A Few Tips -- Part 4

Safety Lock Eyes

When you use safety lock eyes on a stuffed toy you can spice it up a bit by adding a ‘ring’ around the eye.  Safety lock eyes are plastic animal eyes with a shank coming out the back and a washer that slides onto the shank, effectively ‘locking’ them in place. Once that washer goes on there’s no way to get it off the eye so you have to be certain that the eye is placed right on the toy’s head. 

 

The ring adds depth – I make mine out of felt. Black felt usually but I’ve used other colors too. You cut two squares of felt 1 inch by 1 inch and with the tip of your scissors cut a very small slice into the center of each piece. Just large enough to get the shank of the eye through. Put BOTH pieces onto one shank, then take your scissors and trim around the eye, leaving 1/8^th or 1/4^th of an inch of black around the eye.  Then you simply pull one of the circles off and put it on the other shank and you have a matched pair of eyes with ‘rings’ helping to add extra detail to the face of your stuffed toy. 

 

Kydex Plastic 

I’ve used Kydex for a long time. It’s the only plastic that you can cut with a scissors and that does NOT warp or bend over time.  I use it to stiffen my falcon tails but it can be used anywhere you want something super straight on a designed doll. 

 

The plastic can be found at any plastic manufacturer, check your Yellow Pages for one around your area. All of them should have a retail outlet at the plant, where you walk in and can buy small amounts.  I bought mine in the 10 foot sheets (ten feet long, 4 feet wide, rolled up to fit into the back seat of my car). 

 

Last time I got an entire sheet it cost me $89 but that sheet lasts me almost ten years.  You can get much smaller pieces or even ‘scrap’ for close to ‘free’ if you ask nicely.  This plastic is the type they use in hospitals along the walls so gurneys don’t gouge into the wall. Disneyworld uses it on the sides of all their fast food kiosks. It takes a good deal to scuff it up and is very easy to clean.  I’ve gotten it in a medium beige color and once in a pale grey.  Any scissors will cut it, just make sure to round the edges a bit on your cut pieces so they don’t chew into your fabric and cause a hole if played with.