Noah's Ark Baby Mobile

Bright baubles for baby to watch

Bright, double-sided embroideries are hanging around, to make this colorful baby mobile for the newest addition to the family.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies needed:

Applique fabric scraps for animals, cloud, ark
1/4-inch wide ribbon -- 3 spools (5 yards each)
4 half-inch copper pipe bends -- from the plumbing department of a hardware or home improvement store.
4 feet of wood dowel that will fit tightly into the copper pipe bends
Non-toxic acrylic paint
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Embroidery Designs from Embroidery Library:

Applique Baby Animals and Noah's Ark designs

Gather Materials:

Cut the dowel into four 12-inch lengths and test-fit the ends into the copper pipe bends.

Paint each dowel piece with the acrylic paint and allow to dry completely.

Four orange sticks of modeling clay arranged in a row on a white textured surface with some clay residue.

Glue the dowels into the pipe bends to create a square. When the glue hardens, you will have a sturdy square. This will become the frame of the mobile.

Set the frame aside.

Now it's time to make "double-sided embroidery" to add to the mobile.

The Noah's Ark Animal Applique pack contains the embroidery designs and dielines and the mirrored designs and dielines to make the double-sided embroidery. When you download the pack, note that the embroidery files begin with the letter "Y" followed by 4 numbers. The dieline files also begin with "Y" but ends in "_DL." You will use the dieline files to cut the fabric to the exact shapes for the double-sided embroidery.

Square frame made of four orange plastic tubes connected by four brown corner joints, placed on a dark fabric background.

Start Embroidering:

Sew out the dieline files onto pieces of paper. You can also print the dielines from embroidery software.

Place two scraps of the same fabric, right sides together. Place one of the dielines on top of the fabric, then cut around the shape. Now you'll have two applique fabric pieces that are "mirror" images.

Two light blue clouds with white horizontal stripes on a dark background.

Next, embroider the design (the file that begins with a Y followed by 4 numbers) onto a piece of cutaway stabilizer. Embroider the applique design, and also its mirror.

First, the dieline will sew. After it sews, place the applique fabric in the dieline and continue the design with the tack-down stitch and satin-stitch border.

Here you can see the cloud design sewn twice. The top one is the original and the bottom is the mirrored design.

Two blue striped fabric clouds with stitched edges on a white textured background.

Cut out each piece close to the outer stitching.

When the designs are placed wrong sides together, you will have double-sided embroidery.

Eight pairs of embroidered felt patches on black fabric: two green frogs, two brown arks, two blue clouds, two purple bears, two orange foxes, and two yellow hippos.

Cut four pieces of ribbon that are 12 inches long.

On the wrong side of one of each animal, hot glue the ribbon to the top center.

Hot glue the two sides of each animal together, matching up the edges, to form the double-sided embroidery.

Three layered felt animal shapes in orange, beige, and white with stitched details, including two foxes and a rabbit, on a black background.

Cut a 24-inch piece of ribbon. Glue an ark piece to one end of the ribbon and glue the two ark pieces together as you did the animals.

Place the cloud on the ribbon, about 6 inches from the top of the ark. Glue the wrong side of one of the cloud pieces to the ribbon, then glue the other cloud piece to the first, matching up the edges.

Soft fabric baby mobile with a striped blue and white cloud attached by ribbon to a yellow embroidered Noah's Ark, set against a black background.

Cut two 36-inch pieces of ribbon.

Tie the ends of each ribbon to opposing diagonal corners of the square frame. The ribbons will cross in the center. The mobile will hang from these ribbons.

Square frame formed by four orange tubes connected at corners with brown tape, held from a pink ribbon attached at top middle against black background.

Pick up the ribbon that has the ark and cloud attached to it. Tie the free end of this ribbon around where the supporting ribbons cross, making sure that the cloud and ark are hanging where you like them and that the frame is hanging straight.

Glue the knots at the corners of the frame and at the top, so that they do not slip out.

Wooden square frame with four rods connected by pink corner joints, hanging by purple and white cords; a striped blue and white fabric cloud hanging in the center.

Tie each animal to a corner of the frame. They should hang down about 6 inches from the frame.

Glue these knots as well to keep them from slipping.

Handmade baby mobile with orange wooden frame, strings holding felt animals (frog, rabbit, bird, squirrel) and a blue striped cloud, set against black background.

Tie four fluffy bows with the remaining ribbons and glue them to the corners of the frame.

Tie a ribbon loop around the top crossed ribbons to use as a hanging loop.

Baby mobile frame made of orange wooden dowels tied with pastel ribbons; suspended fabric cloud with blue and white stripes, light blue wall background.

Get Inspired:

Suspend this cute and colorful mobile over baby's crib or changing table. You can hang it from a hook in the ceiling or from a mobile arm that can be attached to the side of the crib.

This baby mobile is a wonderful decoration - but it's not intended to be a toy. Make sure to keep it well out of baby's reach!

Baby mobile with an orange rectangular frame suspended by pink ribbons, featuring hanging felt shapes of a cloud, ark, and colorful animals against a light blue wall.