HOME | DD

caashley — Embroidered Eyes: Tutorial

Published: 2012-04-30 23:23:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 51928; Favourites: 1087; Downloads: 514
Redirect to original
Description EDIT: I also make custom plushies! Please check out the rest of my gallery!

I hope this tutorial can come in handy for you all! Feel free to post questions and I will answer them by and by.

I believe you all can make wonderful plushies! <3

EDIT: Here are a few tips and tricks I have picked up from Redditors:

Eight_Quarter_Bit: "for those members without a lot of confidence in free-hand sketching eyes, I bet you could probably cheat and find a vector of MLP eyes, drop it into a document editor to set its dimensions on a page, and print it out as the pattern to go by. This would also make it easy to make sure both the left and right eye were identical but mirrored."

ghostway: "A couple suggestions/personal preferences:

- Instead of a generic felt-tip pen, there's a blue embroidery marker pen you can buy just about anywhere that has embroidery supplies. Doesn't stain, and even if it did, it washes right out with water. (There's a white pencil that does the same thing, but it's rubbish.)

- That said, I cheat horribly and use the reversed printout backing method for doing the outlines. But everything I do is just framed fabric, not plushes, so I don't know if that'd cause problems.

- When I do the outlines, I understitch and overstitch. That is, first I do the outline with one or two strands, and then I satin stitch over it to fill in the solid color, and then I go back and re-stitch the border around there (at four+ strands) with a straight stitch, or my new favourite, a modified split stitch. It's possibly overkill, but I don't want to run the risk of leaving a gap between the satin-stitched areas and the outline.

- For really tiny round areas, like the smallest white highlight on the eye, I prefer a french knot, pressed flat.

- Also, a note to anyone out there doing this for the first time: when filling in with the satin stitch, do the entire width of the area with each stitch; don't try to do it in a series of little centimeter-long stitches. I made that mistake on my first piece, possibly because I was transitioning from cross-stitch, and the result was really shoddy looking and just generally not good."
Related content
Comments: 139

Aleeart7 [2012-08-12 23:15:41 +0000 UTC]

thanks for this tutorial! I tried it for the first time, but its hard to go continuously in one direction, haha. Hopefully my 2nd try is better

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to Aleeart7 [2012-08-13 01:31:13 +0000 UTC]

Practice makes perfect! I hate to spew cliches, but that's my story.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Aleeart7 In reply to caashley [2012-08-14 05:03:38 +0000 UTC]

I agree, can't wait to try again fabric glue helps a little too, hehehehe

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

ChefCosplay [2012-08-03 13:31:24 +0000 UTC]

This is perfect! Been looking for a way to do the details without an embroidery machine.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to ChefCosplay [2012-08-03 13:44:09 +0000 UTC]

That was my dilemma. I had to teach myself how to do it by hand.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ChefCosplay In reply to caashley [2012-08-03 13:46:24 +0000 UTC]

Well it should certainly help! I'm planning a CMC cape and want to do the badge by hand, give it a more realistic feel than one of the ones you can buy on the web. How long does it normally take you do do an eye?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to ChefCosplay [2012-08-03 13:48:22 +0000 UTC]

Nowadays, it takes me about 30 minutes straight through, without interruptions. Honestly, for that badge, I would almost just do it with another fabric. Embroidering that much solid colour would take a while and make not look fantastic. Unless it is a very small cape.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ChefCosplay In reply to caashley [2012-08-03 14:09:11 +0000 UTC]

Small cape? Pft, full size! I'm thinking of making the shield about 12" square. It will probably take forever... I thought of using another fabric, but don't like what my mind is telling me it will look like.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to ChefCosplay [2012-08-03 14:16:51 +0000 UTC]

12 inches? o_o

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ChefCosplay In reply to caashley [2012-08-03 15:55:38 +0000 UTC]

Yea... kinda giant. Want it to stand out on the cape. The actual pony on it will be a bit smaller than that though. But now much. I'm crazy aren't I?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to ChefCosplay [2012-08-03 16:12:46 +0000 UTC]

I'll be completely honest-- I really don't think embroidery will work on something that big. At least, not hand-embroidery. The bigger something is, the more likely the threads will become loose! Let me know how it works out, though. Maybe you have it more thought out than me!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ChefCosplay In reply to caashley [2012-08-03 16:39:30 +0000 UTC]

Oh I highly doubt I've thought this through more than you, you at least have done this before! With everything comes risk, and failure is never a waste of time.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to ChefCosplay [2012-08-03 16:46:00 +0000 UTC]

Your determination and optimism is uplifting! Good luck!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

ChefCosplay In reply to caashley [2012-08-03 17:03:23 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

kain49 [2012-07-06 21:30:35 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for this tutorial. Ive found other ways to make eyes but I think embroidery looks the best.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Lady-Of-Mars In reply to ??? [2012-06-30 10:34:03 +0000 UTC]

Thanks. This is my first time embroidering something, and your tutorial makes a lot more sense!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to Lady-Of-Mars [2012-06-30 11:27:30 +0000 UTC]

That's great to hear! I hope to see the results.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

mcClellan097 In reply to ??? [2012-06-10 23:55:05 +0000 UTC]

hmmm.....what does the embroidery hoop even do?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to mcClellan097 [2012-06-11 00:01:16 +0000 UTC]

It holds the fabric extremely tight, so that it is good and taut.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

mcClellan097 In reply to caashley [2012-06-11 20:14:21 +0000 UTC]

aha. all right. that would definitely help!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Kill-me-sensless In reply to ??? [2012-06-10 21:21:25 +0000 UTC]

wow thats really cool.i learned how to make embroideries YEARS ago! lol but i hope that with the hopes of these tips i can make them.Thank you so much

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to Kill-me-sensless [2012-06-10 21:33:39 +0000 UTC]

Good luck!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Kill-me-sensless In reply to caashley [2012-06-10 22:46:29 +0000 UTC]

am going to need it considering i want to ake Derpy and her eyes arent exactly looking in the same dirrection.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to Kill-me-sensless [2012-06-10 22:49:09 +0000 UTC]

Eh, that will still be easy! You have to make each eye on their own anyway.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Kill-me-sensless In reply to caashley [2012-06-10 22:53:14 +0000 UTC]

when i do them i have to put make them before sewing the plush right? and then put it backwards when i go to sew it? lol sorry if my questions are annoying but i have never made plush dolls befor i have never even touchd a sewing matchine,so i am really confuced as to what to do and how to do it.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to Kill-me-sensless [2012-06-10 22:55:44 +0000 UTC]

You would want to embroider the eye right on the plush. So, get the material which will be for the head and body, draw the head and eyes on, then embroider. THEN cut out the pieces and sew them together. The eye is not a separate piece from the rest of the head.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Kill-me-sensless In reply to caashley [2012-06-10 22:58:18 +0000 UTC]

oh ok,so i embroider the eyes onto the fabric first then i cut out the pattern? ok cool.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Simp-TKC [2012-05-27 22:12:34 +0000 UTC]

This is a great help indeed! Thanks a lot!!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to Simp-TKC [2012-05-28 01:18:17 +0000 UTC]

You are very welcome!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

catfruitcup [2012-05-22 21:18:49 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for the great tutorial! I had always wondered about the ends of each color thread between colors (I'm new to embroidering); tying them together is just the hint I needed!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to catfruitcup [2012-05-22 21:55:25 +0000 UTC]

Great! Let me know how it turns out!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

RaiinbowRaven [2012-05-15 17:10:44 +0000 UTC]

and here I thought that a whole machine was required :/ but this will help me big time! thanks!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to RaiinbowRaven [2012-05-15 17:16:40 +0000 UTC]

Down with the machines! Hand-embroidery is always an option, and I heartily encourage it!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

RaiinbowRaven In reply to caashley [2012-05-15 17:30:35 +0000 UTC]

I might try it when I have lots of free time open~ and my printer is filled with ink again I may print this out and study it more :3

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Magunick In reply to ??? [2012-05-11 04:55:27 +0000 UTC]

I applaud you ;_; I've had days thinking on eyes that are hand embroider, i feel more relieved now
fav+

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

ManlyStitches [2012-05-08 22:22:46 +0000 UTC]

I tried embroidering a cutie mark and it failed so horribly D:

I will use your guide and hopefully have more luck hahaha!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to ManlyStitches [2012-05-08 22:24:25 +0000 UTC]

I wish you the best of luck! Maybe some time I will make a quick video of me doing it.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Othlon [2012-05-08 16:20:28 +0000 UTC]

i have a discovery that i found helped a lot when i was doing embroidery (cutie marks etc)
Those erasable pens you get at newsagents and grocery shops, they 'erase' when ironed. So you can use a good ball point pen to outline and draw as much as you like, and erase it to change it or remove any visible marks after the embroidery!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to Othlon [2012-05-08 16:44:59 +0000 UTC]

That's great! I did get a washable pen recently. So far it's working great!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

Aleeart7 In reply to ??? [2012-05-06 06:01:02 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for posting this! i was wondering how to do it by hand since i can't afford one of the cool machines! <3

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

TheJuggernaut1999 [2012-05-04 00:52:06 +0000 UTC]

I am definitely going to use this tutorial, I'm just wondering, in step 8, you said to not knot you thread. I don't get it, wouldn't it just slip right out? Also in step 14, what do you mean with "tie the remaining thread with another loose thread"? Sorry, I'm just very bad with instructions!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to TheJuggernaut1999 [2012-05-04 20:57:16 +0000 UTC]

Hey, no problem! I may not have been very clear.

The thread WOULD just slip through, if you kept pulling it. But as you see in my pictures, I leave about 2 inches at the end and hold onto it so it doesn't go through. Then those two inches (You don't have to hold it after the first 2 or 3 stitches) would tie together with any other lose thread to hold it all secure.

Does that make sense?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

TheJuggernaut1999 In reply to caashley [2012-05-05 02:44:51 +0000 UTC]

I don't get the part about "would tie together with any other lose thread to hold it all secure." But I understand everything else!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to TheJuggernaut1999 [2012-05-05 13:15:58 +0000 UTC]

When you are done sewing, you have thread left over, right? You could just cut the needle off and leave it, but that thread might be pulled out or come undone, ruining your work. Instead, tie that lose thread together with another one.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

TheJuggernaut1999 In reply to caashley [2012-05-05 19:30:03 +0000 UTC]

Oh, okay that makes sense! Thanks!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

CluelessLlama13 [2012-05-01 18:01:11 +0000 UTC]

I was searching like crazy for a pony eye tutorial literally the day before you submitted this!! THANK YOU!!! I will most DEFINITELY be using this as a reference!!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to CluelessLlama13 [2012-05-01 18:13:22 +0000 UTC]

Great! I'm glad I made this then!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

FlyAlien [2012-05-01 07:31:11 +0000 UTC]

AH! Thank you!
Thats what I need so badly!
Thanks Thanks Thanks~

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

caashley In reply to FlyAlien [2012-05-01 11:42:38 +0000 UTC]

You are very welcome!

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

SecludedOtaku [2012-05-01 02:22:30 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for putting this up, I'll have to try this with my next project. I had done hand-embroidered cutie marks at one time, but it provided to be difficult since I was trying to do them after having cut out the pattern pieces and sew on loose fabric.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1


| Next =>