How do you determine the size of the eyes for your doll?

by Vicki Koffel
(Malta, OH USA)

I bought a few new Berenguer dolls. All anatomically correct. They came with the light blue eyes. Right now I just want to replace the eyes with the more realistic and prettier ones. I would like to weight the dolls & put the prettier eys in and that's all for right now. I have two granddaughters that will be playing with them "sometimes" so I don't want to reborn them completely. I don't know what books or web sights are best. I need all the help I can get. I have two 18 inch and two 14 inch dolls. I need to know what size & kind of eyes are best & what tools I will need & what is used to weight the dolls & I believe you use poly fill also. Thanks for any information anyone can give me. Vicki

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Hi Vicki

Well made reborn dolls can be handled by children :) If you're just starting out and are wondering about eyes, measure in millimeters with a tape from the corners of the eyes - that is how they are sized. 18mm, 20mm, 22mm etc Eyeco brand has lovely eyes. To weight the dolls, you can use fine glass beads and polypellets - place in sewn up pouches or use stocking material sealed on the end. Don't make them too heavy though! Somewhere between 3 and 5 pounds is plenty.

There are some excellent books on reborning listed here that will walk you through the process with photographs.
Good luck making your babies!
Kikm