# Good Looking and Safe Alternative to Safety Eyes



## trisha2 (Oct 11, 2012)

Good Looking and Safe Alternative to Safety Eyes

I initially decided on using a black felt circle and stitching around it with some brown wool. It was ok, but not great. Pic 1. After several attempts I have now hit on the method I think works the best.

You Will Need

Black felt
A coin or other circular object to draw around (I used a 5p coin - 20mm)
A marker with a fine point
A small amount of white glue
Ordinary black sewing cotton
Embroidery silk in your chosen eye colour
Sharp needle

To cut the felt circles:

	Using plain paper, draw around a 5p coin. (or other circular object) 

	Cut out the circles very roughly. Pic 2

	Sellotape the circles onto black felt and then cut them out neatly.
Sellotaping the circles onto the felt stops them moving around as you cut.

Positioning the felt circles.

	Use glass headed pins put through the centre of the circles to pin them in place. When youre happy with their position use the pin to gently enlarge the stitch a little, so you will be able to see where it was placed when its removed, and then remove the felt and the pin. With a marker pen, put tiny dots where the pins were positioned.

	Put a tiny blob of white glue on both dots and stick the circles in place. 

	Leave to dry!

	Thread a needle with ordinary black sewing cotton and stitch the eyes in place

	Thread a sharp needle with embroidery silk. (I used only 2 strands. NOT 2 lengths held together)

	Stitch around the circumference of the circles. The eye is already stitched onto the doll so you can just stitch through the felt. (This took quite a while.)

Stitching around the circumference has the effect of making the eye seem smaller. Pic 3

	Finished. Well Done! Have a cup of tea glass of champagnepunnet of strawberries  or whatever you fancy.


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## Grandma G. (Oct 29, 2012)

I like your idea as I feel even safety eyes pose a hazard for small children.


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## Becca (Jan 26, 2011)

Wonderful suggestion. Will try this when I make my next tooth fairy pillow.


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## FrannyGrace (Dec 25, 2011)

I saw your earlier post and decided it was exactly what I needed for the bear I'm making. Looks good and is easy to do.!


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## jmf6406 (Dec 13, 2012)

What a great idea!! Thanks!


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## LilgirlCA (Jan 22, 2011)

Good GREAT and is much safer on knitted items than the 'safety eyes'

thanks for sharing


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## countryknitwit (Nov 13, 2011)

Thanks for taking the time to write the instructions out--I never use safety eyes.


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## sundrop016 (Mar 19, 2013)

thank you so much


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## Swedenme (May 28, 2014)

Thank you for this . I really like your idea and I think the eyes look really nice too


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## MKDesigner (Jan 27, 2014)

Thanks so much for writing out your process and the great instructions. I've always avoided plastic eyes and have always embroidered mine. But yours are sooo much better looking than some of mine.  I'll be switching to your method for the coming fall/winter season.

Thanks!
Marge


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## Hannelore (Oct 26, 2011)

Thanks for your way of making the eyes for toys. Will have to try it.


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## Moondancermel (Nov 18, 2012)

Thanks for this will save it so I can find it whan I need it.


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## quill-ws (Jul 30, 2014)

Thank you for this good idea for eyes on Toys, I will use this method if I make any Toys in the future. From, Susan, Hertfordshire, U.K.


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## babyamma (Sep 14, 2011)

I like the hair of your Dumpling. Which yarn did you use? Is there some link or video to help hair fixing....i would love any help. Thanks.


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## neomom2 (Aug 4, 2012)

Fabulous idea.. I hated using safety eyes when i hand crafted the rest of the toy but hadnt come up with quite a good enough way to make the eye on my own. This will work perfectly!


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## Windbeam (Jul 31, 2011)

Thank you, nice idea.


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## penpop (Aug 12, 2013)

Great instructions, with great results. I will use them instead of safety eyes.


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## vershi (Nov 25, 2012)

What a lovely idea, I will be trying this, thank you for the instructions. :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## jemima (Mar 26, 2011)

Brilliant idea Just printed for future reference thank you.


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## Nilda muniz (Aug 14, 2011)

Thank you so much for that great and very well detailed idea. Wonderful!


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## siouxann (Mar 5, 2011)

Very clever!


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## Gypsycream (Nov 23, 2011)

What a great instructional tutorial Trisha, very clearly written. With your permission I'd like to include a link to this thread on my patterns 

Thank you


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## trisha2 (Oct 11, 2012)

Please feel free Gypsycream. I would be honoured.

trisha2


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## Gypsycream (Nov 23, 2011)

trisha2 said:


> Please feel free Gypsycream. I would be honoured.
> 
> trisha2


Thank you


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## Cardelo (Jul 14, 2014)

What an excellent solution to a worrisome problem! Thank you for sharing this tip.


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## yona (Feb 7, 2011)

Thank you so much for detailed description. Last year I knitted a monkey for my GD and added 'googly' eyes b/c I thought they would be more fun. 

I will change the eyes on the monkey and make your eyes on it instead.


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## Granana48 (May 5, 2014)

Great idea! Thanks!


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## canuckle49 (Sep 24, 2012)

Super idea ! Thank you for taking the time to write it all out with pictures ! How wonderful that Gypsycream is going to put a link to this method on her pattern instructions ! &#128522;


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## glassbird (Jul 18, 2013)

Thank you!


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## Damama (Oct 2, 2011)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## gloriam (Aug 11, 2011)

That looks great, thank you.


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## MartyCare (Feb 16, 2011)

I really needed to learn to make eyes like that. Yours look great. I didn't understand the part where you said:
------------------
Use glass headed pins put through the centre of the circles to pin them in place. When youre happy with their position use the pin to gently enlarge the stitch a little, so you will be able to see where it was placed when its removed, and then remove the felt and the pin. With a marker pen, put tiny dots where the pins were positioned.
-----------------
When you said, "Use the pin to gently enlarge the stitch a little," what stitch are you talking about? 
Carol K in OH


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## grandmatimestwo (Mar 30, 2011)

Great idea!


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## judeanne (Mar 6, 2011)

Thank you. That method really is the answer.


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## trisha2 (Oct 11, 2012)

When you said, "Use the pin to gently enlarge the stitch a little," what stitch are you talking about? 
Carol K in OH

Hi Carol,

Yes, that was a bit tricky to explain. 

If you pin the felt eye in place, and then simply remove the pin and the felt, you won't know where to put the marker dot. So just wiggle the pin around before you take it out, so that the stitch (or rather the hole it was in) is enlarged a little. Then, when you take out the pin, and take off the felt, you will be able to see where the pin went in. Using a marker pen, put a tiny dot where the pin went in.

Hope that helps,

trisha2


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## canuckle49 (Sep 24, 2012)

trisha2 said:


> When you said, "Use the pin to gently enlarge the stitch a little," what stitch are you talking about?
> Carol K in OH
> 
> Hi Carol,
> ...


Great explanation Trisha ! I was also wondering about that ! Thank you ! 😊


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## judypfennemore (Feb 28, 2015)

Thank you so very much for the great explanation - much appreciated!


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## Annette Hilliard (Jun 4, 2011)

Thank you for sharing. I learned a lot.


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## amortje (Feb 10, 2013)

Great idea!


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## glnwhi (Jan 19, 2011)

Thanks for sharing I will be using this.


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## GemsByGranny (Dec 7, 2012)

trisha2 said:


> Good Looking and Safe Alternative to Safety Eyes
> 
> I initially decided on using a black felt circle and stitching around it with some brown wool. It was ok, but not great. Pic 1. ......
> 
> 	Finished. Well Done! Have a cup of tea glass of champagnepunnet of strawberries  or whatever you fancy.


Thanks, trisha2. The eyes you made look good. I have just completed a doll for my grand-daughter and the eyes on it are NOT good. I wish I'd known this before. I'll know next time.


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## omnivore2 (Jul 23, 2013)

My first visit to this part of the site and just what I was looking for incidentally : ) ta.


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## trisha2 (Oct 11, 2012)

I'm glad so many of you found this useful.

Priscilla Dumpling now has some clothes, so if you head over to the pictures section you will be able to see a pic of her..both eyes finished, and clothes as well,


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## barbarafletcher (Apr 2, 2012)

Very nice eyes...what a difference the colour around the black..great intuition....A*****


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## machiashelli (Aug 3, 2015)

What a great idea! Thank you!


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## hennie (Mar 28, 2011)

What a great way of making them. Guess what sort of eyes my next poppet will be having? Lol


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## RedK (Jul 26, 2015)

This is a great idea, thank you for sharing


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## gr8 (Jul 4, 2013)

Those are excellent eyes and nice clear instructions


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## mrsmup (Jun 21, 2012)

This was such a great idea for the knitted Christmas toys this year, I wanted to bump it back up! ❤


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## pemstags (Aug 19, 2012)

great idea


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## klrober (Mar 20, 2013)

Wish I had seen your idea on this before I used the so called "safety" eyes on my knitted Halloween Jinx I knit for my 2 mos old granddaughter. Told mom this was not to be played with till she was at least 3 yrs--just don't trust those eyes/nose.


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