The first purchase I made when I found out I was pregnant was a beautiful handmade mobile for my daughter’s nursery. It had small felt ornaments hanging from it—a lion, red and white circus tent, a seal balancing a ball atop his nose, an elephant, and so on. Cute as it was, it was not so practical for my daughter’s needs as a baby with CVI (Cortical Visual Impairment). Like most of the mobiles out there, this one had many colors, shapes and sizes.
I looked for an alternative on the market and couldn’t find anything single-colored, reflective and simplistic. So I thought, why not make one myself? And so I did. I had an embroidery ring tucked away in one of my drawers from another lifetime when I imagined I’d have plenty of “downtime” to learn how to embroider. LOL! Well, I’ve now found a better use for it as the base of this bright and glittery CVI-friendly baby mobile which I’ll show you how to make next.
Customize it to your child’s needs
I got the idea for the big red circles from my daughter’s wonderful visual therapist, but you can make one with the color your child prefers and using different shapes and sizes. I made this one with 5 dangling circles but I often slip two on top so that there are only three visual targets in my daughter’s view, like in the photo below.
What you’ll need
- Embroidery ring (around 9 inches in diameter)
- Glittery sponge paper foam in the color of your choice
- Cotton twine or yarn
- Very sticky tape
- Scissors
- Something to trace your shape (e.g. a saucer for circles)
- Measuring tape
Step 1
Cut three pieces of cotton twine measuring 15 inches each and tie a knot near one end like in the photo below. The knot you’ve tied is the top of your mobile.
Step 2
Tie each piece of twine onto the embroidery ring (double knot) evenly spaced apart so that when you hold the twine from the knot at the top, the embroidery ring balances evenly.
Step 3
Cut 5 pieces of cotton twine measuring 13 inches each.
Step 4
Tie each piece of twine (double knot) around the embroidery ring, evenly spaced apart. You can clean it up by cutting the short excess bits of twine after knotting.
Step 5
I used a saucer to trace 10 perfect 4.5 inch circles in diameter onto the backside of the red glittery sponge foam paper. Choose the shape you want and go for it!
Step 6
Cut out your circles (or other shapes).
Step 7
Take 5 of your circles and tape the backside of each one to the end of each hanging piece of twine.
Step 8
Place rolled tape onto the backside of the circles where you’ve just taped the string and then place the remaining circles on top so that the glittery paper shows on both sides with the twine sandwiched in between.
Step 9
You’re almost done! Now cut a very long piece of twine to tie from the top of your mobile (see step 1) to the ceiling. The mobile is so light I simply taped it to the ceiling at the height I wanted.
I hope you like it! If you give it a try, I’d love to see your finished work of art! Please comment below.
Cindy has a deep interest in Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and is currently studying Early Childhood Education. She focuses most of her time on her energetic daughter: playing, cuddling and helping to make her world visually accessible. Cindy holds a degree in Marketing and has worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years.