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How to String a Mobile

Use your imagination to create your own style of mobile.
Jeffrey Hamilton/Photodisc/Getty Images

Whether it’s a model of the solar system or a gravity defying geometric staircase, there’s just something breathtaking about mobiles. Mobiles are for more than just entertaining a baby in a crib; they can be used in a child’s bedroom, or as in the case of Timothy Rose, a mobile artist, to create your own masterpieces.

Determine the various heights and distances apart for each mobile piece. For example, if you are building a mobile of the solar system, you’ll want to accurately place the sun in the middle and the planets in order.

Secure the string to the mobile pieces. You can either glue the string to the pieces if they are made of paper or another light material or tie the string through a small hole in the top of heavier pieces.

Square knot the other end of the mobile pieces to the top of the mobile starting with the lowest piece. A square knot is formed by threading the string through the loop of the mobile stand, looping it around itself and threading the string through the loop.

Vary the distance of any pieces that have differing weights to balance them. For pieces to balance, the product of their weight and distance must be equal. For example, a 2 lb. piece that is 4 inches from the center would balance with a 1 lb. piece that is 8 inches from the center.

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