Two of my closest friends recently had a little baby girl and moved into a new home so it was the perfect opportunity for me to try my hand at making another baby mobile. After the success of the horse themed baby mobile I made for my sister, this time I tried on a new theme inspired by marine life. As for the colour palette of the ensemble, I tried to select it so that it would fit harmoniously with the beautiful baby’s room that my friends had carefully prepared.
Whether you’re an experienced leather-worker or just starting out, this project is a perfect way to challenge your skills and create a one-of-a-kind piece for the little one in your life. So let’s dive in and create a beautiful keepsake that will be treasured for years to come!
Preparing the lengths of cord and wrapping the hoop
Cut the following lengths of cord:
1x 27.5 inches (70cm).
3x 25.5 inches (65cm).
3x 23.5 inches (60cm).
Make a knot close to one end of for each one of them.
Secure the cord to the hoop with a double knot and patiently loop around the entire perimeter. When you reach the end of the circle, secure the cord once again with a double knot overlapping the first one.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Keep the assembly diagrams to help you position and stitch all the pieces together later on.
Print on thick paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather. 200g/cm2 and above is ideal (as long as your printer can handle it).
I usually prefer to use that method over taping the pattern on the leather and cutting/punching directly over the paper. This preference comes from the fact that it usually allows to use less paper, less ink and less leather since the pieces can be manually placed very close to each other. However after spending several hours marking all the necessary pieces and stitching holes I reconsidered my approach. Which is why I decided to provide two versions of the pattern: one intended to be used as described in this tutorial, and one to be taped over the leather. If I had to make this project again, I would use the latter strategy.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
A lot of elements of the pattern have to be traced twice or more. All the pieces will require a mirrored version of their pattern element to be traced. In order to achieve this, don’t forget to turn the pattern over.
Since both the small and large starfishes are not symmetrical, I included a symbol on the pattern to help position the pieces correctly during the assembly. I encourage you to reproduce those marks next to the relevant starfish legs to help you align the pieces later on.
Don’t forget to mark the positions of the holes that we will need to punch through later on. You can use a bit of masking tape to hold the pattern pieces in place while you are marking the points.
Checklist of all the pieces to trace:
1A x1 regular and x1 mirrored (pattern turned over)
1B x3 regular and x3 mirrored
1C x6
1D x3 regular and x3 mirrored
1E x3 regular and x3 mirrored
2A x1
2B x1
2C x1
3A x1 regular and x1 mirrored
3B x1 regular and x1 mirrored
3C x1 regular and x1 mirrored
3D x1
4A x1 regular and x1 mirrored
4B x1 regular and x1 mirrored
4C x1 regular and x1 mirrored
4D x1 regular and x1 mirrored
4E x1 regular and x1 mirrored
4F x1
5A x1 regular and x1 mirrored
5B x1 regular and x1 mirrored
5C x1 regular and x1 mirrored
5D x1
6A x1 regular and x1 mirrored
6B x1 regular and x1 mirrored
6C x1 regular and x1 mirrored
6D x1
Since the cheeks of the beluga whale, blue whale and dolphin are so small, they are not included as pattern elements. Use your 5mm hole punch to mark the outline of those 3 pieces.
The belly of the blue whale (6B) is a bit of a special case as you’ll have to trace the ventral pleats.
In order to do so, dampen your piece of leather and lay the pattern on top of it secured with tape.
Trace over the lines of the pattern with a pen, remove it and make another pass with a fine stylus in order to deepen the groves.
Punching the stitching holes
Use stitching prongs or a hole punch to punch the stitching holes for all the pieces.
To punch the details of the larger starfish, you’ll need 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm and 4mm hole punches.
Cutting-out the pieces of leather
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the scene.
Use your 5mm hole punch to cut-out the cheeks of the blue whale, beluga whale and dolphin.
At that point I also transferred the little positioning helper marks at the back of the pieces used for the starfishes.
Dyeing the leather
Dyeing can be achieved through different methods. I will refer you to this Youtube Playlist in order to learn more about the subject from much more qualified craftsmen than I am.
For this project I created a palette of pastel colours to try and match the dominant colours of my friend’s baby’s room.
Once the leather is completely dry, apply a coat of oil to re-hydrate it and protect the dye.
.
Try to be swift in your motions once the oil is on the leather to avoid creating darker spots. If this happens not to worry though, just leave it half an hour under the sun (rough side up so that the top grain doesn’t tan). The heat will help the oil spread out evenly in the fibers of the leather.
Finally apply the conditioning product of your choice.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
Setting-up the eyes
Punch-out 4×2.5mm and 2x3mm dots from a piece of black leather.
Let’s start with the blue whale. Insert the two 3mm black dots just punched into each eye socket in the two pieces 6A and secure by applying glue to the back of each piece.
Follow the same procedure with the 2.5mm black dots for the killer whale (pattern elements 4A), the beluga whale (5A) and the dolphin (3B).
Stitching-it all together
The moon
Stitch the two opposite sides of the moon (pattern element 1A) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Position the 70cm cord so that it passes through the moon and finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece. Leave about 35cm of cord above the moon.
The clouds
Stitch the two opposite sides of the cloud (1B) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Position the 60cm cord so that it passes through the cloud. Leave about 45cm of cord above the cloud
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other clouds.
The stars
Stitch the two opposite sides of the star (1C) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Position the 65cm cord so that it passes through the star. Leave about 40cm of cord above the star.
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other stars.
The small starfishes
Stitch the two opposite sides of the small starfish (1E) along the edge using a cross-stitch. Use the mark left earlier to align the legs of the two sides properly.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
The starfishes hang below the clouds. Insert the knotted end of one of the cords threading through a cloud between two stitches of the starfish to secure it in place.
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other small starfishes.
The seaweeds
Stitch the two opposite sides of the seaweed (1D) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
The seaweeds hang midway below the stars and above the knot at the end of the cord. Thus the cord has to be threaded through the piece.
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other seaweeds.
The large starfish
Start by stitching the motif of the large starfish (2A) to the front piece (2B) using a saddle stitch.
Then stitch the two opposite sides of the large starfish (2B and 2C) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
The large starfish hangs midway below the moon and above the knot at the end of the cord. Thus the cord has to be threaded through the piece.
Finally finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece.
The dolphin
Start by stitching the mouth and the cheeks on both sides of the belly (5B) of the dolphin using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the upper part of the body (3A) to the belly (3B), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (3C), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the dolphin.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the dolphin together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of one of the three cords threading through a star and a seaweed between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (3D) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
The killer whale
Start by stitching the cheeks (4B) and the white patches (4C) on both upper parts (4A) of the killer whale using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the belly (4D) to the upper part of the body (4A), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (4E), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the killer whale.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the killer whale together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of one of the three cords threading through a star and a seaweed between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (4F) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
I used two different thread colours during that step: white for the belly and black for the upper part of the body.
The beluga whale
Start by stitching the mouth and the cheeks on both upper parts (5A) of the beluga whale using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the belly (5B) to the upper part of the body (5A), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (5C), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the beluga whale.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the beluga whale together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of one of the three cords threading through a star and a seaweed between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (5D) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
The blue whale
Start by stitching the cheeks on both upper parts (6A) of the blue whale using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the belly (6B) to the upper part of the body (6A), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (6C), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the blue whale.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the blue whale together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of the cord threading through the moon and the large starfish between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (6D) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
I used two different thread colours during that step: white for the belly and blue for the upper part of the body.
Tying the elements of the scene to the hoop
First tie the 3 clouds and their starfish to the hoop, trying to make the knots equidistant from each other. Leave approximately 15.5 inches (40 cm) of cord above the knot.
Then tie the 3 stars, their seaweed and their marine animal, trying once again to space them out evenly. Leave about 15.5 inches (40cm) of cord above the knot once again.
Bundle all the cord’s ends together (including the moon, the large starfish and the blue whale) and temporarily hang the mobile somewhere to make adjustments so that every element hangs where you want it to and checking that the hoop is balanced with all the cords it’s hanging from under tension.
Once you are satisfying, knot the bundle of cords over itself to secure it and create the loop from which the mobile will hang.
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project:
Tutorial
Marine life baby mobile
25 hours
Intermediate
Common for leathercraft
Two of my closest friends recently had a little baby girl and moved into a new home so it was the perfect opportunity for me to try my hand at making another baby mobile. After the success of the horse themed baby mobile I made for my sister, this time I tried on a new theme inspired by marine life. As for the colour palette of the ensemble, I tried to select it so that it would fit harmoniously with the beautiful baby’s room that my friends had carefully prepared.
Whether you’re an experienced leather-worker or just starting out, this project is a perfect way to challenge your skills and create a one-of-a-kind piece for the little one in your life. So let’s dive in and create a beautiful keepsake that will be treasured for years to come!
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Marine Life Themed Baby Mobile Pattern
Walk-through
Preparing the lengths of cord and wrapping the hoop
Cut the following lengths of cord:
Make a knot close to one end of for each one of them.
Secure the cord to the hoop with a double knot and patiently loop around the entire perimeter. When you reach the end of the circle, secure the cord once again with a double knot overlapping the first one.
Printing and cutting-out the pattern
You can get the pattern here if you haven’t already.
Print it and cut-out the pieces of the project.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Keep the assembly diagrams to help you position and stitch all the pieces together later on.
Print on thick paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather. 200g/cm2 and above is ideal (as long as your printer can handle it).
I usually prefer to use that method over taping the pattern on the leather and cutting/punching directly over the paper. This preference comes from the fact that it usually allows to use less paper, less ink and less leather since the pieces can be manually placed very close to each other. However after spending several hours marking all the necessary pieces and stitching holes I reconsidered my approach. Which is why I decided to provide two versions of the pattern: one intended to be used as described in this tutorial, and one to be taped over the leather. If I had to make this project again, I would use the latter strategy.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
A lot of elements of the pattern have to be traced twice or more. All the pieces will require a mirrored version of their pattern element to be traced. In order to achieve this, don’t forget to turn the pattern over.
Since both the small and large starfishes are not symmetrical, I included a symbol on the pattern to help position the pieces correctly during the assembly. I encourage you to reproduce those marks next to the relevant starfish legs to help you align the pieces later on.
Don’t forget to mark the positions of the holes that we will need to punch through later on. You can use a bit of masking tape to hold the pattern pieces in place while you are marking the points.
Checklist of all the pieces to trace:
Since the cheeks of the beluga whale, blue whale and dolphin are so small, they are not included as pattern elements. Use your 5mm hole punch to mark the outline of those 3 pieces.
The belly of the blue whale (6B) is a bit of a special case as you’ll have to trace the ventral pleats.
In order to do so, dampen your piece of leather and lay the pattern on top of it secured with tape.
Trace over the lines of the pattern with a pen, remove it and make another pass with a fine stylus in order to deepen the groves.
Punching the stitching holes
Use stitching prongs or a hole punch to punch the stitching holes for all the pieces.
To punch the details of the larger starfish, you’ll need 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm and 4mm hole punches.
Cutting-out the pieces of leather
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the scene.
Use your 5mm hole punch to cut-out the cheeks of the blue whale, beluga whale and dolphin.
At that point I also transferred the little positioning helper marks at the back of the pieces used for the starfishes.
Dyeing the leather
Dyeing can be achieved through different methods. I will refer you to this Youtube Playlist in order to learn more about the subject from much more qualified craftsmen than I am.
For this project I created a palette of pastel colours to try and match the dominant colours of my friend’s baby’s room.
Once the leather is completely dry, apply a coat of oil to re-hydrate it and protect the dye.
.Try to be swift in your motions once the oil is on the leather to avoid creating darker spots. If this happens not to worry though, just leave it half an hour under the sun (rough side up so that the top grain doesn’t tan). The heat will help the oil spread out evenly in the fibers of the leather.
Finally apply the conditioning product of your choice.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
Setting-up the eyes
Punch-out 4×2.5mm and 2x3mm dots from a piece of black leather.
Let’s start with the blue whale. Insert the two 3mm black dots just punched into each eye socket in the two pieces 6A and secure by applying glue to the back of each piece.
Follow the same procedure with the 2.5mm black dots for the killer whale (pattern elements 4A), the beluga whale (5A) and the dolphin (3B).
Stitching-it all together
The moon
Stitch the two opposite sides of the moon (pattern element 1A) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Position the 70cm cord so that it passes through the moon and finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece. Leave about 35cm of cord above the moon.
The clouds
Stitch the two opposite sides of the cloud (1B) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Position the 60cm cord so that it passes through the cloud. Leave about 45cm of cord above the cloud
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other clouds.
The stars
Stitch the two opposite sides of the star (1C) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Position the 65cm cord so that it passes through the star. Leave about 40cm of cord above the star.
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other stars.
The small starfishes
Stitch the two opposite sides of the small starfish (1E) along the edge using a cross-stitch. Use the mark left earlier to align the legs of the two sides properly.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
The starfishes hang below the clouds. Insert the knotted end of one of the cords threading through a cloud between two stitches of the starfish to secure it in place.
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other small starfishes.
The seaweeds
Stitch the two opposite sides of the seaweed (1D) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
The seaweeds hang midway below the stars and above the knot at the end of the cord. Thus the cord has to be threaded through the piece.
Finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece and repeat the same process for the two other seaweeds.
The large starfish
Start by stitching the motif of the large starfish (2A) to the front piece (2B) using a saddle stitch.
Then stitch the two opposite sides of the large starfish (2B and 2C) along the edge using a cross-stitch.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
The large starfish hangs midway below the moon and above the knot at the end of the cord. Thus the cord has to be threaded through the piece.
Finally finish stitching along the perimeter of the piece.
The dolphin
Start by stitching the mouth and the cheeks on both sides of the belly (5B) of the dolphin using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the upper part of the body (3A) to the belly (3B), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (3C), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the dolphin.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the dolphin together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of one of the three cords threading through a star and a seaweed between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (3D) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
The killer whale
Start by stitching the cheeks (4B) and the white patches (4C) on both upper parts (4A) of the killer whale using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the belly (4D) to the upper part of the body (4A), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (4E), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the killer whale.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the killer whale together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of one of the three cords threading through a star and a seaweed between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (4F) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
I used two different thread colours during that step: white for the belly and black for the upper part of the body.
The beluga whale
Start by stitching the mouth and the cheeks on both upper parts (5A) of the beluga whale using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the belly (5B) to the upper part of the body (5A), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (5C), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the beluga whale.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the beluga whale together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of one of the three cords threading through a star and a seaweed between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (5D) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
The blue whale
Start by stitching the cheeks on both upper parts (6A) of the blue whale using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the belly (6B) to the upper part of the body (6A), again using a saddle stitch.
Stitch-in the fin (6C), using the assembly diagram as a guide to position it.
Repeat this operation for the opposite side of the blue whale.
Stitch the two opposite sides of the blue whale together using a cross stitch.
As you reach midway along the back, secure the knotted end of the cord threading through the moon and the large starfish between two stitches.
Add some polyester stuffing as you progress.
Stitch-in the fluke (6D) and finish stitching along the perimeter of the animal.
I used two different thread colours during that step: white for the belly and blue for the upper part of the body.
Tying the elements of the scene to the hoop
First tie the 3 clouds and their starfish to the hoop, trying to make the knots equidistant from each other. Leave approximately 15.5 inches (40 cm) of cord above the knot.
Then tie the 3 stars, their seaweed and their marine animal, trying once again to space them out evenly. Leave about 15.5 inches (40cm) of cord above the knot once again.
Bundle all the cord’s ends together (including the moon, the large starfish and the blue whale) and temporarily hang the mobile somewhere to make adjustments so that every element hangs where you want it to and checking that the hoop is balanced with all the cords it’s hanging from under tension.
Once you are satisfying, knot the bundle of cords over itself to secure it and create the loop from which the mobile will hang.
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project: