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near CologneHey there,
as you may know, I mainly create miniatures. I already did eyelids on my avatar-bear with good results but this one isn't a mini so I don't know what to do...
Does anybody know how I could create eyelids for a miniature? I mainly use glass eyes with loop (mainly 6mm, but I just ordered some 4mm, too) and also black beads for tinier ones.
Any suggestions would be very appreciated
Hugs, Ariane
YorkshireSorry I haven't tried eyelids yet, but just wanted to say I love your sleepy avatar bear! I know someone will come up with some advice for you.
near CologneThank you so much for your compliments, they make me so happy! :hug:
Viking-Teddy is by far the most complicated and advanced bear I have made until now and I am so proud of how he turned out - and it is so funy how clothes can change the appearance of a bear lol
Chaska, MinnesotaI was fortunate to buy at a garage sale a necklace that had multiple strands of very thin leather cording. It was almost thread-like. I thought it would be perfect for eyelids. I have yet to try it but I think that would work. First, put the eyes on and tie it off as usual. Taking the thin cording, thread it through a needle and tie a knot at one end of the cord. Go through the base of the neck (before I close it) and come up to on corner of the eye. I would loop it over the top of the glass eye and exit at the other corner of the eye down back to the base of the neck. Oh I think putting a small bead of glue across the top of the glass eye would help keep the eyelid in place. That is how I would do it. Though I have not tried it yet, It might give you some ideas.
near CologneMichelle, thank you for this tip. I was wondering if I should buy me some leather cord, but thought about putting it onto the eye first and then inserting it (as I had done previousely). I might give it a try with your method the next time I make a mini
Hugs, Ariane
Little Leaf Bears by ShannaI've put eyelids on one of my minis. I used a thick pearl cotton thread and glued them in place once I had them positioned where I wanted them. They don't produce a sleepy effect however, and just outline the eye, not sure what you are looking for.
Shanna
near CologneThick pearl cotton thread.... That would be another option, I guess :hug: Thank you, I hadn't thought about this before.
They are not necessarily meant to produce a sleepy effect (it was a coincidence that I hadn't planned for my viking bear), I would be glad to see how my bears look with outlined eyes. I'll see if I can find some thick thread somewhere (we don't have a shop with stuff like that here)
Thank you again, Ariane
Bear-HandsHi Ariane
i put them on mine i use a very soft suede and glue and tuck around eye and i also felt around them which is easy. just roll a thin piece of wool felt in sausage then start felting around the eye, if you need to add more then roll again until you are happy with the effect.
hope this helps
hugs Susan
near CologneHi Susan,
I have never felted before, although I have a felting kit somewhere in my stash.... I should give it a go!
Hugs, Ariane
KezjoyKritterzi did it once ages ago on a mini bear. I used 2mm onyx beads and made a sort of cradle (kind of like a peapod) from very thin leather and sewed the bead in that so only a quarter of the bead showed. it made it like upper and lower eyelids. most of the leather was underneath . I don't fel like im explaining it very well..but i no longer have the bear or a picture to show you. Do you understand what i mean??
Kerrilyn
near CologneKerrilyn,
I'm not too sure, but I think I get the point.... or most of it lol
I actually have very thin leather here and could try it out now that my order from glasseyesonline arrived (I ran out of eyes for my bears two weeks ago 
), have to pick one of my unfinished creations that'll look good with eyelids though
Thanks, Ariane
Pandy Potter Bears
Hiya. I used thin black leather cording, just like Michelle says. It was hard work to get through, but I managed. The bear was about 3" so it would be easier on a slightly bigger one. I forgot to say, I needlefelt the whites in, using plain old stuffing!
Sarian Miniature BearsHi Ariane,
I put eyelids onto some of my bears' eyes, most of which are 1mm onyx beads. I cut out semicircular shapes from ultrasuede and then glue and stitch them on my bear's eyes. The really thin ultrasuede is best for this so it is not too bulky, but I have used the regular ultrasuede too. (Sambrook bears sells a good selection of the really thin ultrasuede: http://www.sambrookbears.co.uk/acatalog/ultrasuede.html)
I fix the eyes into place first and then I put a small dab of glue towards the back of the eye/bead before placing the eyelid on. I stitch the corners of the eyelids down first and then add a few tiny stitches around the back of the eyelids and into the head.
I use white ultrasuede circles for the eyewhites when I want to add this feature to my bears' eyes. The bear in the pic below has eyewhites and eyelids.
I hope this helps
Hugs,
near CologneSarah,
thanks for the suggestion with the ultrasuede - and also for the picture, the bear is lovely!
I was planning to use this method on one of my bears, but the only eyes I had didn't match (cheap ones.. >.<') so I'm waiting for my order to arrive with new ones; the ultrasuede half-circles are already cut out, although they might be too big. (and they aren't the really thin ones, I think..gah, I only have three colors of ultrasuede - need to buy more, but how to decide on the colors? :crackup: )
So, this technique also wos with onyx beads? I have a pack of black beads (wooden ones, I think) lying around here and was wondering if I could use them, too... I'll give it a go, there are several bears and critters awaiting their finishing touches
Thanks again, Ariane
Sarian Miniature BearsSarah,
thanks for the suggestion with the ultrasuede - and also for the picture, the bear is lovely!
I was planning to use this method on one of my bears, but the only eyes I had didn't match (cheap ones.. >.<') so I'm waiting for my order to arrive with new ones; the ultrasuede half-circles are already cut out, although they might be too big. (and they aren't the really thin ones, I think..gah, I only have three colors of ultrasuede - need to buy more, but how to decide on the colors? :crackup: )So, this technique also wos with onyx beads? I have a pack of black beads (wooden ones, I think) lying around here and was wondering if I could use them, too... I'll give it a go, there are several bears and critters awaiting their finishing touches
Thanks again, Ariane
Hi Ariane,
I think this technique would work for any type of bead you decide to use for your bear's eyes. That's the beauty of creating bears - there's no right or wrong way so try whatever supplies you have.
If your half circles of ultrasuede are too big, just trim them down a bit. I have to do this quite often. The little blue bear in the picture has regular ultrasuede for the eyelids, so it doesn't have to be the thin kind.
Don't worry about not having a huge supply either, you will soon build up as you go along. When I first started out I managed to get a selection of ultrasuede cut-offs from eBay, which was a good way of getting several colours at once without having to buy larger sheets of it.
Good luck with creating your bears' and critters' eyes and don't forget to post some pictures on here. 
Hugs,
near CologneI just got my order from Sassy Bears and Fabrics with some of the leather cording (and some fabrics of course) and am eager to try it out with another wee one, but at the moment I don't have the time, the room and the mind to create something new - I think I would mess it up completely although there are about 10 or more ideas waiting to be done....
Cat Gabriel Crafts
Hi Ariane,
This is something I've only ever done once before too and I used the ultrasuede and glue method.
-Catherine
near CologneAww, what a sweetheart.
I think I'll give this method another try and see how it works out^^
