eyeball | mucho xoxo

Halloween is quickly approaching (eek!), so I decided to get into the spirit with some fun and easy felt projects. First up, a big eyeball!

These make great decorations, or you can add some crinkle material and a rattle insert for a fun and [not too] spooky toy for a little one!

Materials:

white felt for eyeball and highlight
black felt for pupil
colored felt for iris
coordinating embroidery thread
stuffing
crinkle material (optional)
rattle insert (optional)
interfacing (optional)
basic sewing supplies (needle, scissors, pins, etc)
pattern (available here)

This guy comes together in a cinch. I did everything by hand but it could easily be done on the machine. These directions are for the hand sewn version

Step 1: print and cut your pattern and then cut your felt pieces. (2 large white circles for eyeball, 1 colored circle for iris, 1 black circle for pupil and 1 very small white circle for the highlight). If you’re going to use crinkle material, cut it slightly smaller than the large circle.

Step 2: attach the iris, pupil and highlight to one of the large white circles with embroidery thread. I chose a contrasting color to stand out against the green (reminds me of a poisonous frog). The color combos are endless, so have fun with it! Optional – you can add red stitching radiating in from the edges to make the eye look bloodshot.

Step 3: if you choose to add interfacing, now’s the time (I used Pellon Shape Flex). I would recommend this step especially if you plan to hand stitch your pieces. It adds a little reinforcement to the felt. I opted to iron and trim it after I sewed the iris/pupil/highlight. It covers up the stitching nicely (shown below right) and you won’t have to worry about snagging it when you add the stuffing. And the blanket stitch does a great job of hiding your edges, in case you’re worried about the interfacing showing.

Step 4: once you’re happy with the look of your eye, place your finished front piece on top of the second white circle, wrong sides together, and pin.

Step 5: blanket stitch your pieces together, leaving a 2” opening. I used red embroidery thread to make it look a little bloodshot. If you’re unfamiliar with the blanket stitch or need a refresher, check out this great project with very clear step-by-step instructions. The blanket stitch uses a surprising amount of thread and can vary greatly depending on how close you place your stitches, so be prepared!

Step 6: stuff with crinkle material (optional) and stuffing. Use small pieces of stuffing to ensure you get it nice and full.

If you choose to add a rattle insert, try to place it towards the center. Not sure where to purchase crinkle material or rattle inserts? I get mine here.

Step 7: when you’re done stuffing, continue your blanket stitch to close up the opening. You may want to add a bit more stuffing as you close the opening. Once you’ve reached your starting point, tie it off, bury your thread and trim.