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DIY butterfly mobile tutorial (for those who were interested)
Some of you asked how to make the mobile that I have in my nursery that I posted yesterday:
I'll be honest, this thing was a PITA to make, and probably took me
way longer than it should have due to my very limited DIY skills. But I
had a vision in mind and I was determined to accomplish it! I didn't take pictures while I was making it, so please bear with me. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Materials I used:
- 2 metal hoops, 1 about 2" larger in diameter than the other
- ribbon
- nylon thread (from craft store)
- 16 medium sized beads
- 80 small beads
- butterfly cardstock cutouts
- sewing needle
- cup hook for hanging mobile
1. Wrap both hoops with ribbon. (You could probably spray paint the hoops and it would look just as nice. Apparently I like to do things the hard way.)
2. Tie strands of thread to larger hoop in the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions (like on a clock). Make sure each thread is long enough so that when you tie it to the smaller hoop, it will make the hoop hang about 3" lower than the large hoop.
3. Tie each thread from the large hoop onto the smaller hoop in the same positions, connecting the two hoops together. When you lift up the large hoop, the smaller hoop should hang down a few inches. How far down it hangs is up to you.
4. Cut 16 threads to your desired length. (I put 8 strands on each hoop, but you can do more or less depending on how full you want your mobile to look.) Make sure you leave enough thread to tie it onto the hoop once you have all the butterflies threaded.
5. Use the needle to thread one medium sized bead to the end of the thread and tie a double knot around the bead to hold it in place. Thread a butterfly onto the bead. Tie a knot using a small size bead to thread the next butterfly leaving a space in between. Continue until all the desired butterflies are on one string. I have 6 butterflies on each string.
6. Repeat process for each string. You should end up with 8 strings on the outer hoop with 6 butterflies on each string and 8 strings on the inner hoop with 6 butterflies on each string.
7. Tie each thread onto the hoops, making sure they are spaced evenly apart. The mobile part is done!
This next part is open to personal preference on whatever works easiest for you as far as hanging the mobile from the ceiling, but this is what I did:
8. Tie 2 threads onto the larger hoop, one from the 12 position to the 6 position and another from the 3 position to the 9 position so it looks like an "x". Be sure to tie them tightly, as this is what you will use to hang it from the ceiling.
9. Once you have determined how much thread is needed to hang the mobile at your desired height, take that piece of thread and tie it onto the center of the "x".
10. Screw a cup hook into the ceiling and hang your mobile!
Sorry these directions aren't super clear. I kind of figured out what to do as I went along, not really thinking about whether I would be explaining it to anyone afterwards 
At the very least, I hope this tutorial might serve as a start to your own creation! Have fun!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: DIY butterfly mobile tutorial (for those who were interested)
I cut them all out by hand. I did it over about a week's time while watching TV. It actually wasn't that bad
I bought them at a local hobby store. I actually don't even know what they're supposed to be for!
Not sure if you will see this since it is an older post, but you can go to some scrapbook stores and pay a fee (like $5) to use their die cut machine and cut out as many shapes as you need. They usually have all sorts of shapes including butterflies. So I would suggest calling your local scrapbook store and seeing if they have a die cut available.
Food Allergies to Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts & Beef
Challenged Soy and tolerated it.