Silk Angel Mobile - Tutorial

Finally I am posting about the Silk Angel mobile I have made for Trahaearn.
In fact I started and completed everything except for putting the mobile together before he was even born.
However as he is still in his cradle, and not the cot yet, I have not been able to put it up above the cot. Arwen has the one I made for Myffwyn above her area still and we are still waiting to change the rooms around before I can put Trahaearn's one up.

Well on with this very, very simple tutorial for anyone interested.
First off you need to have some silk. Now you can buy this already coloured or plain and dye it your self (which is a fun project to do, we have had some lovely times painting silk in rainbow colours etc in the past)
Materials:
12 silk squares approx 12 cm by 12cm
12 (or what ever number of angels you are going to make) 50cm lengths of gold thread.
Something to hang your angels on. This time I used a piece of cane from an old washing basket but I have used two sticks in a cross pattern before too.
fleece
thread, needle and scissors
optional extra thread wither in gold or another colour

Now you have decided on your colours, I had about 12 colours for this mobile. You need each piece to be about 12cm by 12 cm

When I first started to make these the lady I bought silk from told me to tear my silk. This is how I have always done it - so first I make a little cut and then simply tear it across. It does tear neatly and you get that more natural look too.

These are my squares all ready to go.........

Take a small piece of wool stuffing and place in your hand

Form it into a tight ball by rubbing back and forth. Technically it should be about the size of a marble, but frankly ours are often sometimes larger.

Then put the ball of wool in the middle of your first piece of silk, bring up the edges to tightly surround what will be the head of your angel and hold the neck

Take the gold thread you have previously prepared before starting and wrap it around the neck area of you angel

Do this two times (or more) and knot it a couple of times too. Leave a long tail as you finish this part.

Thread your needle with the tails and place needle in at neck and come out the middle at the top of the head

Finished silk angel.
Now repeat for all your other angels.

Arrange them in the pattern you would like to have them on your circle shape.

Due to the fact I did not have  a nice round shape I created one with a piece of can from an old washing basket. I shaped it into a mostly circle shape and then tied it together with thread.

Next I divided my sort of circle into roughly three parts and tied thread, gold again for this time at roughly equal distances apart. I am not a measure person usually on this type of stuff and often eye it in, mostly successfully. The length of the thread really depends on how high or low you want your mobile to hang so just check that out first.

Place your angels around the circle (or along your t shape in the places you want them and tie them on.

Now I like to do mine in a mix n match pattern of heights but I generally have seen them in a descending spiral. Really it is a matter of preference. However if you do a spiral you will need to more accurately measure you lengths to create a neat spiral effect as you tie them on.

Voila.......now you have a completed Silk Angel mobile.

Obviously these are not restricted to baby mobiles. We have had a similar one for our Spring Seasons table and they are Spring Fairies.

I have also made individual ones and given them as gifts to friends who have lost babies through miscarriage as a remembrance angel.

I also made little ones out of heavier fabric as play people for our children to use with their playscapes.

Truly they are so simple to make and an easy activity to share with little ones, without much preparation or thought involved.


Blessings to you and your homes,