This fortnight I've got a very fun project to share with you: how to make a cute and colourful felt baby mobile inspired by the weather. You'll learn to sew fluffy clouds and rainclouds, a smiling sun and a bright rainbow then combine them all to make a mobile!
Today: how to sew a little felt sun.
This mobile would make a sweet addition to any nursery or a special gift for new parents. You could also use the tutorials to make individual ornaments or fun brooches - just add a ribbon loop or a brooch clasp. IMPORTANT: As with all mobiles, this is a decoration not a toy so make sure you hang the finished project well out of reach of little fingers.
This tutorial originally appeared on The Village Haberdashery's blog - visit their shop for lots of crafty goodness! To make the felt sunshine, you will need:
- The sun templates (click here to view, download, and print the PDF) - Yellow and orange felt - Yellow and black sewing thread - Black embroidery thread (floss) - Two black seed beads - Toy stuffing - Sewing needles and pins - Embroidery scissors (these are great for cutting out small shapes!)
Optional but very useful: an air erasable fabric marker.
Want to make a felt sun brooch or ornament? You'll also need a brooch clasp or a length of narrow ribbon.
To make the felt sun:
1. Use the templates provided to cut out two yellow sun pieces and one orange sun rays piece.
Tip: when cutting out the rays, I found it easiest to roughly cut around the shape then to cut down one side of each "ray" first, and then to cut up along the other sides to reveal the final shape.
2. Draw a smiley face on one of the yellow sun pieces using an air-erasable fabric marker: a smile and two dots for the eyes.Cut a length of black embroidery thread and separate half the strands (so use three of the six strands). Use the black thread to backstitch along the smile, sewing small stitches for a smooth curve. Finish your stitching neatly at the back then trim any excess thread.
Don't have an air-erasable marker? Just sew the smile freehand, leaving plenty of room to add the eyes in the next step.
3. Add two black seed beads for the eyes. Use black sewing thread, sewing each bead flat like an O with three or four stitches.To avoid the black thread being visible through the yellow felt, don't carry your thread between the eyes – instead start a fresh piece of thread for the second bead.
Want to add a brooch clasp or a ribbon loop? Now's your chance! Sew them to the undecorated yellow circle (which will form the back of the sun). 4. Line up all three sun pieces carefully so the rays are sandwiched between the two yellow circles.
Use yellow sewing thread and whip stitch to sew the layers together. Turn the felt back and forth as you sew, so you can check that your stitching is in the right place on both sides. Sew most of the way around the circle, leaving a gap for stuffing
5. Stuff the sun with small pieces of toy stuffing, gradually adding stuffing to both sides between the layers until the sun is evenly stuffed. Then sew up the gap, pinching the felt firmly between your fingers to make sure the layers are in the right position and sewn together neatly. 
Coming soon: how to sew felt rainbows! This tutorial is for non commercial use only: you can use it to stitch as many felt suns as you want for yourself or as gifts, but please don't make any for sale. You may borrow a couple of photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to this page on my blog, and do not reproduce my entire post or share my pattern on your site. Thanks!
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