Hey you don’t know me but your the reason why me and my classmates all know how to ladder stitch and restore old plushies at the local thrift shop😅. Thank you lady!!
Thank you for this video, a whole year later! I recently acquired a really beautiful but grungy white plush cat from the 90s and have been trying my best to find good guidance on how to restore her as gently as possible, but was basically only finding tips on how to machine wash or spot-clean children's toys. This was exactly the kind of visual reference I needed :)
My son had the same bear. He called him Polar Bear, after the bears on his duvet cover. He loved that bear. When my son was 14, I did the same as you, replaced the stuffing, gave him a good wash, and hung him over a railing in the sun to dry. Good as new. : ) My son was very pleased.
I love the story for his name. As I kid I had a stuffed horse with a tag that said "Kowloon, China" on it and I thought that Kowloon must have been his name and that was what I called him.
I bought some build a bears off Mercari that reeked of smoke (the seller did not mention that). They were cheap so I just kept them and restored them a similar way! I actually just put them inside a pillowcase (to protect safety eyes) and just washed in the washing machine. New stuffing and stitched them up and also rubbed them with a dryer sheet and they were so fresh and clean!
My favorite stuffed animal hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. This video was great, I have been really nervous to do it myself and I was considering sending it to a stuffed animal hospital but you are giving me confidence.
I have a Wild Republic Fennec Fox plushie (an older, more realistic design than the ones they sell now) named Phoenix that I have had since I was about 10-12 years old. I turn 20 in October, so he isn’t *that* old, but years of being cuddled and squished as well as being brought *EVERYWHERE* for nearly a decade has definitely caused some wear and tear on my poor buddy. Super happy I found this video and how much detail you gave in the instructions because now I feel confident enough to give my little guy a good bath! I’ll likely end up recording my process with some before and after clips, which I will link when it’s uploaded. Will definitely link this video in the description! Thank you so so much for this video. ❤
I went to TH-cam to find teddy bear restoration videos, and I instantly found you restoring my exact bear! Mine is brown, and his name is Moon Bear. Thank you 🥹
This was a great video. I’ve been in stuffing and restoring some stuffed animals over the last few years. I started out hand washing, but I’ve learned that most can be put in the washer in a mesh bag or pillowcase on the delicate/hand wash setting. Use a small amount of free and clear detergent (between 1-3 teaspoons) and an extra rinse cycle for best results. I’ve also had success using a bit of free and clear oxyclean for stains and odors.
I like the way u treated your plush.....i am also a plush collector and have many plushies ...i love them all and hope to preserve them forever....thanks for the tips....looking forward for more similar videos of plush animals being restored in a loving way....
My childhood dog passed away three weeks ago. I'm going to be restoring her last stuffed toy to keep as a memento, thank you for this video, it's very helpful❤
i have the very same bear! i actually just took all of his stuffing out, too. mine lost the velvet off of his nose in the late 80's. and he's been washed and dried too many times in the washer and dryer. so it's been a big restoration process! but he's almost 40 so i figured it was time.
I'm planning to restore my childhood teddy bear to give to my GF since she can use it more than me. Besides, if I'm not with her, she can cuddle it as if it were me lol
This video is so informative. Edison is one happy bear! This would work well for stuffed animals from a thrift shop or eBay since you never know where its prior home was.
This is really great! I have a giant stuffed duck I got at a thrift store when I was little. The lady who ran the store saw me looking at it and gave it to me for free, but of course coming from a thrift store, my mom wanted to wash it. Unfortunately she just threw him in the washer and drier, which luckily didn't ruin his fur but did tangle it pretty bad. I've never really known how to untangle it, but your pet comb idea is good! Maybe I can find one that's good for really long fur (his fur is super long when it's not tangled up). Thanks for restoring Edison to his former glory; he's so cute!
I’ve been wondering how to restuff a lopsided plush of mine, and this was perfect! Thanks for linking to the materials you used as well, the plastic pellets definitely threw me for a loop. Looking forward to many more cuddles in the near-future!
I just finished watching some videos about bears and Teddy bears. Then somehow, your video appeared on my homepage. Thank you so much for making this video, I'm motivated to wash my old dolls. Have a nice day 🧸
he looks just like my teddy bear!! i have the bigger version, and he’s named gunther (after the GUND company!) i knew edison looked familiar 😊 these bears are so cute!!! thank you for the video!!
To guarantee your seam is invisible, instead of going directly across when stitching, take your stitch one thread back from the direction you are stitching. In other words, if you are stitching right to left, enter the fabric one thread to the right of straight across. Tension on this seam will tend to pull the sides closer, instead of allowing the seam to open up, which will happen if your stitches enter the fabric even one thread ahead of straight across.
Thank you, I have a daughter with asd and she is hyper fixated on her bear. I ordered her a new one just in case but her bear has been through it so I'm trying to make him like new so the back up works
This was really sweet!😊 I also have a old stuffed teddy bear and I have been wondering how I could restore him back to his former glory, lol😅. This really helped a lot, especially with the re-stuffing part!😃
I’m planning on restoring my stuffed puppy from my childhood- who I creatively named Puppy- and I can tell his paws have pellets in them. Before I do some surgery on my favorite guy would you say that most stuffies with pellets have them in bags?
We used Autosol polishing paste ( auto wash detail part of store) and a towel to restore our friend Turtle's plastic eyes. Buffed out with 'elbow grease' all the gouges and scratches dissappear.
I just started watching this video..didn't care about subs or like..later when video is about to end I saw you have 200 sub..I was soo shocked..I thought you had 20k or more..btw you gained new subscriber.❤
This put a smile on my face. You probably know this, but you didn't mention that Edison is a Snuffles! Snuffles is Gund's signature bear. Whenever any pal of mine has a kid, I give them a Snuffles. Mine lives with my nephews now, but I see him (big brown Snuffy) periodically.
Thank you! My grandma got me a little stuffed dog when i was 4 that i named manchita (something like stain) because i thought the little patches on him were stains. Hes old now, since i am 16 and he got really skinny, lost a lot of stuffing, i am hoping to restuff him and return him to his old young looking self loll
Dear parents! When Your kids are very good behaviour all the time and always taking good care of their things, keeping their rooms very clean, loving their favorite things and want to make nice childhood collections of their things: books, clothes, toys, video games, clothes, DVDs and etc, then donataing is very wrong thing to do. If You have few space then storage boxes and shelves will help You out and Your kids will be very happy and thankful then, if they can keep their favourite things. Childhood things are very valuable and it is very sad, if they won’t see them anymore in their life. Every child should have the right to keep their things, if they can take good care of them all the time!!! Respectfully, Astra Viil ❤😊
Questions: How often should plushies or bears be cleaned? Is there any way to wash the original stuffing or pellets? What do you do with the old pellets and stuffing? How do you stuff the plush so as to make sure the stuffing come out evenly?
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
Hello Crafty Motato, thank you for putting this together it is super helpful and has given me the courage to finally wash my bear i have cuddled to sleep for 20 years! My only concern is the wire brush, do I risk pulling out his fur? If so, any tips for how to avoid this?
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
I fried most of my Eeyores' (yes multiple plushes) hair using a dryer. I mourned their hair every time I forgot not to use a dryer. I got to a point of resignation and just left them with afros. But then, I did the same to a hoodie. Now, I have a whole bunch to wire brush.
we looked simalar as babys!! also i just whashed my stuffed animal hector the hedghog, hes been to the mental hospital with me, school, to the beach and more! he needed another bath i have washed him once before tho, hes now in the dryer and then i restuff him
Lovely video and a bonus lovely Edison ❤ I was searching around how to restore and restuffed stuffed animals because I wanted to do that to my 2 favourite plushies. But because my sewing skills are not quite well so I'm scared to do it. How do you know where to "open" them up?
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!
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.
It’s hard to tell in the video, but does your pet brush have those little plastic bits on the ends on the bristles or are they bare? I have a plush bunny whose fur is rather clumped now and I would like to brush him out, but I want to make sure I find a brush that works without damaging him.
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.
How do you wash something that’s been torn and the stuffing is hanging out? I have a couple of plush that I’ve had since a kid that a friend gave me. I don’t want to throw them away. But they’ve sat in a shed for the longest time. And the elements and critters have not been kind to them 🥲 I also don’t want to cut them apart or anything. Because I am not a sewer and I would end up destroying it..
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
I'm using this video as an inspo for my own restoration project. The fur is so matted that I can't seem to find the seam on it! It's a fairly large "flat duck" shape. Theoretically, could I use the same stitch if I was to make a slit in the material on the side of it?
Our Edison is called Earring. For several years, Earring has been known as our cat's "girlfriend." We even had the vet verify that the cat was fixed. I started looking at videos to find the best way to clean Earring, never expecting to see the same model of Gund bear. Earring won't look at good as Edison; he has some bald patches -- but he will be clean. Earring wasn't made in NJ, though -- he was made in China for the NJ company.
So cute! May I ask a question, for washing a plush filled with that soft filling. Is it bad to submerge it in water with the stuffing? I have a snorlax plush and it seems the stuffing never really dries good. It has pockets of water I'm afraid it'll catch mold.
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
Thats what i will do soon. We bought a copy of my BFs childhood teddy that he had for 31 years now to give to our future child. Unfortunately this little bear smells nasty and the smell won´t go away - even after trying everything from freezing, to soda and even a soak in vanish oxi. So i hope a change in stuffing will finally make it a usable teddy again. 😅
I have a teddy named Fred, who is over 20 years old (Might be even older considering his origins are unknown) He has no label, as its been torn off. He was my older brother's teddy at first. Fred was one of those school bears that you could take home over the weekends. Well, he never got returned to that school- 😂 not a chance And now in the modern day, i have Fred. Alongside all my other plushies.. But i see Fred as the most important. He's the oldest, he has the most experience 😅 like an elderly man. (Btw Fred's original name was Barnaby, before he got renamed)
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..
Hello! I hope you see this despite the video being posted a year ago. I’m planning to do this for my teddy bear but I’m curious how much stuffing did you use for yours? My teddy bear is about 18-20 inches long and has a wide head and midsection. Would 24.7 ounces be enough do you think? Thank you, loved your video and Edison is a cutie! ❤
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 found a beanie baby unicorn at a goodwill but it came with a hole in it! It was not dirty though! It was weird because usually you don't find only one of those problems! Its been sewed and I named it cotton 😊😊😊 this was about almost more than one year ago
I really want to fix the stuffing on my dog I’ve had for almost 20 years (he’s a lil droopy from all the cuddles) but I’m so scared I’ll ruin him! He’s really sentimental to me and I wanna do it right, is there any tips you have for someone that is completely new to this?
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!
I had no idea there were teddy bear hospitals, I have a childhood panda from panda express that I named Carsone pronounced {car-s- own} idk where I got the name but I did some research just now and I found out hes a 2009 gen, cant believe its been 14 years. His eyes and nose are chipped and his mouth is barely hanging on and he looks very skinny compared to his new brothers online, im gonna get him to see a doctor asap
Im so scared to rip the seams i dont want to ruin my stuffed bunny i know how to sew by hand but im not the best and im scared its not gonna look good when i do it
![[Laundry] I washed Kuma-chan, a store that closed 10 years ago [Stuffed animals]](/img/n.gif)
Hey you don’t know me but your the reason why me and my classmates all know how to ladder stitch and restore old plushies at the local thrift shop😅. Thank you lady!!
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! ♥️
I must say, Edison is one of the loveliest teddy bears I've ever seen.
He's a Snuffles, and they are wonderful. whenever a pal of mine has a kid, I give them a Snuffles.
Thank you for this video, a whole year later! I recently acquired a really beautiful but grungy white plush cat from the 90s and have been trying my best to find good guidance on how to restore her as gently as possible, but was basically only finding tips on how to machine wash or spot-clean children's toys. This was exactly the kind of visual reference I needed :)
Wonderful! Good luck with your restoration!
I wish there were more of these types of videos on the internet. Honestly I thought that was so adorable and sweet! 😃🤍
Aw, I appreciate that! Might have another one here in a bit
the hug at the end was so sweet 🥺🥺
when Edison got a big hug at the end I almost screamed 🥹 they look so happy ✨
Awww, thank you! He's been getting so many cuddles!!
My son had the same bear. He called him Polar Bear, after the bears on his duvet cover. He loved that bear. When my son was 14, I did the same as you, replaced the stuffing, gave him a good wash, and hung him over a railing in the sun to dry. Good as new. : ) My son was very pleased.
I love the story for his name. As I kid I had a stuffed horse with a tag that said "Kowloon, China" on it and I thought that Kowloon must have been his name and that was what I called him.
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
lol I have a fox teddy and there’s no backstory to his name 😂 just foxy
That's so cute! I had a stuffed elephant and the tag/brand said "Fuffles", so that became his name
I bought some build a bears off Mercari that reeked of smoke (the seller did not mention that). They were cheap so I just kept them and restored them a similar way! I actually just put them inside a pillowcase (to protect safety eyes) and just washed in the washing machine. New stuffing and stitched them up and also rubbed them with a dryer sheet and they were so fresh and clean!
My favorite stuffed animal hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. This video was great, I have been really nervous to do it myself and I was considering sending it to a stuffed animal hospital but you are giving me confidence.
Just take your time with it!
I was thinking Edison enjoyed that brushing.😍
I have a Wild Republic Fennec Fox plushie (an older, more realistic design than the ones they sell now) named Phoenix that I have had since I was about 10-12 years old. I turn 20 in October, so he isn’t *that* old, but years of being cuddled and squished as well as being brought *EVERYWHERE* for nearly a decade has definitely caused some wear and tear on my poor buddy.
Super happy I found this video and how much detail you gave in the instructions because now I feel confident enough to give my little guy a good bath! I’ll likely end up recording my process with some before and after clips, which I will link when it’s uploaded. Will definitely link this video in the description!
Thank you so so much for this video. ❤
Nice! I look forward to seeing your results! Love fennec foxes
This video is extremely underrated that it feels illegal to me. Great video! The ending was kind of wholesome.
Aww, thank you! I'm pleased you enjoyed it!
I went to TH-cam to find teddy bear restoration videos, and I instantly found you restoring my exact bear! Mine is brown, and his name is Moon Bear. Thank you 🥹
Aww, I wish Moon Bear a speedy restoration!
This was a great video. I’ve been in stuffing and restoring some stuffed animals over the last few years. I started out hand washing, but I’ve learned that most can be put in the washer in a mesh bag or pillowcase on the delicate/hand wash setting. Use a small amount of free and clear detergent (between 1-3 teaspoons) and an extra rinse cycle for best results. I’ve also had success using a bit of free and clear oxyclean for stains and odors.
I opened my 25 yo bear and the stuffing was white too! Now, with your explanation I can repair its fur! 🐻🧡
I like the way u treated your plush.....i am also a plush collector and have many plushies ...i love them all and hope to preserve them forever....thanks for the tips....looking forward for more similar videos of plush animals being restored in a loving way....
My childhood dog passed away three weeks ago. I'm going to be restoring her last stuffed toy to keep as a memento, thank you for this video, it's very helpful❤
I liked the bear makeover, I had to do one once but used stuffing from an older pillow after washing, its cheaper
i have the very same bear! i actually just took all of his stuffing out, too. mine lost the velvet off of his nose in the late 80's. and he's been washed and dried too many times in the washer and dryer. so it's been a big restoration process! but he's almost 40 so i figured it was time.
I'm planning to restore my childhood teddy bear to give to my GF since she can use it more than me. Besides, if I'm not with her, she can cuddle it as if it were me lol
This video is so informative. Edison is one happy bear! This would work well for stuffed animals from a thrift shop or eBay since you never know where its prior home was.
Absolutely!
The henson stitch
Aww, this brought a smile to my face
This is really great! I have a giant stuffed duck I got at a thrift store when I was little. The lady who ran the store saw me looking at it and gave it to me for free, but of course coming from a thrift store, my mom wanted to wash it. Unfortunately she just threw him in the washer and drier, which luckily didn't ruin his fur but did tangle it pretty bad. I've never really known how to untangle it, but your pet comb idea is good! Maybe I can find one that's good for really long fur (his fur is super long when it's not tangled up). Thanks for restoring Edison to his former glory; he's so cute!
I’ve been wondering how to restuff a lopsided plush of mine, and this was perfect! Thanks for linking to the materials you used as well, the plastic pellets definitely threw me for a loop. Looking forward to many more cuddles in the near-future!
Glad I could help! Good luck on your own restoration!
wow I never thought someone could have so much dedication and be so seriuos about this! I love plushies, so this was enjoyable to watch!
Thank you so much! I love my plushies and am glad I can cuddle Edison again.
i love edison, he looks so cute! i hope he got his fill of cuddles!
I just finished watching some videos about bears and Teddy bears. Then somehow, your video appeared on my homepage.
Thank you so much for making this video, I'm motivated to wash my old dolls. Have a nice day 🧸
You're very welcome! Thank *you* for commenting!
he looks just like my teddy bear!! i have the bigger version, and he’s named gunther (after the GUND company!) i knew edison looked familiar 😊 these bears are so cute!!! thank you for the video!!
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)
To guarantee your seam is invisible, instead of going directly across when stitching, take your stitch one thread back from the direction you are stitching. In other words, if you are stitching right to left, enter the fabric one thread to the right of straight across. Tension on this seam will tend to pull the sides closer, instead of allowing the seam to open up, which will happen if your stitches enter the fabric even one thread ahead of straight across.
Very good to know!
Thank you, I have a daughter with asd and she is hyper fixated on her bear. I ordered her a new one just in case but her bear has been through it so I'm trying to make him like new so the back up works
Good luck!
Thanks for restoring Edison! I hope to do this to my bear too someday
Go for it!
This was really sweet!😊 I also have a old stuffed teddy bear and I have been wondering how I could restore him back to his former glory, lol😅. This really helped a lot, especially with the re-stuffing part!😃
I'm so glad!
I’m planning on restoring my stuffed puppy from my childhood- who I creatively named Puppy- and I can tell his paws have pellets in them. Before I do some surgery on my favorite guy would you say that most stuffies with pellets have them in bags?
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.
Edison looks much happier
Yes! He's now back to his proper place of guarding my bed and making sure the cats don't steal my covers.
Beautiful cuddly video x
Thank you! 😊
We used Autosol polishing paste ( auto wash detail part of store) and a towel to restore our friend Turtle's plastic eyes. Buffed out with 'elbow grease' all the gouges and scratches dissappear.
Great tip!
This was a lovely "how to." Thank you.
I just started watching this video..didn't care about subs or like..later when video is about to end I saw you have 200 sub..I was soo shocked..I thought you had 20k or more..btw you gained new subscriber.❤
Thanks for the sub!
Edison looks so wonderful! ❤️
Much better for cuddles, too.
This is super helpful! I also use my dog's sticker brush out of desperation one day and it worked!
Awesome!
Edison is a happy bear again. 🤗
This put a smile on my face. You probably know this, but you didn't mention that Edison is a Snuffles! Snuffles is Gund's signature bear. Whenever any pal of mine has a kid, I give them a Snuffles. Mine lives with my nephews now, but I see him (big brown Snuffy) periodically.
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!
after seeing this i was able to restuff my old teddy bear that i have had since birth
Thank you! My grandma got me a little stuffed dog when i was 4 that i named manchita (something like stain) because i thought the little patches on him were stains. Hes old now, since i am 16 and he got really skinny, lost a lot of stuffing, i am hoping to restuff him and return him to his old young looking self loll
New to your channel Cool video I have a 20 yr old tall bunny rabbit that sit up, I been wondering how to get him cleaned. Thanks
Literally cant get to the back seam bc he’s so matted😓 should I brush him first ?
Yep. Use a pet brush and start at the ends, working your way closer to the fabric
Dear parents!
When Your kids are very good behaviour all the time and always taking good care of their things, keeping their rooms very clean, loving their favorite things and want to make nice childhood collections of their things: books, clothes, toys, video games, clothes, DVDs and etc, then donataing is very wrong thing to do. If You have few space then storage boxes and shelves will help You out and Your kids will be very happy and thankful then, if they can keep their favourite things. Childhood things are very valuable and it is very sad, if they won’t see them anymore in their life. Every child should have the right to keep their things, if they can take good care of them all the time!!!
Respectfully,
Astra Viil ❤😊
This made me tear up, thank you for the comment!
This brought a smile to my face ☺
Yay! That makes *me* smile
yess muppet history in my crafting video
Best time for Muppet History!
Questions: How often should plushies or bears be cleaned?
Is there any way to wash the original stuffing or pellets? What do you do with the old pellets and stuffing?
How do you stuff the plush so as to make sure the stuffing come out evenly?
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
Hello Crafty Motato, thank you for putting this together it is super helpful and has given me the courage to finally wash my bear i have cuddled to sleep for 20 years!
My only concern is the wire brush, do I risk pulling out his fur? If so, any tips for how to avoid this?
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
4:53 This specific frame of him all pancaked up made me crack up
lol! Made me laugh, too!
I fried most of my Eeyores' (yes multiple plushes) hair using a dryer. I mourned their hair every time I forgot not to use a dryer. I got to a point of resignation and just left them with afros. But then, I did the same to a hoodie. Now, I have a whole bunch to wire brush.
yeah, I had a really soft, long furred little bear whose fur sadly got all melted in the dryer. I mourn his softness.
Reminds me of that one teddy bear surgery video by ze frank.
we looked simalar as babys!! also i just whashed my stuffed animal hector the hedghog, hes been to the mental hospital with me, school, to the beach and more! he needed another bath i have washed him once before tho, hes now in the dryer and then i restuff him
Aww! I bet Hector feels so much better!
Lovely video and a bonus lovely Edison ❤
I was searching around how to restore and restuffed stuffed animals because I wanted to do that to my 2 favourite plushies. But because my sewing skills are not quite well so I'm scared to do it. How do you know where to "open" them up?
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!
I have that bear and love him!!! My daughter kissed him with lipstick, unfortunately, but he is is otherwise clean.
I have a gund fuzzy tan one and this helps a lot :D
I want to send you all my old teddies you are amazing
Aww, thank you!
@@CraftyMotatoEdison is so cute he looked brand new I love stuffed animals 😊
Oh My Teddy, he is as good as new!
Once the seam is ripped don't you have to worry about it coming undone because of the loose thread?
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.
I panicked every time I saw your watch getting close to the water...
Aww! It's waterproof up to 30 ft (I've gone swimming wearing it) but I appreciate the concern!
Yes it made me crazy
It’s hard to tell in the video, but does your pet brush have those little plastic bits on the ends on the bristles or are they bare? I have a plush bunny whose fur is rather clumped now and I would like to brush him out, but I want to make sure I find a brush that works without damaging him.
You can use either. The one with the plastic bits *is* going to be gentler on the fur, so I'd go with that kind!
Loved the video but had concerns about the eyes and nose coming off since they seemed glued on. How did you keep the eyes and nose intact?
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.
I have a question. What if you have a small stuffed animal like a Tsum Tsum? Will you be able to take the stuffing out of them in order to clean them?
Absolutely!
@@CraftyMotato okay! Thanks!
❤❤❤❤❤❤ How cute is that ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ you are an inspiration ✨️ 😍
Thank you so much!!
How do you wash something that’s been torn and the stuffing is hanging out? I have a couple of plush that I’ve had since a kid that a friend gave me. I don’t want to throw them away. But they’ve sat in a shed for the longest time. And the elements and critters have not been kind to them 🥲 I also don’t want to cut them apart or anything. Because I am not a sewer and I would end up destroying it..
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
Amazing job ❤️
Thank for this helpful tutorial.
I'm using this video as an inspo for my own restoration project. The fur is so matted that I can't seem to find the seam on it! It's a fairly large "flat duck" shape. Theoretically, could I use the same stitch if I was to make a slit in the material on the side of it?
Yes, absolutely. Just be sure to start the new seam beyond the edges of the cut.
THIS VIDEO IS TOO CUTE 😭😭😭
Our Edison is called Earring. For several years, Earring has been known as our cat's "girlfriend." We even had the vet verify that the cat was fixed. I started looking at videos to find the best way to clean Earring, never expecting to see the same model of Gund bear. Earring won't look at good as Edison; he has some bald patches -- but he will be clean. Earring wasn't made in NJ, though -- he was made in China for the NJ company.
Lol poor Earring. At least she's loved?
So cute! May I ask a question, for washing a plush filled with that soft filling. Is it bad to submerge it in water with the stuffing? I have a snorlax plush and it seems the stuffing never really dries good. It has pockets of water I'm afraid it'll catch mold.
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
I recently redid a teddy bear that was 54 years old. It was not so bad!
Thats what i will do soon. We bought a copy of my BFs childhood teddy that he had for 31 years now to give to our future child. Unfortunately this little bear smells nasty and the smell won´t go away - even after trying everything from freezing, to soda and even a soak in vanish oxi. So i hope a change in stuffing will finally make it a usable teddy again. 😅
You did the surgery without
hesitating .
. ✂️
Oh yeah I'm very a practiced hand with the seam ripper! I make a lot of mistakes, lol
Thank you so much, going to hopefully try this soon :)
Idk why but I already knew how to stitch and I made my own toys out of old socks.
Nice! Socks can make great plushies!
What happens to the other bear with the red jacket in the old photo?
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 also have a Gund teddy bear 🧸
I have a teddy named Fred, who is over 20 years old (Might be even older considering his origins are unknown) He has no label, as its been torn off.
He was my older brother's teddy at first. Fred was one of those school bears that you could take home over the weekends. Well, he never got returned to that school- 😂 not a chance
And now in the modern day, i have Fred. Alongside all my other plushies.. But i see Fred as the most important. He's the oldest, he has the most experience 😅 like an elderly man.
(Btw Fred's original name was Barnaby, before he got renamed)
Aww, it sounds like you and Fred have a lot of fun memories together!
@@CraftyMotato yeah, i guess so
But i guess he just sits on my drawers now
I want to do this with a lot of my old stuffed animals. but I don't want to take the stuffing out. think the washing method would still work ?'
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..
Hello! I hope you see this despite the video being posted a year ago. I’m planning to do this for my teddy bear but I’m curious how much stuffing did you use for yours? My teddy bear is about 18-20 inches long and has a wide head and midsection. Would 24.7 ounces be enough do you think? Thank you, loved your video and Edison is a cutie! ❤
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.
Dinker will have a new life.
かわいいクマちゃん！
綺麗になって良かったね！ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
"And I can't wait to give him all the cuddles he's missed out on"
Edison: (:
"But I don't really wanna touch him"
Edison: ):
Lol exactly!
I thought this was going to be like the zefrank video
Glad it didn't emotionally scar me like that one did
No emotionally scarring videos here!
I love zefrank ❣
.
I found a beanie baby unicorn at a goodwill but it came with a hole in it! It was not dirty though! It was weird because usually you don't find only one of those problems! Its been sewed and I named it cotton 😊😊😊 this was about almost more than one year ago
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.
I plan on using this to help fix up my webkinz husky, thank you!
Is it really the same if you take everything that was him out?
No. It is not the same. He has significantly less mold now.
I really want to fix the stuffing on my dog I’ve had for almost 20 years (he’s a lil droopy from all the cuddles) but I’m so scared I’ll ruin him! He’s really sentimental to me and I wanna do it right, is there any tips you have for someone that is completely new to this?
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!
I had no idea there were teddy bear hospitals, I have a childhood panda from panda express that I named Carsone pronounced {car-s- own} idk where I got the name but I did some research just now and I found out hes a 2009 gen, cant believe its been 14 years. His eyes and nose are chipped and his mouth is barely hanging on and he looks very skinny compared to his new brothers online, im gonna get him to see a doctor asap
Yay! Hope Carsone gets all better soon!
Watching this video and I got to the part about never put your stuffed animals in the dryer and I immediately ran to go get them out of the dryer😅
Hopefully they were all okay!
Im so scared to rip the seams i dont want to ruin my stuffed bunny i know how to sew by hand but im not the best and im scared its not gonna look good when i do it
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
Trying to gather the courage to try this with my stuffed lion I had since I was young! I hope I don’t mess it up 😅
You can do it! The great thing about sewing is that unless you're cutting things off, you can always undo what you did, and try again!
Did you find the other teddy bear? 🧸
I think it's at my dad's house somewhere 🤔
@@CraftyMotato If you find it can you make a video on it please? 🤗
She said:CHONKEY 😘
Edison is one handsome boy 😍
Thank you! He is very much loved