Embroidery is a great way to finish a toy, particularly when making a toy for a young child. In this tutorial I'll show you two of my favourite methods of making sewn on eyes and how I use chain stitch to make a mouth.
You need a sharp sewing needle, black embroidery thread (I prefer it to black yarn) and white sewing thread.
Jump to the techniques:
You need a sharp sewing needle, black embroidery thread (I prefer it to black yarn) and white sewing thread.
Jump to the techniques:
Colonial knots
1. Bring the the black embroidery thread up through the face where you want the first eye to go.
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2. Wrap the thread coming out of the toy over the top of the needle from left to right as shown in the left hand photo. Next bring the thread under the needle from right to left and back over the top from left to right. This will form a figure of eight as shown in the right hand photo.
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3. Tighten up the figure of eight, then put the needle back into the toy near to where it came out.
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4. Bring the needle out where you want the second eye to be and gently tighten the first knot.
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5. Continue making continental knots till you have as many eyes as you need. To make them more lifelike, add small white stitches. Thread a sharp sewing needle with white sewing thread and make a small straight stitch in the top corner of each eye.
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6. Finished!
Satin stitch |
1. Thread your needle with black yarn. Bring the needle out through the front at what will be the right edge of the eye and back in at the left edge of the eye.
2. Continue bringing the needle out at the right of the eye and back in at the left moving slightly higher upwards each time. Take care to stay close enough that none of the background colour shows through. Repeat for the second eye.
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3. Make little white stitches in the top corners using the same technique.
Chain stitch
Chain stitch is great for getting a line with an even width. In this toy I'm using it for a mouth by making tiny stitches.
1. Bring the yarn out at one side of the mouth. Put the needle back in almost exactly the same point and bring it out a short distance away. Catch a loop of the yarn under the needle as shown in the photo.
1. Bring the yarn out at one side of the mouth. Put the needle back in almost exactly the same point and bring it out a short distance away. Catch a loop of the yarn under the needle as shown in the photo.
2. Bring the needle out and tighten up gently.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 untill the mouth is wide enough
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