[Jan A]

Teddy and Soft Toy Repairs​

At my friend’s request, I repaired her precious soft toy dog, a special friend from her childhood. I then repaired a teddy bear for a friend of hers. My friend suggested we set up a service where she does the advertising and I do the repairs. After that, I started repairing teddies and other soft toys for people who wanted their special toy fixed. My friend put it on her Facebook page: Bayside Teddy and Soft Toy Repairs. It comes up on a Goggle search. I am located at Ramsgate in NSW. People are happy to pay for the service. They either bring or send the toys to me. It is a lovely hobby and it is such a pleasure to see how happy people are to have their special toy repaired.

Not expecting a lot of response at first, I was surprised that about once every 2 to 3 weeks I get a request for repairing a soft toy. Apparently, very few people provide this service. We had a doll hospital in NSW but it closed about 2 years ago. People may want their own childhood toy repaired for themselves or to pass it on to their child or grandchild. Some toys are the only thing they have left of their late relative or family friend. Some toys belong to the child who cannot sleep without it. Some toys have languished in a drawer for many years waiting to be repaired. Some were recently attacked by the family dog. One large toy had part of it eaten by a colony of insects while it was in storage.

I do not repair antique toys as these require specialist handling, but I can refer people to a person who provides that service. I do not repair hard toys, like cars or dollhouses. I do not make clothing for toys. When repairing toys, I use all hand-stitching. I repair ripped seams, replace broken eyes, re-stuff toys, patch holes and sometimes make new parts. I can replace broken “growlers” in teddy bears to make them growl again. Some things are beyond fixing. For example, the fur on plush fabric cannot be restored once it is gone after much loving and cuddling. However, I can usually make a toy look much better and preserve it for the future. If you are interested, see the Facebook page.

 

[Luckyus]

I was born in Ramsgate on the isle of Thanet Kent.

 

[Dotty33]

I was born in Ramsgate on the isle of Thanet Kent.

I used to go to Ramsgate often when I lived in Canterbury, Kent

 

[Jan A]

Ramsgate NSW where I have lived the past 5 years is between Brighton-Le-Sands and Sans Souci on Botany Bay, south of Sydney Airport. It is lovely to live only 1km from the beach. I am not a fan of sand but I do like the sea breezes.

 

[Jan A]

This week I have two beloved bears to repair. One has its stuffing worn down and its arm seam split from years of loving and cuddling. The other was attacked by the family’s new puppy and is missing part of its face. The children who own the toys are keen to have their much adored friends back in a good state again. On the Facebook page, there are photos of other repairs I have done for happy owners.

 

[Luckyus]

I used to go to Ramsgate often when I lived in Canterbury, Kent

I won't say I'm that old but I worked on Canterbury Cathedral?

 

[Dotty33]

I won't say I'm that old but I worked on Canterbury Cathedral?

Love the Cathedral

 

[April Bradford]

Popping in to help @Jan A upload some photos of her repairs!

This one was the childhood toy of a young woman. It was attacked by a dog and she was devastated. She brought it to me for repair. She was very pleased with the result.

This one belonged to a young boy. It was attacked by a dog and the boy was distraught. The mother posted it to me for repair. The boy loved the result.

This very large Tigger belonged to a young woman who owned it from childhood. She had it in a storage bag but a colony of insects attacked it and destroyed one arm and its side. She was beyond upset. They lived out of Sydney. Her mother brought it to me when next visiting Sydney. It took many hours to repair it. I couldn’t get the same fabric (it’s a Disney fabric) so used orange polar fleece and black felt. It came up well in the end.

This one is “Stitch” from Disney's “Lilo & Stitch”. The nose wore out and the stitch on the paw came apart. The boy who owned it was desperate to have it fixed. He was thrilled with the result. The new fabric is more sturdy and will last much longer.

This soft toy doll was owned by a little girl who loved it. She was desperate to have it fixed. This was a difficult repair. Her grandmother brought it to me. After I fixed it, the mother told me the little girl didn’t let it out of her sight.

Someone had tried to repair the eye on this Care Bear and it was less than successful. I re-stuffed the head and repaired the eye. The little girl owner was thrilled with it.

It’s a fun hobby and it makes people happy. Apparently very few people offer this service. I explain to people that the toy may not look exactly the same but mostly people are happy if their toy can just be restored to a useable form again.

Have a look on Google or Bing for “teddy and soft toy repairs” and you will see the Facebook page comes up

 

[April Bradford]

Here are some more examples from the talented @Jan A

This lovely old teddy was the childhood bear of a young woman who wanted to pass him onto her baby. The bear had lost his feet many years ago when the faux leather they were made from disintegrated. She had long wanted him repaired but could not find a way to have it done. She was thrilled to have him whole again with new feet. I added some hearts to include a pop of colour. He now has a whole new life with her baby.

This bunny belonged to a young girl. It was attacked by a dog and needed a whole new head. I gave him a mullet cut between his new ears. The girl was happy to have her bunny back.

This lovely old bear was the childhood friend of a young woman. She was desperate to have him fixed. She was happy to have a bright coloured applique to join the front together. I also darkened elements of his face to make them more defined. He looks super fine now. The owner was very pleased.

This cute head was all that was left of a young father’s beloved toy from his own father. He asked me to give it a new body. I decided to make him into a grown-up biker bear wearing a white outfit with an insignia on the back, plus a red mullet cut, a gold chain and a medallion. I gave him a satin collar to hold the neck together. If the owner wants to change the body at any time, it can be easily separated from the neck and replaced. I think he looks adorable as a biker! The owner was surprised and pleased.

This dear little bear had languished in a drawer for decades waiting to be repaired and restuffed. His owner had carefully preserved him hoping someday she could get him back to his intended self. With some cleaning, a few repairs and an entire change of stuffing, he was bright and gorgeous again. The owner was delighted.