• Approx 4m (43⁄8yd) fine white 2mm cord (hanging strings)
• Fabric glue
• Black six-strand embroidery thread (floss)
• Good-quality polyester thread
• Good-quality polyester toy filling
• Use of a drill
• Large-eyed dollmaker’s needle
One: Trace the Flutter-by Mobile templates onto template plastic, transferring all the markings, and cut them out around the traced lines.
Two: Take one of the pieces of fabric measuring 25.5cm x 25.5cm (10in x 10in) and cut into two pieces measuring 25.5cm x 15.5cm (10in x 6in) and 25.5cm x 10cm (10in x 4in). Set aside the smaller piece of fabric for now.
Tip: When choosing fabrics, use fun contrasting colours to make the mobile really eye catching.
Three: Take the 25.5cm x 15.5cm (10in x 6in) piece of fabric and fold in half with right sides facing. Draw around the butterfly body template onto the folded fabric, but do not cut out. Machine stitch the body around the drawn line, leaving the antennae gaps open as indicated. Cut out the butterfly body approx 6mm (1⁄4in) outside the sewn line and snip corners.
Four: Measure two 7.5cm (3in) lengths of aqua cord and, to keep it from unravelling, secure at either end with a little tape before cutting. Insert the cords into the antennae gaps, so that all but the very ends of the cords sit within the head. Sew the ends of the cord in place securely.
Five: Snip a small slit as marked on the template on one side only of the butterfly, then turn right side out through this gap (note, the turning gap will be hidden by the wings later). Stuff the butterfly firmly with polyester toy filling.
Six: Tie a knot in the ends of the antennae, then trim to the desired length. Mark the eyes and mouth onto the front of the butterfly (note, the back of the butterfly is the side with the turning gap). Working with two strands of black embroidery thread (floss), stitch the eyes with satin stitch and the mouth with chain stitch (see Stitching Techniques).
Seven: Measure a 1m (40in) length of white cord and secure at either end with a little tape before cutting to prevent it from unravelling; tie a knot at one end and thread the unknotted end in the dollmaker’s needle. Take the threaded needle from the inside of the butterfly (access through the turning gap in the back of the butterfly) and come out on the back of the butterfly’s head marked with an ‘X’ on the template. The knot should catch inside the butterfly’s head to give you a long hanging cord (see Fig. 1). Slipstitch the turning gap closed.
Eight: Repeat steps 2–7 to make five more butterfly bodies, but in step 7 use a 50cm (20in) length of white cord.
Nine: Take the set-aside piece of fabric measuring 25.5cm x 10cm (10in x 4in) and iron a piece of fusible fleece measuring 13cm x 10cm (5in x 4in) to the wrong side of half of this. Fold the fabric in half with right sides facing, and draw around the wing template onto the fleece side; do not cut out. Machine stitch the wings all the way around the drawn line.
Ten: Cut out the wings approx 3mm (1⁄8in) outside the sewn line, and snip the corners. Snip a small slit on one side only of the wings, then turn right side out through this gap. Press well, then topstitch all the way around the edges.
Eleven: Repeat steps 9 and 10 to make five more sets of butterfly wings.
Twelve: Take one of the butterfly body pieces and one of the butterfly wings. Work a line of medium-sized running stitches (see Stitching Techniques) in the centre of the back of the wings, from top to bottom, alongside the turning gap, and gather slightly. Now ladder stitch the centre line of the wings onto the back of the butterfly (see Stitching Techniques), covering both turning gaps in the process. Go over the stitching twice to make sure the wings are securely fastened.
Thirteen: Take the 20cm (8in) embroidery hoop; separate the rings and put aside the screw mechanism ring as this is not required for this project. Evenly mark the ring into sixths. Working with a drill fitted with a 2mm–3mm drill bit, drill a hole into the ring at each marked interval (see Fig. 2).
Fourteen: To cover the ring with fabric, use fabric glue to fix the end of the 2m (21⁄8yd) length of bias tape on the inside of the ring, then wind the tape around the ring fixing it in place with glue as you go. When you cover a drilled hole, make sure glue does not go inside the hole, and mark the position of the hole with a small dot for easy reference later. Make sure to finish on the inside of the ring and secure the end well. Set-aside the unused bias tape (note, you will need a small piece at least 2.5cm/1in long in step 21), and allow to dry completely.
Fifteen: Take one of the butterflies and thread the loose end of its cord into the dollmaker’s needle. Thread the cord through one of the holes in the ring working from the outside to the inside of the ring. Repeat to string all of the butterflies through the ring.
Sixteen: When all the butterflies have been strung through the ring, adjust the ends of the cords until they are all even, intersecting at the desired length where the bead will be threaded on to hide the cord ends. (Note, the longer cord will become the hanging cord for the mobile.)
Tip: Make sure that your large bead has a generous enough hole to allow the cord intersection to fit inside it.
Seventeen: Where the cords intersect, secure them together with a tied piece of thread, then machine stitch over the intersection several times to ensure a strong join. Trim back the shorter cord ends, leaving the longer one in place.
Eighteen: To cover your beads with fabric you first need to cut a small strip of fabric that is approx 1.3cm (1⁄2in) longer that the circumference of your bead by half this length. Snip into the top and bottom edges of your fabric strip about every 6mm (1⁄4in) as shown in Fig. 3.
Nineteen: Coat the middle unsnipped section of the wrong side of your fabric strip with glue. Wrap the glued fabric strip around the circumference of your bead ensuring it lays neatly and smoothly, and that the overlapped sections are well secured with glue. Working on the top edge of your bead first, and gluing one fringe piece at a time, secure each fringe piece straight up over the top edge of the bead, pushing the end neatly into the bead hole using a knitting needle or other round-ended tool. Repeat for the bottom edge of the bead. Allow your bead to dry completely before using.
Twenty: Once the beads have completely dried, thread the cord first through the large bead, then through the small bead. Slide the beads down to cover the meeting point of the cords; secure the beads in place with glue if you choose to.
Twenty-one: You may need to trim the long cord to give you the desired length for hanging the mobile. Fold the end of the cord onto itself by approx 2.5cm (1in) and secure well before trimming the end. Take a small piece of the remaining bias tape and wrap this around the join, folding under the end to neaten, and sew in place. The finished mobile is ready to be hung.
Tip: As an alternative to covering with fabric, the ring and beads could be painted. Sand before painting and allow them to dry really well before continuing.