Restoring my Childhood Teddy Bear! (Stuffed Animal Restoration) 

Also I two love doctor Beth. She’s a Stuffie/doll hero. Literally the best Stuffie doctor there is.

This is so great to hear and warms my heart to know you're out there and learned something! Viva la Henson stitch! ♥️

He's a Snuffles, and they are wonderful. whenever a pal of mine has a kid, I give them a Snuffles.

awwwww

Mine is like that too. I had a bear from Harrods but I couldn’t read it properly so I called him Harold

I have never experienced anything like that

Aw, I appreciate that! Might have another one here in a bit

Wonderful! Good luck with your restoration!

Aww, thank you! I'm pleased you enjoyed it!

Just take your time with it!

Absolutely!

Nice! I look forward to seeing your results! Love fennec foxes

Yes! He's now back to his proper place of guarding my bed and making sure the cats don't steal my covers.

Glad I could help! Good luck on your own restoration!

Thank you so much! I love my plushies and am glad I can cuddle Edison again.

Thank you! 😊

Go for it!

Very good to know!

Much better for cuddles, too.

Aw, yay! I hope you and Gunther have many more years of cuddles together!

That's a clever name. Mine is just Snuffles (what the company calls them), but I've always called him Snuffy.

i love gund bears so much i have the brown and white 1983 tender teddies (i think thats what theyre called)

Thanks for the sub!

You're very welcome! Thank *you* for commenting!

Yay! That makes *me* smile

Best time for Muppet History!

Nice! Socks can make great plushies!

Good luck!

This made me tear up, thank you for the comment!

I'm so glad!

Aww, thank you!

@@CraftyMotatoEdison is so cute he looked brand new I love stuffed animals 😊

Thank you so much!!

Lol poor Earring. At least she's loved?

Great tip!

I didn't know they had a special name! Thanks for sharing. They're really good for cuddles so I can see why they're a signature item!

@@CraftyMotatoYou're more than welcome!

You may need to part the fur a bit to find a seam. If there is a center back seam of your plushie, that's usually a good place as it's centrally located. If not, there may be a center front seam, or if the head is large, between the neck and middle can work, too. Hope this helps!

Lol exactly!

That is a possibility depending on how worn the fur is. I'd test a small bit in your fingers, pull with the same amount of force you'd use with the wire brush. If it is too fragile, you can gently comb the fibers with a soft toothbrush, though this of course will take much longer

Aww! It's waterproof up to 30 ft (I've gone swimming wearing it) but I appreciate the concern!

No emotionally scarring videos here!

I love zefrank ❣ .

Yes, absolutely. Just be sure to start the new seam beyond the edges of the cut.

That is a common occurrence when washing a plush with the stuffing in it. I'd recommend taking the stuffing out before washing, washibg it separately, and allowing the stuffing to air dry over several days

It really varies depending on age and maker. I've definitely had plushies I thought should have had bags for their pellets but did not.

Snip open an existing seam with a seam ripper or small pair of scissors. Then remove all the stuffing and replace it with new stuffing, and carefully sew the seam back closed. If your stitches are visible on the outside when you're done, then it's just signs of love and care. Alternatively, you could see if there's a teddy bear hospital available to you and send your dog to them to fix for you!

Oh yeah I'm very a practiced hand with the seam ripper! I make a lot of mistakes, lol

Hopefully they were all okay!

Absolutely!

@@CraftyMotato okay! Thanks!

So the problem with not taking the stuffing out is that the stuffing is very hard to get fully dry if you get it all wet. If you don't want to do a full wash including the stuffing, I'd recommend just surface cleaning your stuffed friend.

@@CraftyMotato I tried the baking soda method and that didn't seem to work. so I was thinking of cleaning them in the sink and then letting them sit and dry I pulled them out of my basement. so they all have a musty mill do smell in them. problem is I have a lot of stuffed friends that need this cleaning. some of them I want to keep. others I would like to donate and give good homes..

Wow, thank you for all the questions! There's not really a set rule for how often you should wash a plushie. If it gets visibly soiled or discolored, it's a good idea, but you can go years without having to wash one. The pellets you could probably wash in warm, soapy water and reuse. I wouldn't recommend reusing stuffing if there's any chance that mold has grown. Toss out any stuffing that may have mold. Otherwise, I suppose you could rinse the stuffing in hot soapy water and let air dry for several days, but note: I've never tried to do that, so it is only a guess. As far as re-stuffing, use big handfuls of fluff at a time. The bigger, the better, as this will help keep your plushie smoother. Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions!

how and where are you supposed to leave the stuffed animal to air dry? I have a really old bear I am planning to restore and I don’t want to do anything wrong that could potentially ruin him

I would suggest removing all the stuffing and very carefully rinsing and letting soak in warm water with mild detergent, then restuffing and stitching shut. Even if your stitches aren't perfect, it can add age and care to your beloved stuffed friends

Oh, they're not glued on. The eyes and nose are sort of like plastic screws that puncture through the fabric, and then there's a small plastic 'bolt' at the back that can't be undone. So they're perfectly safe to handwash.

The seam should hold unless you apply a lot of bidirectional force to it. You start and stop the Henson stitch beyond where the hole is, so there's plenty of overlap to prevent that from happening.

Hi! Probably? It really depends on how firm you want your stuffed friend to be. Using more fluff and packing it in tightly will make them stiffer and less squishy, as opposed to using less fluff.

I'm pretty sure that's somewhere at my dad's house. Haven't seen it in years.

@@CraftyMotato okay if it’s there maybe bring the other bear you restored so they can reunite after years lol

I thought I could share this to ask you if you ever found a plushie with just one single problem or have you never seen that?

Sure! Sometimes plushies just develop a hole from where the seam is weakest, or sometimes they get a small stain and just need a spot cleaning.

No. It is not the same. He has significantly less mold now.

Yep. Use a pet brush and start at the ends, working your way closer to the fabric

Yay! Hope Carsone gets all better soon!

Probably the easiest way would be to make a patch and cover over the thinned area.

Lol

That is entirely fair! There are a few teddy bear hospitals; check online and see if there's one near you!

It would depend on the type of faux fur and the temperature, but I wouldn't advise it.

@@CraftyMotato I ended up just being patient for the air dry, and he came out really nice. Thank you so much for making this video!

I think it's at my dad's house somewhere 🤔

@@CraftyMotato If you find it can you make a video on it please? 🤗

Also im to scared to let him in the hands of another person 😅

Those are all valid fears. I'd recommend practicing on some cheap plushies first

Thank you! He is very much loved

He desperately needed the makeover.

The thing with the wire brush is that you don't pull very hard, just enough to lightly lift the fur away from itself. You can also use a stiff-haired brush as well, if you don't want to use the wire one. I'm sure you will do your leopard proud!

He does indeed!