Cutie Pi Pompom Baby Mobile

Hi everybody,

In this Instructable, I will show you how to create an adorable baby mobile.

A friend of mine just had a baby girl. I thought this would be a perfect (nerdy) gift for this little cutie pie, as her parents are scientists.

In principle, this can also be wall decor or a great addition to a classroom. And there are many ways to customise it and make it fit anywhere.

- pompoms in various sizes and colours. I had 4 sizes and 9 colours. In principle, you can even use same size/colour, I just wanted to have a rainbow colour scheme and a bit of size variation.

- fishing line

- matches or a lighter

- a needle

- a branch

- super glue

This step is easy, all you need to do is find a branch you'd like to use for your mobile. A piece of driftwood would work nicely, but, unfortunately, I did not have any. The main criterion is that the branch should be dry, but not mouldy and it should be mechanically stable (not too many holes). Remove bark, if there is any, and clean the surface with rubbing alcohol. I polished mine a bit with sand paper, but it is not necessary.

If you like a nice warm look for your branch, put some oil on it. I used olive oil and a brush to spread it out. You can see from the picture, that it makes quite a difference. Once you have coated it with a thin coat, wipe off with a tissue. Let it sit overnight.

First, you need to cut your fishing line into pieces. For my mobile, I have use a length of 30", which leaves plenty of room to work with. I needed 11 pieces - 9 for digits, 1 for the decimal point, and one for the hanger.

When you get fishing line, it is typically wrapped on a spool. Without any treatment, the fishing line remains curled up, which does not work well with pompoms, as they are too light to straighten it.

There are several ways you can straighten the fishing line. You can use a blow-dryer, or tie the fishing line around a tree and try to stretch it, or use some weights. I have found that the easiest way to do this is to simply put the fishing line in hot water.

The process is simple. Boil some water. Get a ceramic bowl or a plate in which you can fit about two cups of water. Put the fishing line into the bowl and pour the hot water on top. If the fishing line keeps pocking out, push it into the water with a fork. Keep in submerged for 30 second. Then remove the fishing line using a fork and dry it out.

You can see from the pictures that it works wonderfully.

I wanted the number of pompoms to represent the digits of pi. Now, since I had limited space, I only have 8 digits of pi after the decimal 3.14159265... If you want more, you just need a bigger stick!

When it comes to colour and size of pompoms, your options are basically limitless. I decided to go with a rainbow colour scheme and change the size of pompoms from top to bottom. I can also imagine that a gradient colour scheme would look lovely.

I think it is a bit confusing to have a pompom as a decimal point, so I went with an alternative - a heart.

Making the heart is rather easy. First, select your pompoms - I went with the smallest ones. I needed 13 of them. Arrange them into a heart - see picture. It is easier, if you use scotch tape for a backing. Once you are happy with the design, it's time to attach the pompoms to each other. I did it in two steps.

First, use super glue and place small drop between the pompoms, push together. Repeat for all pompoms and let dry for a few minutes. Then, use a needle with a small piece of fishing line and thread all of the pompoms - go in and out, trying to hide as much of the fishing line, as possible. To make sure the end of the fishing line does not slide out, make a small knot on it.

Put the heart under a book overnight, so it is nice and flat.

I wanted for my fishing line connections to be invisible, this is why I decided to hide the connections in the wood. Of course, it is possible to just tie the fishing line around the branch.

Before securing the fishing line, you need to decide which side of your branch is going to be the front (display) one. I placed my holes on the other side, which gives it a nice tidy look.

One thing that is highly important is to make the spacing on the fishing line pieces even. I went wit a spacing of 2.5". This is of course customizable and depends on the size of your pompoms - it is better if they don't touch. Line up your branch with a measuring tape and mark your fishing line placements. I used a sharpie (and I shouldn't have), so use a pencil instead.

Once the markings are done, drill holes. They do not need to be very big - the size of a matchstick's head. Just enough to put a small droplet of glue in. Drill two additional holes on the top of the branch - these will be used for the hanger.

For each of the fishing line pieces, use matchstick to burn about an inch from one side. The molten end will have a small ball on it, let it cool. This will be used to secure the fishing line in place.

Put a little bit of super glue in the hole and place the molten ball into it. Hold for a few second, so the fishing line is secured. Cover the rest of the hole with the glue.

Repeat the same process for the hanger.

Put the free end of the fishing line through a needle. Start threading according to the scheme. I started from left to right. When it comes to the vertical spacing between pompoms, I decided to go with about 2". Of course you can use more or less, depends on what you prefer.

Once all of the pompoms are threaded onto the fishing line, leave the mobile hanging over night. This way, the fishing line straightens even more. you can adjust the final positions the next day.

To secure the pompoms from falling, move one of them about 2" away from the end. As you did for the other end, burn off about one inch and let it cool. You can now slide the pompom all the way down, it won't fall off.

Repeat for all other lines.

You are done! Now it's time to find the perfect place for it. You can place it against a wall, as I did. Or, you can suspect it from the ceiling - this way it will move around more.