Eyes and Noses
Getting the face of your amigurumi just right is a very important step – they need that cute expression! I get a lot of questions about what to use for the eyes and noses. I’ve compiled a run-down of some options you can try.
My box of ami eyes and noses (yes, it used to be a Jelly Belly box!)
Eyes
Animal eyes (aka ’safety eyes’) come in two parts – the shaft behind the eye pokes through to the inside of the head, and is locked in place by the plastic or metal washer. These work really well for amigurumi, provided the washer is large enough to not pull through the gaps in your stitches.
I usually use the all black ones (centre and right of picture) e.g. I use these for my AmiDogs. You can also find them with round black pupils with various coloured irises (not pictured), or cat eyes (left of picture) which are great for making cats and snakes! They are also available in a wide range of sizes, but can sometimes be difficult to find in your local craft stores. Try looking in online stores and on eBay – they are easy to use and it’s worth the effort to find them. I’ve compiled a list of online sources that you may find useful. I’m also now selling the black animal eyes in the PlanetJune store for your convenience 
A word of warning: if you’re going to use these, remember to attach the backs to the eyes before you stuff and close up the head!
Half-round eyes are a solid black hemisphere. They are somewhat limited in use because there are no holes in them, so you have to attach them by gluing them on (not the most secure method). I have used these when I couldn’t find any other eyes in the right size but, given the choice, I prefer other types of eye.
Black round beads – I buy black round onyx beads from various sellers on eBay. They are regular round beads with a small hole right through the middle and they are a really nice choice for tiny amis – I have them in 2mm, 4mm and 6mm sizes. The problem with using larger spherical beads for eyes is that they can look quite bulbous and stick out too much from the head.
If you’re looking for round beads, make sure to find beads with a narrow hole, so the hole isn’t too obvious when you stitch them in place. Also, to attach them, look for a transparent nylon thread, so the thread won’t be visible on the finished toy. If you can’t find transparent thread, just use black thread, and make sure to stitch very close to the eye so there aren’t big black stitches visible on your finished ami.
Round buttons from the fabric/dressmaking store. These are some of the buttons that come attached to a small white card, with 3, 4, or 5 per card. Look at the black buttons that are available; you can use any with a rounded or flat face and a shaft with a hole on the back of the button. These 10mm eyes are spherical, but the hole is at one edge (the back of the button) as opposed to a bead, where the hole goes right through the centre of the bead. This helps stop the eye from looking too bulbous, but this type of eye works best when using a fuzzy yarn, so the eye will be embedded in the fuzz.
More round buttons from the fabric/dressmaking store. These buttons have a flat front and a hole on the back. These buttons work really well, but I’ve only found them in larger sizes (12 and 15mm). They are a great alternative to animal eyes for larger amis.
Other suggestions for eyes. You can make eyes by cutting a circle of black felt, and either gluing or stitching it to your ami. Or try embroidering an eye with black yarn directly onto the face. Both of these types of eye look much cuter if you add a tiny white highlight at one top corner of each eye, to simulate a glint of light reflecting from the eye (e.g. my dark brown Fuzzy Monkeys have embroidered eyes). For examples of other fun ideas for eyes (googly eyes, felt, buttons), see my Fuzzballs.
Noses
You can buy moulded plastic animal noses that look like the animal (safety) eyes above, with plastic washers to lock it in place. While they are detailed and realistic, I don’t personally like the look of them, and they are also difficult to find in smaller sizes.
Sometimes I use a button for a nose (e.g. Fuzzy Bear). These black oval buttons are available in several sizes from the fabric/dressmaking store:
You can cut a small triangle from felt (e.g. Fuzzy Kitten) and use fabric glue to attach it to your ami’s face.
Alternatively, you can embroider a yarn nose onto your amis. Try stitching an inverted V shape (e.g. Fuzzy Guinea Pig), two nostrils (e.g. Fuzzy Monkeys), or make several stitches very close together to form a solid shape (e.g. all the AmiDogs).
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linda said
thanks so much!
now i can finish my bears. =)
futuregirl said
Great info! Thanks!
Nyx said
Great! Thanks for the info!
RC said
Thank you for the info! I use the safety eyes, but I can never get the washer to fit snugly against the eye, so it always sticks out
Any tips?
June said
RC, to try applying more pressure. The shaft of the eye normally has several positions that the washer sort of ‘clicks into’, to account for different thicknesses of fabric. So it could be that you’ve pushed it to the first ‘click’ and not continued to push past that.
Try pressing against a hard surface like a table. Place your work so the curved side of the eye is facing down onto the table and the shaft is sticking up, then push the washer straight down onto the shaft of the eye.
Marie said
hi, is it really hard to put the washers in the eyes? Do you have to apply alot of pressure? This was really helpful though, thanks for telling all the eye options! I like the safety eyes but I dont know if its really hard to set them in place or not. Thank you!
Aida said
Hello¡¡
My name is Aida, i’m from Spain. I’m looking for doll eyes’s. In Spain, My friends and i can’t find it. We’ll be very grateful, if you say where we buy it. We are in http://amigurumis.mejorforo.net/index.htm
Thank you very much for the info¡
Good bye¡¡
Aida said
Thank you for all, now i take advantage of Europe’s coin, so i think it is more cheap, isn´t it?
You have a beautiful blog with very interesting info
i will continue to visit it.
See you soon
Aida
Softie Making: resources for making handmade softies » Blog Archive » Options for Eyes and Noses for Softies by Planet June said
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Tracy said
Where can you buy those eyes? I wanna know… And, yes, your article is great, thank you!
June said
Tracy, I have a list of online sources you can try
Helpless said
I can not get these God awful safety eyes on. They are almost impossible. Advice anyone? I am use the 15mm animal eyes.
June said
Helpless, look up at my comment from March 5, 2008
Debbe Palmer said
I am looking for a source of these eyes, any suggestions?
Thanks!
holly said
GRRR. I purchased eyes at a retail store and the washers absolutely will not go on! I’ve tried everything. Even having my boyfriend try to push them on. I’ve switched to different ones in the package even. I bought three little packs of 18mm and can’t even use them =(
June said
Holly: are they the eyes with the metal backs? I find them almost impossible too. If I were you, I would try to return them to the store and try to get the ones with the white plastic backs. They are MUCH easier to attach, although difficult to find in retail stores.
Debbe: I sell some (all sizes up to 15mm) in my store, or you can find a list of other online sellers on my Eye Sources page
mariax said
tambien podeis usar para los ojos de loa ami… botones de costura los hay en todos tamaños y colores
un beso
sp said
I’ve been wondering about backs for the eyes that I purchased, which are the cat ones you have in your pic. I will go back and ask about the backs, but they definitely did not come with the eyes or were anywhere nearby. I had to glue the ones to my first amigurumi that had to have eyes.
June said
sp, the tiniest eyes (4.5mm) sometimes don’t come with backs, but anything larger than that should have the backs. I would definitely ask at the store where you bought the eyes!