How to Repair a Stuffed Animal: Replacing Paw Pads

This post is part of “Animal Hospital: Intensive Care for the Intensely Loved,” an occasional series  in which I show you how to make common repairs on your child’s favorite stuffed animal. See the first post here. From straightforward fixes, like sewing up a burst seam, to more complex repairs, like replacing paw pads and reattaching jointed limbs, my intention is to help you mend and care for the special softies in your family’s life.

I’d like to introduce you Lambie. Here is how he looked when I met him:

Lambie is the very best friend and loyal companion to a four-year-old girl in town. And he is a world traveler. Lambie’s mom showed me photos of Lambie in all sorts of exotic locations. Lambie has even been swimming a few times.

All of these exciting adventures left this sweet stuffed animal with no paw pads. Mom had saved four little bean bags that had once been inside Lambie’s paws. Clearly, every part of this toy was precious.

I set about creating a new set of paw pads for Lambie. To begin with I turned him on his side

and stretched a paw out on a piece of paper. Then I traced around it’s circumference as though it were stuffed.

This created a pattern piece for the paw pads. I cut four paw pads from fleece. Although it is hardto tell, Lambie’s paws were originally pink.

I chose pink fleece as a replacement because eventually it will fade to match the rest of Lambie’s paws.

I put a bean bag back into one paw

Then I threaded a needle with a doubled strand of extra-strong thread and ladder stitched the paw pad to the end of Lambie’s arm. I repeated the process for the other three limbs.

You might have noticed that Lambie’s ear lining was also worn away. I used the same method to create new ear linings.

Lambie had an embroidered nose and mouth that were coming unstitched. I removed the old embroidery floss and created a new nose and mouth from fresh floss in the same light pink.

To do this, I threaded a needle with an 18 inch length of floss and tied a knot in the end.

1. Insert the needle behind Lambie’s ear

2. Came out on one side of the nose

3 Went back in on the opposite side of the nose, coming out in the center of the nose so that the thread was below the needle

4. Went back in on one side of the mouth

5. Came out on the other side of the mouth

6. Brought the needle through the loop

7. Adjusted the smile

8. Made a small stitch to hold the smile in place

9. And came out on the side of the face (you could also come out behind the ear) and tied a knot.

Here’s Lambie after his surgery. He’s still his quirky, well-loved self, but now he’s ready for many more years of world travel! Go, Lambie, go!

Next time on Animal Hospital: Intensive Care for the Intensely Loved we’ll take a look at a horse with jointed limbs that have become loose and floppy.

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I hope this installment was helpful to you and if you have any
particular stories about the loss or repair of a favorite lovey, please
share.

And here’s a video of a long lost beloved lovey begin reunited with its owner. Plush is powerful, my friends.