Girl on the Rocks » eyes | Girl on the Rocks http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:35:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.38 Make your own eyes – Part II http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog/2007/04/24/make-your-own-eyes-part-ii/ http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog/2007/04/24/make-your-own-eyes-part-ii/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:08:39 +0000 http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog/2007/04/24/make-your-own-eyes-part-ii/ Continued from Part I

These are the eyes you have been waiting for… I stumbled upon this idea after finishing an amigurumi cactus for my friend, and not wanting to sew on eyes. So I turned to one of my all time favorite crafting materials, Shrinky-dinks. I get my shrinky-dinks directly from the “Magical Land of Shrinky Dinks.” The shipping is a little steep (UPS) so the last time I

  • ordered, I threw in a Black and Brown Combo Pack. Dinks + hole punch = instant eyes.

    I gathered my shrinky dinks, 1″ hole punch, 1/8″ and 1/4″ hole punches, and a square of paper from a brown paper bag. My 1 inch hole punch is designed such that if I flip it over, I can see exactly where I am about to punch. THis is helpful for getting as many circles as possible from one sheet of plastic.

    I use the one incher to punch out numerous circles from the black and brown. Then I use one of the smaller punches to add the holes I will use for sewing the eyes onto my softie. I like to punch the holes bowling ball-style in a little triangle. The eyes are arranged on the piece of brown paper and put into a pre-heated 325 F toaster over for about 6 minutes. When they are done, they are tiny!

    I use yarn to sew on the eyes with the larger holes, and I like to connect the dots in a triangle.

    I use embroidery floss to sew on the eyes with the smaller holes, and i like to attach those with a sideways ‘v’ pattern.

    Before you run out and order a bunch of shrinky dinks, you might want to wait until you read my next post on making eyes… From plastic you probably have around the house.

    Tips for using shrinky-dinks

    • Use brown paper as the baking tray. If you use metal or foil they may heat too quickly. Additionally, because the metal is so smooth, the shrinkies may briefly adhere to it before cooling. This often leaves a mark on the shrinky that I don’t like, even though they are not permanently stuck.
    • Don’t cook them too fast. In a toaster oven, the plastic is always close to the heating elements. If your oven is not pre-heated appropriately, they may experiance too much direct heat, and distort severely when shrinking. This is the most frequent cause of curling in the final product.
    • Don’t undercook them. If your shrinky is bowed up in the middle, or severely curled, it might not be done. put it in for a few more minutes and it might straighten out.
    • Keep a set of chopsticks handy. Chopsticks are perfect for separating shrinkies that touch during baking. You can also use them to flatten out minor imperfections when the plastic is still hot from the oven and flexible.
    • ]]>     http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog/2007/04/24/make-your-own-eyes-part-ii/feed/ 4     Make your own eyes – Part I http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog/2007/04/23/make-your-own-eyes-part-i/ http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog/2007/04/23/make-your-own-eyes-part-i/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:00:32 +0000 http://www.girlontherocks.com/knit/blog/2007/04/23/make-your-own-eyes-part-i/ If you have ever knit a stuffed toy, or crocheted an amigurumi creation, you might have found yourself in search of the perfect eyes to bring life to your softie. While my quest for the perfect eyes is on-going, I have found a few ways to make suitable ones out of crafty materials that I already have. In this post, I will talk about making polymer clay eyes.

    This one is really no biggie, and you probably already have it figured out after reading “polymer clay eyes,” but I’ll go into a little more detail for those interested. Polymer clay is widely available from two manufacturers, Sculpey and Fimo. It is available at craft stores as well as many art supply stores. Choose a color, sculpt your creation, bake it in the oven, then keep it forever.

    For the eyes I chose sculpey (simply because it was cheaper). Before we start, preheat your (preferably toaster) oven to 275 F.

    I cut out a small portion

    and the kneaded it until it was soft.

    I rolled it into two small balls of equal size, and squashed them flat. Then i used a toothpick to poke two holes in each eye, button-style. Don’t forget to flip them over and poke through from the other side so the hole is clean.

    Finally they went onto a piece of foil and into the 275 F oven for 10 minutes.

    Finished!

    If you like your eyes shiny, you can seal the sculpey with commercially avaliable sealants. I have had no problems using clear nail polish. This method has the advantage of being able to create a wide variety of sizes. You can add color by using other colors of clay. Some of them are glittery which could make some nice eyes. **Note: These of course would not be safe for children.**

    Next… Plastic eyes (my favorite).

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