How to make a garden mobile
Read below to find out how to make your DIY Garden Mobile!
This simple garden mobile is a great craft for kids, and will bring some cheerful colour to the garden. The mobile uses simple materials from around the house, and is very easy to make. You can let younger children choose their own design and help them to put it together, whereas older children will be able to string the pieces together themselves. It won’t last forever, but it should last for the summer, and you can always make another one next year!
You will need – a plastic flower pot saucer or similar container, coloured wool, a skewer to make holes, a needle and a selection of things to string. We used old milk bottle caps, fluffy pom poms, large coloured beads and buttons.
Use the skewer to make six holes around the edges of the saucer. Cut six lengths of string, each approximately 70cm in length. Tie a large knot in each length of string about 20cm from one end. The shorter end will extend above the top of the saucer and will be used for hanging the mobile.
Take each piece of string in turn, and thread on your objects. Use the skewer to make a hole through the milk bottle tops and a needle to thread the other items. I used seven or eight different things on each strand. You might find that you need to tie a knot in the string underneath each object as you go along, to hold them firmly in place. When you have completed all six strands, use a needle to thread the shorter end of the string through the hole in the saucer so that the knot catches underneath. Gather the loose ends of string above the saucer and tie firmly. I also used a glue gun to make sure that the wool was held securely at the point at which it passes through the saucer.
If you like, you could then decorate the saucer with patterned tape or stickers, especially if you will be hanging it lower down and more of the saucer will be visible.
Then you just need to find somewhere to hang your garden mobile! We are lucky enough to have a small summer house in the garden, and so I hung ours from the porch. Perhaps you have a tree with an overhanging branch or a piece of trellis. If it will be positioned in a particularly windy spot, make sure to attach it securely!
There are so many different variations that you could try. You could make a mobile using natural materials – for example sticks, shells, stones, feathers or pieces of bark. Or you could find items that will make a noise when they are shaken by the wind – perhaps small bells, pieces of old metal cutlery, metal bottle tops or paperclips.
What do you think? Have you made anything for your garden? Let us know on our Facebook page
Can you add anything to our pinboard? We’d love to see garden mobiles that you have made!