Are you sewing a baby’s first toy, baby gift, or baby shower gift? Do you want to know how to sew a homemade soft toy or memory bear with eyes that are safe for a teething baby or toddler? This post is all about baby-safe eyes for your homemade toys and memory bears! You’ll find lots of examples and fun photos of baby-safe eyes, plus tips to make the process easier.

 

Let’s check out
5 types
of baby-safe eyes…

 

1. FELT BABY-SAFE EYES:

Felt eyes are very versatile for baby-safe toys! You can attach them by hand sewing or machine sewing. You can use a single layer of felt or build up layers for multiple colors and a sense of depth. You can also add decorative hand embroidery to a felt eye to really make it come alive. It’s way easier than you might think! 

 

Jess Lidds used 2 layers of felt circles for the eyes on her Scrap Snake. I think it’s a very simple way to make the eyes that are baby safe BUT also stand out against any background fabric!

Click HERE to buy the Scrap Snake Sewing Pattern.

 

Here’s a slightly more complex version of a felt eye made from two layers. The added element here is a small white stitch in the upper right pupil of each eye. This EYE SPARKLE effect represents the way light reflects in eyes and gives a sense of liveliness. 

This sweet pink version of Butch the Bulldog was sewn by Linsay Lanteigne. These felt eyes were sewn on by hand, but you can also use a sewing machine. Tip: if sewing felt eyes on by machine, you’ll need to do it BEFORE sewing the toy.

Click HERE to buy the Bulldog pattern.

TIP: How to cut Felt EASILY & ACCURATELY
with 5 different techniques!

When you are cutting out small felt pieces, you may find that PINNING the pieces isn’t the best option. This is because the pattern templates move or slip as you cut and you can end up with some very wonky shapes! I have put together this photo tutorial to show you 5 different techniques that I use to cut out Felt EASILY and ACCURATELY!

 

You can also buy pre-cut felt circles in many different sizes online! Try a site like Etsy to find a seller. 

 

You can also add an “eye sparkle” to just a single layer felt circle. It’s a great, understated effect. This terrific Tristan Triceratops was sewn by Christine Stock.

Click HERE to buy the Triceratops pattern.

 

If you want to get extra fancy, you can build up layers of felt circles like J.F. did on this Coco Chameleon. 

Click HERE to buy the Chameleon pattern.

 

 

2. HAND EMBROIDERED BABY-SAFE EYES:

There are tons of hand embroidery options for baby-safe toy eyes, from the easy French knot and satin stitch (see below) to more complex techniques. Hand embroidery takes a little practice, like any skill. So set aside a little practice time (ideally on a practice toy) before it’s time to stitch your final product. You can find countless video tutorials for every type of hand embroidery stitch online, so just use Google to find a video that you like.  Tip: It’s easiest to embroider eyes on a firmly stuffed toy, so make sure you use lots of stuffing in the area.

 

The easiest hand stitched baby-safe eye is a FRENCH KNOT. The very first Funky Friends Factory pattern, Baby Bunny, was designed to have a totally baby-safe face with simple French knot eyes. The pattern also shows you how to easily sew an embroidered smile!🙂

 

Here’s a happy bunch of baby-safe Baby Bunnies sewn by Paula Blevins. She used a felt nose instead of an embroidered one. These toys were donated to a local charity for new mothers. 

Click HERE to buy the Baby Bunny pattern.

 

SATIN STITCH is great for small to medium sized eyes. I like to ‘outline’ the eyes with a line of stitching then use the Satin Stitch to ‘colour in” the eye.  Use Google to find an online video for satin stitch if you need extra tips.

 

Susan Fowler used a satin stitch baby-safe eye on this cuddly Honey Teddy. 

Looking for a FREE easy teddy bear pattern?

Honey Teddy Bear is a free pattern that I give to my newsletter subscribers as a thank you gift. If you haven’t got the pattern already – scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for my newsletter.

 

When you do a satin stitch eye, you can add an “eye sparkle” glint with a single white stitch, or even eyelashes like on this Horsey Horse sewn by Happy Hedgehog Toys. Tip: Fleece is a forgiving fabric if you’re new to hand embroidery. If you need to unpick and try again, the fabric handles it better. Whenever you try a new eye stitch design, be sure to practice on scrap fabric or a sample toy.

Click HERE to buy the Horse & Unicorn Pattern

 

You can experiment with other fun stitches and shapes, like Patricia McCrary Ingram did with these star eyes on Dilby Duckling.  

Click HERE to purchase the Duck pattern.

 

 

3. MACHINE EMBROIDERED BABY-SAFE EYES:

An embroidery machine is a big investment of time and money. If you’d like just a single toy with embroidered eyes, there may be a custom embroidery shop in your area where you can take the fabric with the pattern piece pre-traced on the fabric.

 

Eyes sewn with an embroidery machine must be done BEFORE the toy is sewn.  If you have an embroidery machine you will need to purchase the eye designs separately in most cases. There are thousands to choose from, and you’ll want to look on sites like etsy for the widest selection. Start with simple designs, as you don’t want the eye to overwhelm your toy’s face.

 

 

In the photo above, you can see Mariah Wagner using her embroidery machine… and here is her finished Larry Lion toy with baby-safe machine embroidered eyes. 

Click HERE to buy the LION pattern.

 

 

Here’s the Puppy Dog Pete sewing pattern sewn by Jonell Hart with a more complex machine embroidered eye – with eyelashes!

Click HERE to buy the Puppy Dog pattern.

 

 

Here’s a gorgeous Harper Hobby Horse sewn by Shazz McHarry. These more complex eyes can be purchased as digital files from designers who specialize in embroidery machine designs. You will need to do your research to find designers you like (I don’t have an embroidery machine so cannot point you to any I have tried myself.) The website Etsy has many shops for embroidery machine designs.

Click HERE to purchase the Hobby Horse Pattern.

 

 

Here’s a Sue Squirrel sewn by Diana Segasar with a fairly complex machine embroidered eye.

 

Different eyes can make the same pattern look quite different. You can compare the Sue Squirrel above to the one here, sewn by Mariah Wagner.  Both are made in fleece with machine embroidered eyes, but the less complex eye below gives the toy a more “baby-ish” face. 

Click HERE to buy the Squirrel pattern.

 

4. HTV BABY-SAFE EYES:

HTV stands for heat transfer vinyl. It’s a product that is cut into shapes and ironed onto fabric. HTV is a relatively new product and comes in many varieties, so check your country’s baby-safe toy guidelines for specific HTV types. HTV can be cut by hand using scissors into simple shapes (like a plain circle for an eye), but many people use special cutting machines like Cricut or Silhouette to make more complex eyes. As with an embroidery machine (see category above), you’ll need to purchase files of eye designs from a graphic designer. Your specific cutting machine will determine what type of file you use. Etsy is a good web site to use for HTV eye design shopping.

 

Jonell Hart sewed up this baby-safe version of Larry Lion and included circular HTV eyes. While most people use a cutting machine for HTV, those with a steady hand can also use regular scissors to cut simple shapes like circles for eyes.

Click HERE to buy the LION pattern.

 

HTV eyes can come in intricate designs with multiple layers and colors. This sweet keepsake version of the Easter Bunny Buddies Pattern was sewn by Rebecca Lawson. 

 

Here is another sweet examples of HTV eyes used for a memory toy version of the Easter Bunny Buddies Pattern , this time sewn by Amy Rutland Jones. 

Click HERE to buy the Easter Bunny sewing pattern.

 

 

Rebecca Lawson also used HTV eyes for this keepsake Ellie Elephant that she made from some fleece from her stash and one of her 14 week old’s babygrows. This was a special gift for her mother on mother’s day as you can see from the HTV text she added on the elephant’s ears! . 

Click HERE to buy the Elephant pattern.

 

AND this ‘wild’ pair of Funky Friends – Randy Rhino and Heather Hippo – sewn by Amy Rutland Jones, also have HTV eyes.

I love the eyelashes
on the hippo!💗  

Click HERE to purchase the Rhino pattern.

Click HERE to buy the HIPPO pattern.

 

HTV eyes can be used for memory bears too, like this Ben the BEGINNER Bear sewn by Amy Rutland Jones out of baby clothes.

Click HERE to buy the BEGINNER Bear pattern.

 

AND just look how cute these HTV eyes look on this Silly Scrap Snake sewn by Debra Gomer! Who knew a snake could look so SWEET!

Click HERE to buy the Scrap Snake Sewing Pattern.

 

5. FABRIC PAINT BABY-SAFE EYES:

Non-toxic fabric paint is widely available and it’s a great option for baby-safe eyes because it doesn’t require any hand sewing or fancy equipment. Fabric paint works best on cotton or other “flat” fabrics. Always test the paint on a fabric scrap first!

 

Here’s a Honey Teddy sewn by Lucy Jeffreys with eyes that are 2 painted layers of circles. 

 

Fabric Painting Tip:

If you’re anxious about painting a design, just use a circular object like a pencil eraser to “stamp” a simple eye onto the fabric.

 

Next up is a cute floral Plattie Platypus with a “simple” eye shape with eye sparkle painted by Rosella D. 

Click HERE to buy the Platypus pattern.

 

This Sugar Plum Fairy Doll sewn by Sandy Thurlow, who opted to paint the doll’s face. Some stores sell “paint pens” that let you “draw” on the fabric. There are also waterproof “fabric markers” that use non-toxic ink! A laundry marking pen can be a great option.

Click HERE to buy the Sugar Plum Fairy pattern.

 

You can really create painted eyes that are ‘works of art’ if you are good at painting! Just look at these amazing eyes painted by Kathi Siebern Hummell  on Diggles Dragon .

Click HERE to buy the Dragon Sewing pattern.

 

These Easter Bunny Buddies also sewn by Kathi Siebern Hummell have colorful eyes done with fabric paint.

Click HERE to buy the Easter Bunny sewing pattern.

 

Wondering why we haven’t included plastic “safety eyes”?

They’re not actually baby-safe!

 

The term “safety eye” is a marketing term only, not a classification based on safety testing! Plastic toy eyes are not included in this baby-safe toy eyes blog post because any small plastic piece could be a choking hazard. Check the plastic eye packaging…it will say “not for use with children under 3.” Why are they a danger? Plastic pieces or the fabric around them can degrade and break, causing a choking hazard. Therefore, I prefer the term “craft eye” instead of “safety eye,” and use that language in my patterns. PLEASE review your country’s toy safety standards for more information on toy safety for kids under 3.

 

 

Want to win a
FREE toy pattern?

 

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ALL you need to do is post a photo of a FUNKY FRIENDS FACTORY toy that you have made on the Funky Friends Factory Facebook Page .

At the end of each month I draw a winner and post the winner’s name on the Blog the following MONTH. I have an Album on Facebook for all the MAKEROFTHEMONTH winners. You can check it out HERE!

 

 

NOT on Facebook? ENTER by email! 😀

*** You can send me your photos by email too!

 

So come on! Share your photos  ~> The next winner could be YOU!

.
Till next time,

Happy Sewing,
Pauline
xxx