Himmeli straw mobile: learn how to make this traditional Finnish Christmas ornament
For generations, the classic himmeli straw mobile has been a Finnish Christmas staple. In this delicate decoration, traditional skills blend with a simple design style. Check out the instructions and give it a try yourself!
A traditional Finnish mobile, himmeli, is put together using various-sized basic shapes, or octahedrons: typically small, medium, and large. In the final step, the shapes are joined together. You can adjust the size and style of each shape to suit your own taste.
Himmeli is traditionally made of straw. Since straw breaks easily, it must be soaked well before handling. Dry straw will crack or split when cut. You can also use paper straws, glass tubes, or small tubes rolled from cardstock. Picking your favorite color for straws or cardstock is easy. The straw mobile can serve as a decorative element after the Christmas season—or even all year long.
Himmeli straw mobile—supplies:
- straw mobile straw
- crochet thread or strong sewing thread
- a long darning needle or a straw mobile needle
- scissors
Number and measurements of straws
In this guide, the mobile’s basic shape—an octahedron—is made from 12 equally long pieces of straw or another material. To assemble the mobile, you’ll need one large basic shape, plus six medium-sized ones and six small ones. You’ll also need 1-centimeter (0.4 in) “neck” parts that let the pieces sway gently in the air current.
- One large basic shape: 12 pieces of straw each 16 centimeters (6.3 in)
- 6 medium-sized basic shapes: 72 pieces of straw each 8 centimeters (3.1 in)
- 6 small basic shapes: 72 pieces of straw each 4 centimeters (1.6 in)
- Neck parts: 5 pieces of straw each 1 centimeter (0.4 in).
You’ll need a length of thread about 15 times the straw’s length to assemble the shape. For a small basic shape, you need about 60 centimeters (24 in) of thread, for a medium one about 120 centimeters (47 in), and for a large one about 240 centimeters (94 in). Add a few more centimeters if you want extra room for tying knots.
Himmeli straw mobile—instructions for the basic shape
Soak the straws in warm water for at least a couple of hours. Cut them into sections for your mobilestraw mobilSstraw mobiS, and prepare a long piece of thread. Then thread your needle.
Assembling the straw mobile
Use the leftover thread from assembling each piece to attach the basic shapes to one another. Loop the thread around the corner you’re joining a couple of times, and hide any excess thread inside a straw with a needle or the tip of a pen. Leave the thread at the top of the large shape free so you can hang the himmeli.
First, fasten a small basic shape to the lower corner of each medium shape. Then attach the medium shapes to all six corners of the large shape with the neck sections—four along the sides, one at the top corner, and one at the bottom corner. The shape hanging from the top corner is tied so it hangs inside the large shape.
Tip!
If you want your himmeli to stand out even more, you can add bows or wooden beads by threading them onto the straws during assembly. Be aware that beads can be surprisingly heavy. To avoid an unbalanced design, place the beads either in the middle of the basic shapes or distribute them evenly on both sides.
