FITTING SAFETY EYES
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Safety eyes (and noses) come in a huge array of colours, shapes and sizes. I tend to favour the black round safety eyes myself, though I have a collection of many different types. The eye (and nose) is made up of two parts - the 'eye' (or 'nose'), which has a ribbed shaft, and the washer, which gets secured onto the shaft. Once on, good quality washers are pretty hard to remove. In fact, some washers can be quite tricky to fix on in the first place - I have found a solution for that which I will cover in this tutorial.
Despite never having had any issues with safety eyes coming off toys I have made myself, safety eyes are not recommended for toys that are intended for children under 3 years of age. If you are planning on making a toy for a child under 3 years of age, you might like to omit the use of safety eyes and embroider the eyes on instead. Regardless of who the finished toy is intended for, I recommend you use good quality safety eyes and noses.
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Step 1: Choose and mark the position for the eyes (or nose) on your amigurumi piece. From the right side of the fabric, insert the shaft of the eye through the gap between the stitches.
Step 2: Once you are happy with the positioning, attach the washer to the shaft and push it firmly to lock it down.
Step 3: The eye is now securely fitted.
Note: If you struggle to attach the washer firmly to the shaft, you can use a safety eye insertion tool to help you...or, if like me you don't have one of these...you can use a hairdryer on low heat to warm the washer. Heating up the washer makes it temporarily more pliable which makes it easier to lock into place. Please remember, be sensible, use your hairdryer on low heat and take care to not burn yourself or your fabric.