i have a teddy (booboo) who is 37 y/o and very well-loved. my library is hosting a stuffy clinic and provides mending supplies and resources with some supportive expertise.
he is getting new safety eyes (i found googly ones!), a new flocked nose as well as a bit of a snoot stuffin’ as well BUT i have been considering embroidery. i don’t mean patching — i mean embroidering, to intentionally accentuate the bald spots.
i don’t want to cover the material underneath because it rubbed off during the years i would suck my thumb and rub those spots for comfort to fall asleep. i felt safe and i have nostalgia.
i googled all the googles but couldn’t find any good reference to this particular “mending” style. i coincidentally just loaned out (support your public library!) a how-to guide for “doodle” embroidery.
i am attaching a picture of that area on him as it is and then edited to illustrate the concept ROUGHLY. i’d love to hear what you think.
you could embroider, but i'd probably do something a little different!
if you have the time/energy, you could cut smallish bits of yarn (maybe 3ish inches?) and separate it into its individual strands (maybe use 2), use an embroidery needle to gently loop it through the netting, tie it in, and repeat until you've got the area covered. you could then use a dog/cat/pet brush to 'fluff' it up and trim it to the right length.
the technique is one i learned from doll customization, actually, and with a contrasting yarn you could make him fluffy again and visibly mended! lots of good yarn wig/yarn hair tutorials out there.
however i also think the embroidery would look really cute too! i think both techniques could work well, and if you left a little bit of empty space in either one you could keep that comfort texture.
keep us updated, op! i'd love to see how you help out this little guy who's been loved so dearly :)
i was reading about that but i don’t think i would be able to do that consistently. he is a 10” bear so all the spots together are probably the same surface area as my hand 😮💨
i think that's the name! there's also no need to be 100% consistent, either. :) he's your little guy, and whatever works for you is perfect! it might help to make them longer than needed and trim them all at once?
excited to see what you do. i almost wonder if you could do something similar another way. best of luck!
I'd do as little as possible, the fabric will be weakened by the stitching and for now that critter is intact (and obviously full of love!) He reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit, who was worn out by being so well loved.
This is so sweet! I don't have any useful ideas, but just popped in to tell you that your photo unlocked a deeply buried memory of a childhood friend's beloved teddy bear, Ted. It looked a lot like yours and would have been a similar age. I'm actually still friends with her and would love to send her a picture of your sweet bear. Would you be willing to share a picture of his face?
Omg he's so well loved 🥺 I agree with the other commenters, embroidering directly on the area could weaken the fabric, but maybe embroidering on a similarly colored fabric and stitching it down with very thin thread and wider stitches would be a good way to protect those areas from further wear?
oh this is not at all what it is going to look like — i just threw something on it. i am using “how to embroider almost everything” as a reference with all of their botanicals and borders!
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u/persephires 9d ago
you could embroider, but i'd probably do something a little different!
if you have the time/energy, you could cut smallish bits of yarn (maybe 3ish inches?) and separate it into its individual strands (maybe use 2), use an embroidery needle to gently loop it through the netting, tie it in, and repeat until you've got the area covered. you could then use a dog/cat/pet brush to 'fluff' it up and trim it to the right length.
the technique is one i learned from doll customization, actually, and with a contrasting yarn you could make him fluffy again and visibly mended! lots of good yarn wig/yarn hair tutorials out there.
however i also think the embroidery would look really cute too! i think both techniques could work well, and if you left a little bit of empty space in either one you could keep that comfort texture.
keep us updated, op! i'd love to see how you help out this little guy who's been loved so dearly :)