I received this email from Jessie over the weekend and asked her if I might share it with you:
I was wondering if you had any tips for making a patch where there was an injury to the lovie.
This is Singer. She is 34 years old. She was injured in an incident involving a desk lamp in 1999. She’s lived in a box for the years since but I want to be able to see her again without feeling so sad about her wound.
My thoughts were to get a piece of white fur and run it through the wash a bunch of times with all the clothes for a week or two until it looks like her fur, then cut out the wound and stitch in the new fur. Do you think this would work?
Any ideas would be welcome!!!!
Here’s Singer’s injury:
Heartbreaking!
A few years ago I did a series here on the blog about repairing beloved stuffed animals. The posts were titled, “Animal Hospital: Intensive Care for the Intensely Loved.” I put a call out on our local listserve for moms in town asking if anyone had a special softie in need of repair. It was a wonderful experience! I worked on a lamb in need of new paw pads, a very saggy bear, and a piggie in need of a new nose, among many others.
I got to hear the stories of each of these special toys. That bear? His name is Crane Man. And the lamb? She’s been swimming in the Caymen Islands.
I also learned that people are willing to pay for you to fix their child’s lovey. After I’d finished my series, I continued to get desperate calls from moms all over town. You might have to work fast (1 hour until nap time!), but it’s a lucrative gig if you want it. Ask around. You’ll see.
I still repair lovies for the children of friends from time to time and I always write a little note explaining how brave the softie was and how much better he feels now that he’s been freshened up. It’s seriously so fun.
So, back to Singer. I emailed back to Jesse and advised her to:
- trim away the bits of fur and stuffing that are very burnt so that the dark color and odd texture will gone
- take Singer to the fabric store and try to find a fur with the closest match in color and softness
- create a patch that’s 1/4″ larger all the way around, then fold the edges under by 1/4″ and baste
- ladder stitch the patch to Singer’s existing fur, going around twice for a really secure attachment (and perhaps using upholstery thread for added strength)
Singer won’t look perfect. She’ll have a battle scar, but at least her stuffing will stay inside and she won’t have to live tucked away in a box any longer.
Thanks, Jesse, for writing to me! And Singer, I’m wishing you a swift recovery.
Oh, that Animal Hospital story is so cute, I can just imagine how relieved those mums were to know you existed! And the little note after, it just kills me. I hope that Singer makes a quick and (almost) complete recovery.
I tried a repair once on a teddy bear. I was my bear from my university days (a gift from some girlfriends) that my 4 yr old daughter grew attached to. She liked to ‘noo-noo’ (pronounced new-new) this bear, which was just the way she described holding the bear against her mouth softly. Several parts of the bear were almost threadbare so I took it and darned it very carefully with an exactly matching wool that I had spent weeks looking for. Well, she never noo-nooed the bear again. She said it felt funny now and she didn’t like it. I was heartbroken and left holding Bertie while she quickly moved on to Cowie the Cow and his super plush, noo-nooable horns. Such a fair-weather noo-nooer.
Such a great story and so typical of the way that children are. I think it was still worth it to repair noo-noo if only for posterity. My 11-year-old calls snuggling with her lovey “shnooging.”
Awww!!!Fairweather noonooer…:-).That story was ubercute
My precious item was not a softie but a ceramic. When I was 11 years old my favorite figurine lived on a knick-knack shelf above my bed. One day the unthinkable happened and he jumped off the shelf, shattering on the floor. After crying, I picked up all the pieces and realized I could carefully glue him back together. This was my first attempt to fix something that seemed impossibly broken. And I succeeded! That has stood me in good stead for the rest of my life. To this day he lives in my china cabinet and has pride of place among the Wedgewood coffee set and other treasures. If someone shows me how, I can leave a picture here.
Hi Madelyn,
What a wonderful story! I had many porcelain figurines of ballet dancers that my were my grandmother’s and came to me after she passed away when I was six-years-old. Some of them had been broken and carefully glued back together and I loved them more for it! You can’t post pictures here in the comments, but I’m so glad to hear your story.
Poor old toys – I’d like to see the ‘after’ shots!
My son’s lovie (a stuffed cat) is falling apart. The problem is it’s made out of a knit fabric, like a sweater, and the threads are just disintegrating. Any ideas on a fix? Over the last few years I’ve sewn holes closed and even sewed it a fleece sweater to keep the body together, but now its head is starting to fall off and the stuffing keeps falling out and I’m not sure what to do with it.
Did you find a resolution? My daughter has a pink cat who is starting the begining stages of disintegration. Please help if you can!
I just had knee surgery and received advice on how to minimize the scarring. Honestly, it’s been a tough haul and as a result, I’m proud of my scars and don’t want to disguise them. With that thought in mind, I’m wondering if perhaps Singer’s wound should be patched in a way that doesn’t try to hide the injury. That instead shows off the fact that Singer is a survivor. Like with a heart-shaped bandaid made out of felt.
My now 25 year old daughter has a much loved pink cat stuffed animal that was her constant companion for years and years. Pinky got so worn that I had to operate on her. I ended up using squares of flannel as at the time I could not find any pink fur fabric anywhere. She’s obviously been repaired but she went off to college in St. Louis and then to grad school in Texas with my daughter. She now resides in an apartment in Birmingham with my daughter. I miss them both!
I still have my Mousie Teddy (a koala bear) that I repaired myself when I was six or seven. the childish repairs only add to its charm.
My suggestion for Singer is to do as you suggested – find a fur fabric as close as possible to Singer (and if it needs to be a little browner, you can soak fur in tea)- but consider that to make the face better, cut the shape from the bottom of the animal, and use the new fur on the bottom where it won’t show……My best story re- repair is one of the women of our doll club brought in her daughter’s favorite stuffed cat animal and asked if someone would repair it. Her ex-husband had abused their daughter sexually (unbeknownst to her)- and at one point he had thrown the cat to the dog to chew up- laughing as she cried. Her now teenage daughter was going to court to testify against her dad- and wanted to take the cat with her. I ended up making the back of the head the front, and finding a long haired fur to use as back of head “hair”- it came out amazingly well. Both she and her daughter were thrilled- and the ex-husband went to jail.
I love the idea of patching up our worn furry friends, they deserve it! My daughter had lots of favourites which she took out everywhere, so mostly they didn’t get that old and worn. Several of them got lost which was quite traumatic as they were never found (Moppet, Hotdog, Monkey – to name several. Poor Moppet got left at a railway station, it upset me as well as my daughter and despite trying hard to find him, we never did.) Sandy is a very old dog softie now, but he stood up well to the test of time and needed no repairs. I remember a giant teddy given by my sister leaking stuffing everywhere. I think I fixed him, I hope I did! It would be lovely to see a picture of Singer after he has had his operation.
I learnt ladder stitch when I made toys for my daughter years ago, it really can feel like a magic stitch – closing up spaces or stitching on heads invisibly. Now I use it for other purposes in general sewing, but my first experience of it was for teddies.
So many wonderful stories here! Some of them almost made me cry.
Me too as I’m holding my son’s favorite furry friend which is pretty much disintegrating from all the love she’s had, who is a stuffed horse he’s had since the very first day he was born and he will now be 6 at the end of this month. Baby Hee (Hee stands for the Heee sound a horse makes) is her name & I gotta say, I’m just as attached to Baby Hee as he is if not more so in different ways. I find myself becoming protective over her. Silly I guess to some, but we all have our little attachments to things and she’s definitely one of mine. My son’s as well and he’s been getting a bit heart broken over her poor little body. She’s one heck of a trooper though! I don’t really sew. I can manage the basic stich up a hole or put a button back on, but sewing on a visually pretty level is not a strong suit for me although I really haven’t been to motivated or the need for it until now. This little plushy has made a huge impact on my son’s heart as well as mine & she’s got many many years left in her I just know it. I just need to help her along the way. Everyone has had great advice & it’s greatly appreciated! I wish everyone the best of luck with their plushy repairs & hope they get to stick around with their humans for all the years to come! I’ve been so touched by everyone’s story’s! Thank you all for sharing them as well!
What precious toys, especially Singer! It looks like if you can’t come close enough o her color in new fur, tea staining might be a good option. Start with a very mild tea infusion, lighter than you think you need and work your way up to the right hue. Looking forward to her makeover “after” shot!
How can I possibly contact her? My boyfriend gave me his first teddy bear recently and it is in pretty bad shape, the nose got chewed off by his puppy and he wants me to fix it. I wouldn’t even know where to begin on the poor guy.
Hail and well met,
I am a father of three. My youngest, Lucas, has had Lamby since he was born. He was a gift from a grandparent now gone. Lucas is now 13 and Lamby still lives in his closet in a place of honor and love. My daughter, now 17, recently got a dog that she loves. Long story short. Lamby has had his eyes and the fabric around his eye area removed entirely. Many tears and feelings of guilt have been flowing around the house and my wife feels the guilt most of all. She was cleaning and had placed Lamby on the floor for time and left him there.
Is there a person or a place that could help with repairing Lamby. I will ship him anywhere and pay whatever it costs to save him. The wife is looking online at replacements but I know it won’t be the same. Either a glorious Viking burial at sea or an eye transplant/repair are all I can see in the future for this little furry bundle of love.
Any help is appreciated.
Hi James, I wish I could help, but I don’t offer these kinds of repairs as a service. If you can search Etsy for a softie maker who lives in your local area they might be able to help!
My puppets hair is falling out I’m getting worried I’m a child I don’t know how to fix it
Is there any idea please, I really love my puppet
Hello dear. I have had some issues with dolls, particularly dolls I’ve made myself, losing hair. My suggestion is either a hat or a headband. Secure the hair as best you can- if its yarn, sewing. Synthetic is harder but I suggest brushing it out in pieces and gluing them on, then glueing a strip down over it with craft glue or super glue. On top, sew on either the hat or headband to ensure nothing comes loose and hide the scar! I hope your lovely puppet is okay!
If it comes to the worst, almost un- salvageable locks, braid two locks of hair [it doesn’t have to be your puppet’s hair, either. But whatever you prefer] and attach them to the side of a hat before permanently sewing on the new hat! Your puppet will look lovely! I hope all is well. Best of luck! From one kid to another
I know this thread is 3 years old , but it saved the day. And possibly my sanity. Yesterday was my 36th birthday, and it was my beloved horse Alice’s 35th birthday. She looks to be nearly identical to Singer, but with black eyes and no horn so my heart lept when I saw that picture!
Alice slept under my arm every night until about ten years ago when there was just too much wear and tear, music box stopped working and her previous “surgery scars” were getting threadbare. So she’s sat on my nightstand since, but birthday cuddles are mandatory and I left her on my bed while I went out to lunch….
I come home and figure she’s under the covers or my husband moved her but still didn’t see her at bedtime. Had this nagging feeling that the dogs took her outside, they’ve taken socks out and other “treasures”, so I run out with a flashlight. I see a trail of fluff, and it’s the fluff my grandma put in there while I watched anxiously at 8 years old, then I see a music box. It hasn’t played in years, but I pick it up and it won’t stop playing “it’s a small world”, so I start ugly crying and freaking out. I spent 2 hours combing the yard in the dark, with a flashlight looking for any salvageable parts. Then I see her skin. Her whole skin, arms legs and tail intact, her head hasn’t been touched. A pretty large bite is taken out of her back, but she can be fixed. I have the technology, I can rebuild her ????
I just wanted to say thanks for having this out here in the world, it was exactly the thing I needed to see to show me what to do and calm my nerves. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!
I’m so glad this post came to the rescue, Chelsea!
I have a stuffed Teddy bear from when I was a baby and now both my children have had him as babies as well. but he’s getting into some bad shape, I’ve restuffed him a few times but his fur is coming out and I didn’t know what to do… of it was even possible to add fur to him again… I’ll have to see if I can’t find fur that will work for him
Hello! So I have a teddy named Brownie, and he has been with me since I was about three (I’m 18 now), and it’s come to a time when he needs to be restuffed. He’s been to every important event imaginable, like first days for every school year, and college dorm living. So at this point he’s threadbare, and a little compressed (well loved). I’m just afraid that if I open him up that he’ll get damaged (I noticed a hole in his neck today). Should I risk it? Or should I be more careful with him, and give him a comfortable home on my shelf? (Which is heart breaking but understandable).
I don’t really know. It’s up to you.