Can you position eyes looking upwards?

AmandasyReborns · June 21, 2021, 4:42am

I’m trying to work with the BB Cookie kit and Good Lord her eye sockets are an extremely tight fit to where straight forward is the only direction I can get. I can’t show photos of her because she is being used for the vintage challenge.

How do y’all get your babies to look any way but straight forward…do I need to cut more of the backing behind the eyes away or will I only be able to put them in and position them when the kit is heated?

Please tell me if I’m wrong, but I would assume if you can get eyes to look left/right or even cross eyed…you should also be able to have them either looking up or down also, right? I could only find one post about getting eyes to look to the side…nothing about up or down. Any help is greatly appreciated…even if it’s just saying what I want to do is not possible.

This is the look I’m going for:

EnchantedOrphanage · June 21, 2021, 5:51am

Maybe try a smaller eye size?

RoyalAnchor · June 21, 2021, 6:52am

Cutting more of the backing can help the eyes have more room to move around. I usually put a small piece of a sponge and put it behind the eye, in between the eye and the backing and it helps the eye stay in place. You can make them look up or down depending on where the sponge is pushing the eye.

You don’t need full round eyes either. It works for both kinds.

AmandasyReborns · June 21, 2021, 9:17am

Edited to add
MacPherson’s sending me the correct size eyes. Wow! They got to my ticket and went ahead and sent them out today. Yay!!!

@EnchantedOrphanage What’s funny, is you were technically kinda right. lol

My eyes came from MacPhersons and after looking at my order, they sent me the wrong size. I can’t believe I didn’t notice the bag says 24mm, not the 22mm size I ordered. I just submitted a ticket to see if I can get the size eyes I actually ordered. I’ve never had this problem before. I’m going to have to double check my orders from now on. No wonder I couldn’t adjust the eyes…I was sent the WRONG size.

Thank you very much for that info @RoyalAnchor! Found out what the main issue was…I was sent the WRONG size eyes…Now it makes SO much more sense on why I couldn’t adjust them. Thank goodness my hubby and I didn’t tear up the eye sockets trying to get them in (I just wanted to see how they were looking with the paint job so far).

EnchantedOrphanage · June 21, 2021, 11:10am

Oh goodness! Good thing you didn’t cut the vinyl yet!

AmandasyReborns · June 21, 2021, 11:15am

Exactly…tonight when my hubby gets off of work, we were going to make the cuts we made into the vinyl behind the eyes larger, which would have made the correct eyes hard to get positioned right.

I’m glad I wasn’t finishing the doll up, cause I would have been mad having to wait on eyes that I specifically ordered to be here on time in the first place.

DollyPardon · June 21, 2021, 12:54pm

Years ago I got frustrated and did this, so it’s possible.

CindyLouWho · June 21, 2021, 4:17pm

I heat the head and then move the eyes into the position that I need. You can glue them into that position if you are finished painting and rooting.

AmandasyReborns · June 21, 2021, 6:18pm

OMG! I love that look! That’s how I felt this morning when I realized I was sent the wrong size eyes. lol Thank you for sharing @DollyPardon…you just gave me a really good laugh for today. And now I’m happy to know that it’s absolutely possible due to seeing your photo. I totally have to make a baby with that expression one day…I need a sarcastic/eye roll baby in my life. lol

AmandasyReborns · June 21, 2021, 6:25pm

Thank you very much @CindyLouWho! I really appreciate the advice! I’ll definitely use that when I have those kits with small neck holes. I got too spoiled with 3 month Joseph and some other chubby babies with decent sized neck holes that you could easily track the eyes…Cookie just had to be the odd one out…well at least until I have to do Tinky the manor elf (her eyes have to be put in through the front…a finger will barely fit in her neck).

CindyLouWho · June 21, 2021, 9:13pm

I use this method even when I cut the back of the eye open. When it is heated and I move them into the side position and then when it cools, they usually stay in that position. Then glue the slit closed.

Katinafleming · June 22, 2021, 3:32am

That’s awesome.

AnnieSokay · June 23, 2021, 9:50pm

After years of trying to figure out how to get eyes to look to the side I realized that a smaller size works. But now I don’t glue my eyes in anymore I like being able to position them as I want. I use a contact lens suction cup to position them so as not to mess up the paint.