Spool Sewing bird pattern and mobile
Balancing Art and Nature
I started making mobiles after I made one while working at a local fabric store. I had designed a pattern for a hand made fabric bird based on my own cat toy pattern for the store. To high light the bird I made them a mobile which was hung in the front window of the shop. They photographed the mobile and featured it on their blog. It went viral and seemed to be on all the craft blogs and still is making it’s way around the web. The mobile was even featured in Philadelphia Home magazine.
I was asked to make one for a friend and then another and then another….. I decided I needed a place to sell them and Etsy was just starting up. The timing was perfect.
I like to think of the mobiles as a piece of art rather than a decorative item. I make them with an engineers eye but use natures beauty to create the mobile. They have evolved over the years into more a complex balancing act that uses no metal eye screws or mechanical fasteners.
Materials:
10” x 10” square (each) of 2 fabrics
scissors, marking pencil, thread
Directions:
1. Cut out your feathered friend from 2 contrasting pieces of fabric.
2. Pin 1 edge of the belly to the body, right sides together starting at the tail.
3. Using a 1/42 seam allowance, sew the 3 pieces together using a straight stitch from dot to dot. Be sure to leave the tail end open.
4. Pin other edge and sew together the same way.
5. Sew head seam together to dot.
6. Turn bird right side out and stuff.
7. Sew tail closed.
This one of my favorite mobiles I’ve made. The balance pin is one stick connecting the lower tier and holding it all balanced. I’ve never been able to do that again. I need to work on that.
Michael Fulkerson, USA
![](https://research.ecomakery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/michael-fulkerson.jpg)
PROFILE
OhMyEye Etsy shop – Modern handmade bird mobiles
Oh my eye! wass the shop of Michael Fulkerson, designer and creator of the original Spool Sewing bird pattern and mobile.
The original mobile was featured in Philadelphia Home Magazine as a way to add “sweet pops of color” to your decor.