DIY Pom Pom Nursery Mobile: A step-by-step tutorial

I knew I wanted to make as many of my own nursery decorations as I could (so far we have blackout drapes, pillows, blankets, and now this mobile). And once I realized how easy it is to make your own pom poms, I was set on putting together a custom colored mobile for baby D's nursery. I am so happy with how it came out! It took me a while to finish, but only because it was sort of a figure-it-out-as-you-go project for me. I didn't follow a tutorial, I made my own!

So this post will not only give you a sneak peek at the nursery, but also a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own pom pom nursery mobile.

Materials

• Embroidery hoop - 10 inch diameter


• 2 paint colors of your choice (I used a white and black acrylic)


• Foam sponge brush


• 6 yarn colors of your choice, a 100g ball in each color will be enough
  (I made pom poms with Cascade Sateen Worsted, found here from Craftsy, in opal, goldenrod, silver, true blue, and emberglow. The string portions were in cream).


• Clover pom pom makers in 3 different sizes: 1 ⅜ inch, 1 ⅝ inch, and 2 ½ inch


• Gorilla glue (or regular craft glue. Takes longer to dry though).


• Yarn needle


• Pencil


• Measuring tape


• Sharp scissors


• Thin metal wire and wire cutters

Directions
1. Start by making all your pom poms. (This is a great video tutorial on how to use your Clover pom pom maker!) I made 6 large, 18 medium, and 13 small. Secure each of your 6 large pom poms with a very long piece of white yarn instead of using the same color yarn like you usually would (you can see what I mean in her video at 1 min and 39 seconds in). I'd say use about 4 feet and tie the knot in the middle. This white yarn will be what you use to string all the other pom poms to later and tie to the embroidery hoop so you want this long. You can tie all the other sized pom poms with the same color yarn as the pom pom itself.

2. Take apart your embroidery hoop, and paint both pieces inside and out with white (or whatever color you choose). I did 2 coats. When dry, take your measuring tape and wrap it snuggly around the outside of the larger outer hoop. Mark with a pencil every inch around (or whatever space interval you choose). Take your foam paint brush and dab it in the black paint (or whatever color you choose). Press it lightly but firmly on each pencil mark all the way around to make your lines. Let dry, set aside.

3. Play around with the color arrangement of your pom poms so you won't end up with two colors too close together. Now you will begin stringing the bottom dangling portion of pom poms together. Here's how:

• Take a large pom pom, thread a yarn needle onto one piece of the white yarn that you left really long. Next, poke your needle through the very center of a medium pom pom, and pull it onto the yarn. Do this again with another medium pom pom, and finally a small pom pom. You will have 4 pom poms making up each bottom dangling portion, including that large one. Do not knot them yet. Do the same thing with all the rest of your large pom poms. You will have 6 medium and 7 small pom poms left over for the remaining top portion.

4. Now, you will take each dangling string of pom poms and attach them with a double knot to the outer embroidery hoop with the stripes. Make sure your knots are facing the inside of your hoop so you won't see them. Space them out as evenly as you can. Once you are happy with the spacing, secure each knot with some gorilla or craft glue. Just dab a blob on each knot. Leave the other end of the white yarn (without the pom poms), to be used for the top portion, alone for now. Let glue dry, set aside.

5. At this point you can insert the inner hoop back into the larger outer hoop and secure with the screw on the outside as tight as you can to hold things together. This inner hoop will hide the knots!

6. Now we will put the pom poms on the top portion. On each top string, thread on a medium pom pom, and then a small pom pom.

7. Carefully gather all the pieces of string from the top portion in one hand to secure in a knot leaving a loop to hang the mobile later. But make sure your mobile isn't lopsided! It may take a few minutes to get the tension right with each string before you make the knot. Once you make the knot, do not cut the extra off just yet.

8. Once you have your top knot done, it helps to have a place to hang your mobile now, so you can arrange the top and bottom pom poms evenly. I hung mine on a metal wall mounted plant hanger. Or you can use a very patient friend!

9. Now you will space out the bottom pom poms and secure them on with a knot at the bottom. To do this, the piece of string that's hanging out of the bottom of the smallest pom pom, you will thread with your yarn needle, and insert your needle back up into the bottom of the pom pom and come out the top. Don't pull it too hard. Make a strong knot here to the other white string and snip the tail so it hides in with the rest of the pom pom. Don't snip too close to the knot, it might fall out. Do this for all remaining pieces.

10. You should have 1 small pom pom left. This one will go on the very tippy top covering the knot below the hanging loop. In order to thread this hanging loop through the center of the pom pom, you'll need to make a makeshift needle. Cut a 6 inch piece of thin metal wire, insert it through the yarn loop and twist the wire closed. Now poke the pointy end of wire through the center of the pom pom and pull the yarn loop through until the knot hides in the center of the pom pom. Now you can cut the white yarn ends so they hide inside. Don't cut too close to the knot though.

That's it!
And just as a note for safety, I recommend hanging this mobile above the changing table or nursing chair instead of the crib just in case your pom poms come loose and may fall on baby.