How To Make Faces

Amigurumi MakinG faceS
Workshop Give your amigurumi makes a professional inish with

our step by step guide to creating facial features.
Making amigurumi toys is one of the

joys of crochet, but when it comes to
creating the face, this can be an area
that many of us struggle with, as it can
make or break a creation you’ve spent
hours working on.
GETTING IT RIGHT
Here, we explain how to make eyes,
embroider the face and create the hair,
using simple techniques that anyone
can master. Once you’re confident with
SunshIne your new face-making skills you can use
them to crochet our sweet doll
Doll p75 Clementine on page 75 and give her the
most gorgeous features.
how to add SafEty Eyes

Add eyes to your amigurumi toy and create its personality.
Nothing gives amigurumi a small plastic washer that fits

toys character like their eyes on the back.
– whether you choose Step 1 & 2 Take the eye
beads, crochet or felt piece and carefully insert it
circles, embroidery or into the gap in your fabric.
shop-bought safety eyes. Make sure you’re happy with
Safety eyes are robust the placement and move it
domed plastic pins with a around if you need to.
screw back. Plain black pairs Step 3 Turn the fabric over 01 02
are the cheapest (around 50p to the other side, where

per pair), but you can also get the stem of the eye piece
eyes with a black pupil and is protruding and place the
coloured iris, or with eyelashes washer over the top, making
and even realistic animal eyes. sure that the washer is
They’re called ‘safety eyes’ positioned with its domed
because they’re difficult to side facing away from
remove – handy when making the fabric.
toys. But always check the Step 4 Press down hard on
detail on recommended ages. the washer until it snaps in 03 04
place over the eye piece.
ATTACHING SAFETY EYES
Safety eyes need to be
attached when you can
still get to the back of the
fabric, so it’s best to add
MakIng eye IndEnts Whichever method you use to form the eyes on your
amigurumi toy, you can make them look more realistic by
creating an indent before attaching the eye. To do this, you’ll need to make a small straight
them before closing up and stitch where you want to place the eyes. Follow the instructions for embroidering the facial
stuffing. Attaching them is features (right), then when you come to knotting the two ends together, pull the ends tight
very simple – the eye piece is to pull in the fabric and form an indent in the face. Repeat to form a second indent.
like a small screw, then there’s
72 WWW.SIMPLYCROCHETMAG.COM
Work the Face DetAils
Use embroidery to add facial features to your creation.
Once your eyes are attached, you can add

extra facial features if you want. Apart from
embroidery there are other ways to add
facial details, such as using small circles of
felt to form cheeks or adding a plastic safety
nose in the same way as you would eyes.
Embroidery stitches tend to be the most
popular method and are worked right at
the end of your make, after your toy has
been sewn together and the eyes added.
You can use any embroidery stitches you
like, but simple straight stitches and chain
stitches tend to be the most popular. 01 02
Step 1 To work embroidery stitches on

your finished toy, thread a tapestry needle
with your chosen thread or yarn. Insert
the needle into the back of the head and
bring it out at the front, where you want
to start your stitch. Pull the yarn through
slowly, leaving a long tail (approx 12cm) at
the back of the head.
Step 2 Work your choice of stitch here –
we worked a variation on chain stitch by
inserting the needle two stitches to the
left and bringing it out one stitch down in
between the first and second hole to form
a triangle shape. 03 04
Step 3 Make sure the needle exits the
fabric over the top of the yarn. Pull the
yarn through gently until the yarn sits next
to the fabric, making sure it isn’t pulled
too tight. Bring the needle over the stitch
and insert it back into the same hole it’s
coming out of, over the top of the stitch
you just made – this will hold that stitch
in place.
Step 4 Take the needle out of the back of
the head at the same point you went in.
Step 5 Pull the thread through gently to
complete the face detail.
Step 6 You’ll be left with two tails at the 05 06
back of the head that you will need to
secure – to do this, knot the two ends
together gently, making sure you don’t
pull on or distort the stitches of the face.
Step 7 Thread the two tails onto a
tapestry needle and insert the needle
into the head at the hole next to the
knot, bringing it out at the top of the
head. Pull the tails through until just the
knot remains.
Step 8 Pull gently to tuck the knot inside
the head. Trim the tails close to the head
and push any remaining yarn that’s visible
inside the head using the blunt end of a 07 08
crochet hook or tapestry needle.
AMIGURUMI COLLECTION 73
how to add a Head of Hair
Top off your toy with gorgeous-looking locks.
01 02 03
04 05 06
Hair is key to finishing off your toy. Whether

you attach a shaped hair-coloured crochet
cap, embroider straight stitches over a hair
cap, add yarn lengths to your hair cap or
attach lengths of yarn directly onto the head
of your doll, it’s up to you. You can even stitch
lengths of yarn together down the centre to
create a hair piece with a parting, and attach it
to your toy by itself (see below). Whichever
method you use, making hair takes time and 07 08
patience, but is definitely worth it in the end.
ADDING LENGTHS TO THE HEAD more yarn lengths, working around every Step 6 Place the yarn lengths as close
Step 1 To attach lengths of yarn directly other stitch around to the face. Once together as you can to get good coverage
onto the head of your doll, work in the you complete one row, move upwards to on the head. Cover approx 5cm of the tape
same way as you would if you were the next row and insert yarn lengths into or the length specified in your pattern.
creating fringing. To do this, start by alternate stitches again, but this time work Step 7 Thread a sharp sewing needle with
cutting approx 50 lengths of yarn, each in between the stitches you worked into on thread that matches your yarn colour and
around 20cm long or the length you’d the previous row. stitch down the centre of the piece using
like – cut more lengths as you need them. Step 4 Continue to attach yarn lengths in backstitches, working through the tape.
Starting at the back of the head, as low this way until you’ve reached the top of Try working across two strands of yarn at
down as you’d like the hair to go, insert the head. a time to the end, then stitch back again,
your crochet hook from top to bottom working across alternate strands to secure
around one stitch. *Take one of your yarn MAKING A HAIR PIECE them firmly. Carefully remove the hair
lengths and fold it in half. Place the halfway Step 5 To create a hair piece with a parting, piece from the tape – it should easily
loop onto your hook and gently pull the start by cutting approx 20 lengths of yarn, break away from where you’ve worked
loop through the head. each one around 15cm long or the length the stitches.
Written by Becky Skuse
Step 2 Use the hook to catch the two you’d like. Cut a piece of sticky tape approx Step 8 Place the hair piece on top of the
strands of yarn on the other side of the 20cm long and place it sticky side up on your doll’s head and stitch it in place using
loop and pull the two strands through worktop – use two more pieces of tape to the same thread, stitching over the
the loop. secure the ends in place. Place the lengths of backstitches in the hair parting piece.
Step 3 Pull gently on the tails of yarn, yarn one by one across the sticky tape, lining Once you’re happy that the hair piece
making sure you keep them even, until the up the centre of the yarn with the centre of is secure, trim the hair into your doll’s
length is secure. Repeat from * to attach the tape to keep the lengths even. chosen hairstyle.
74 WWW.SIMPLYCROCHETMAG.COM

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How To Make Faces

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Amigurumi MakinG faceS

Workshop Give your amigurumi makes a professional inish with

Making amigurumi toys is one of the

how to add SafEty Eyes

Nothing gives amigurumi a small plastic washer that fits

are the cheapest (around 50p to the other side, where

Once your eyes are attached, you can add

Step 1 To work embroidery stitches on

Hair is key to finishing off your toy. Whether

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