How to: attach safety eyes

Lesson • Finishing Techniques • 6:26 • Beginner

When you’re making toys for small children, remember that buttons may come off, so embroidery, or safety eyes, are more appropriate. If you’ve not sure how to attach safety eyes, you’ll find this step-by-step very useful.

Overview

Practical Guides

Patterns to try

Finishing Techniques

Course Overview

	Price	Included with Let’s Knit Together membership
	Duration	45m 21s
	Lessons	9
	Difficulty	Beginner
	What you need	Your finished knitting; a tapestry needle; knitting needles - could be straight, circular or double-pointed depends on pattern; safety toy eyes

Course Description

Using the most appropriate seam to stitch up your knits will help you to get a professional finish.

Meet your instructors

Julie Peasgood

Julie is an actress and presenter just starting out on her knitting journey
Neti Love

Neti is your resident knitting expert who knows the ins and out of all things yarn

Practical Guides

Any toy made for a child under three shouldn’t have any embellishments or loose parts that could end up as a choking hazard, which also means sewing on arms and legs securely if that child is still at that age where everything goes in their mouth!
"Safety eyes are made up of two parts: the eye with a post and the backing post which can either be made from plastic or metal. The ridges means they are less likely to loosen due to the design backing and the grippers make the eye less likely to pull off. Only attach safety eyes to tightly knitted fabrics or add extra backing fabric to make them harder to remove. Firstly, you’ll need to decide where you want the safety eyes to go, do this before sewing up. Use the rows in your knitting and count stitches for even spacing. Remember, it’s fine to split the yarn rather than go through a ready-made hole. Insert the post front to back, then press on the back, ensuring the grippers face the fabric. Check that it is secure. If you make a mistake it can be quite hard to get off, so you’ll need to cut through the backing with pliers or cut off the front without damaging fabric. Once you’ve mastered this skill, it’s a great technique to use time and time again for eyes or a button effect."