I use a lot of different techniques to embroider face details on my amigurumi. Here are the most common methods that I use and detailed tutorials on how I achieve the final look!
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How to embroider a “v” shaped mouth on amigurumi:
I use this technique all the time because it’s (in my opinion) the easiest and cutest way to easily make your amigurumi have some personality.
This “v” shaped mouth only has two stitches. Although this makes it easier, it also makes it a bit trickier because a small difference in angle can change the look of the face dramatically.
You can experiment with the angle of the v, as well as the width and height to find your own signature look.
For my amigurumi, I prefer to embroider the “v” about 1 stitch wide and 1 stitch tall, with the top of the “v” shape aligning with the bottom of the eyes.
To begin, use 3 strands of embroidery floss and thread an embroidery needle. Decide where you want the top left corner of the mouth to be.
Step 1: Tie a knot at the end and push the needle in anywhere on the amigurumi, but come out at the point where you’ve decided you want the top left corner of the “v” to be (fig. 1).
Step 2: Pull the embroidery floss through, gently tugging so that the knot is buried inside the amigurumi. Use a crochet hook or the back of a tapestry needle to further bury the knot so that it’s not visible (fig. 2).
Step 3: Decide where you want the bottom of the “v” to be, as well as the top right corner. Bring the needle down into where you want to bottom point of the “v” to be, and then come up where the top right corner should be (fig. 3).
Step 4: Push the needle back into the bottom point of the “v”, connecting the two sides. Push the needle all the way out the other side of the amigurumi, and cut the floss flush with the side of the amigurumi. Use your crochet hook to bury the tail (fig. 4).
If you’re having trouble following along, check out this video tutorial I made:
How to embroider a triangle nose for amigurumi:
Triangle noses are extremely versatile and I use them all the time for my teddy bear patterns! Here are two videos that demonstrate two different methods I frequently use for all my patterns.
How to embroider cute blush details on amigurumi:
I love using this super simple and sweet technique to add little lines of blush on my amigurumi.
Again, I usually use 3 strands of embroidery floss and an embroidery needle. To begin, you’ll need to thread your embroidery needle and tie a knot at the end.
Step 1: Decide where you want the line of blush to be. I usually make mine about 1-2 stitches wide, starting directly below the middle of the safety eye and extending outwards. Once you’ve decided, use your embroider needle and push it through anywhere on the amigurumi and come out on the left most point of the line of blush (fig. 1).
Step 2: Decide how far right you want the line of blush to be and push the needle in at that point, coming out at the left most point where you started (fig. 2). Now you should have one thin line.
Step 3: Repeat step 3 a few more times, reinforcing the first stitch, until the blush is as tall as you want it to be.
To finish off, insert the needle into either the left or right side of the blush and push the needle all the way out of the amigurumi. Cut the embroidery thread and bury the tail with the crochet hook.
For more help, check out this video tutorial!
How to embroider a simple nose for dolls
I often embroider a small horizontal nose for my dolls using the same color as the doll base. It’s a simple technique that involves the following steps:
Step 1: Cut a length of yarn around 12-18″ long that matches the doll base in color. Thread a tapestry needle and tie a knot at one end.
Step 2: The nose should be about two stitches long and located directly between the two safety eyes. Roughly estimate where you want the nose to be, then insert the tapestry needle through the back of the head and come out on one side of the nose. Gently tug on the yarn until the knot at the back is inside the head.
Step 3: Whip stitch three times over the same two stitches to form the nose. If you would like the nose to be larger, add a few more stitches. If you feel that it’s too large, remove a few stitches.
Step 4: Bury the tail and tuck in the ends.
I hope these short tutorials were helpful! Please reach out to me in the comments if there are any other specific types of embroidery that you would like a full tutorial on.
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