Tips and tricks
Safety eyes for amigurumi toys
Aug
Let`s talk about safety eyes for toys. These tiny plastic eyes can be used for all kinds of handmade stuffed animals, be it amigurumi, crochet, knit or fabric toys.
SAFETY EYES FOR CROCHET AND AMIGURUMI
Making toys by hand is a trend. A lot of crocheters and knitters are trying out amigurumi, a popular Japanese technique for making stuffed animals.
For making toys you need yarn and stuffing, but most of animals and dolls also need eyes. And this is where safety eyes can become handy.
Safety eyes are easy to attach little plastic bulbs, but difficult to remove. They come in multiple shapes, colors, and sizes. They’re measured in millimeters, which represent the diameter of the eye.
Crochet and knit surface has tiny holes between the stitches. That`s why safety eyes are really easy to fasten on them. Safety eyes are perfect for amigurumi and crochet. Some people even call them amigurumi eyes :)
HOW TO ATTACH SAFETY EYES TO AMIGURUMI TOYS
Attaching safety eyes is very simple.
1. Stick the safety eye into the proper hole (stitch spaces) on the head. My patterns give you precise instructions where to place them.
2. Fasten it with a washer from the inside of the work and press really tight to close it. You will hear a silent “click” when it happens.
TIP! I suggest you lay the piece on a paper, the eye facing downwards. Now you can press, without being afraid of damaging the surface of the eye.
BEST SAFETY EYES FOR AMIGURUMI
Safety eyes are made of plastic. Best safety eyes are solid and durable. Good quality safety eyes do not have any plastic residue on the edges of the washers, the surface of the eye is glossy and clear, and doesn`t have any scraches on it.
Depending on the manufacturer and price, the quality of safety eyes can be very different.
3 MAIN TYPES OF TOY EYES
- Round pupil safety eyes. Has color around the black pupil in the middle of the eyes. Perfect for most dolls and animals. Great choice if you want to add color to your toy.
- Slit pupil safety eyes. Instead of round pupil, these eyes have a black slit pupil suitable for cats and reptiles.
- Black safety eyes. Simple and minimalistic. A great choice for any toy and in situations hard to decide which eyes to use.
WHERE TO BUY AMIGURUMI SAFETY EYES
You can buy amigurumi safety eyes from your local yarn shops or online shops (Amazon, eBay, Aliexpress, Walmart, Michaels, etc.). There are also smaller online shops with a huge selection of good quality safety eyes. For many years I bought all my amigurumi eyes from GlassEyesOnline.com.
GlassEyesOnline has a big selection of items, nice variety of colors and fast service. Plus they ship worldwide which is extremely important when you live in a small country, almost in the middle of nowhere, like I do :) The only downside if that you have to make a huge purchase to get free shipping. Still I advise to check them out.
You can buy safety eyes in my webshop too. I can highly recommends these black safety eyes that I am using on all my toys. They are of great quality and easy to fasten.
ARE SAFETY EYES ACTUALLY SAFE?
No small parts are recommended for kids under 3 years of age. The reason for this is the potential choking hazard. It is any object that could be caught in a child’s throat, blocking their airway and making it difficult or impossible to breathe.
Despite this, all toy manufacturers use safety eyes on their plushies.
Although some might say they`re not completely safe for little children, I have had no negative experience so far. During the years I´ve made tens of toys for our three kids – never have I had problems with broken or unfastened eyes. Nor has any of my customers complaint about things like these. So I myself consider safety eyes as one of the best and easiest ways to add eyes to amigurumis.
Amazon.com has a good selection of different sizes of eyes with fasteners. On the inside of your work, after “clicking” the fastener tightly in place, I put a circle of glue around the shaft of the eye. This ensures it is safe to use for children.
Thanks for sharing your tip!
hi, bought 2mm and 4mm pjastic eyes…..they do not have washers to attach. they said glue or burn them? have no clue as to what kind of glue would work on crochet stuffies, and at total loss about the burning part. got anything to help a girl out
Unfortunately I cannot help. I have never used eyes like that.
Kui tegemist on suurema mõõduliste silmadega, siis võiks silmade tagumised valged eraldi osad panna paariks sekundiks vette- siis lähevad nad päris palju lihtsamalt kohale.
I love all your patterns. I have many of them. I wanted to thank you very much for the free patterns & the Tips & Tutorials. So many designers don’t provide ether of these things. It provides the end user much more success with your designs. Thank you.
I can’t get the eye washers on had to sew eyes
try 6060 on Etsy. here is the link https://www.etsy.com/shop/6060?ref=l2-shop-info-name
I have a real hard time too. I ended up putting the washer on backwards hahaha. I’ve never used them before so wasn’t sure which way was correct so…..I did it my way. Hahaha Someone needs to make a tool for setting these things. My arthritis makes it super hard.
Hahaa, all these little things can be tough to figure out at the beginning! You may want to check out this tool. It`s a specific tool for attaching the eyes. Another alternative is to use safety eyes that are easy to fasten. Some of them have super curved washers and those are harder to attach. The ones I use are flatter and they slip on very easily.
Es gibt wirklich ein werkzeug um die augen zu befestigen!!!
Es hatt einen runden holz griff mit einem speziellen
Schraubenzieher aufsatz, der genau auf das puppenauge passt.
Siehe in einem hobbyversand nach.
Weiter viel freude und liebe grüsse