[kencoent]

I knit toys. Many of them have embroidered eyes, noses etc. but it is the smiles that give them their charm. My patterns show nice crisp lines but when I do it the lines are not smooth. They wander and ruin the look. Any suggestions?

 

[run4fittness]

Ask mom to do them? Just teasing! Not my favorite part to do either! Hope you get a good answer.

 

[jrfromne]

What stitch do you use? A back stitch may work best.

 

[kencoent]

I tried back stitch but even when I go back to the previous hole it is sloppy. Have you tried catching the previous stitch and getting a bit of an anchor?

 

[Casey47]

Very small stitches might help.

 

[asyinger]

You might try a chain stitch for the mouth. Because the overlap from one stitch to the next is inside the stitch and not on either the top or bottom, it is less likely to look crooked. Also, because it is a bit wider than backstitch, it might look a bit more like lips.

 

[bagibird]

Jean Greenhowe patterns give directions for embroidering faces by counting rows and stitches to determine placement, but even then, my toys are a bit more "individual"!

Eyes are another problem, but Teri Crews has a really good tutorial:
http://tericrews.blogspot.com.es/p/applique-eye-tutorial.html

Following this thread, hoping for a foolproof method!

 

[k2p3-knit-on]

http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/patternFinder.fcgi?language=&store=%2Fstores%2Flionbrand&cost=%2Fstores%2Flionbrand&search=1&craft=Knit&searchText=Angel+baby+blanket&submit.x=46&submit.y=4&submit=sea

The pattern above is a baby blanket with an angel in the center. It includes directions how to embroider the mouth.

 

[LilgirlCA]

very tiny stitches are easier to place and control - smiles can be lop-sided too

 

[motormom]

When doing the outline stitch (which is what I'm assuming you're doing), it's CRITICAL to hold your thread at the same angle for every stitch. And, like LilgirlCA said, make sure that your stitches are small. And practice, practice, practice! (I learned crewel when I was very small, and the outline stitch was the hardest one to master.)

 

[knitnanny]

I sew a line and then sew another over the top as that works for me...

 

[judybug52]

Jean Greenhowe patterns give directions for embroidering faces by counting rows and stitches to determine placement, but even then, my toys are a bit more "individual"!

Eyes are another problem, but Teri Crews has a really good tutorial:
http://tericrews.blogspot.com.es/p/applique-eye-tutorial.html

Following this thread, hoping for a foolproof method!

Oh such cute crochet patterns Teri Crews has. Thanks for this site! Wished I could crochet better. Think I am going to try a pattern any way. Judy

 

[Aunt Nay]

I generally use a satin stitch for mouths, and French knots for eyes if I am embroidering the face.

 

[gramadolly]

Hi Kencoent, I found a simple way to embroider a smile. Sorry I don't not know how to send a link but I can give you the name to find the video. The name is Nerdigurumi. She has several tutorials that are helpful also. Hope this helps.

 

[martyr]

Hi Kencoent, I found a simple way to embroider a smile. Sorry I don't not know how to send a link but I can give you the name to find the video. The name is Nerdigurumi. She has several tutorials that are helpful also. Hope this helps.

Here is her web site - she also is on you-tube. To post a link, go to the web site, select the url address, copy it and paste in into your reply [ P.S. I try to remember to open another tab to do this so I can easily get back to my " post a reply" ] This looks like a good site. Free amigurumi.

http://nerdigurumi.com :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[gramadolly]

Martyr Thank you for your interest and instructions. I will have to have someone in my family show me how it's done. I am one of those people who has to see how it's done I am 78 yrs old but eager to learn new things. I have no idea what a URL address is. Ha, Ha. Thanks again dear.