Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Carefully undress your stuffed doll or animal if it has clothing. Examine the body. Look for worn spots, holes, and ripped seams. Check for "squishiness." There should be enough stuffing for the doll or animal to be huggable without being flat. If necessary, open a seam and add more stuffing. Close the seam using a tapestry needle. A tapestry needle has a blunt tip and larger eye for easy threading with flosses, and is often curved so that it can go into a toy and come back through easily.
Stitch "in the ditch" to close seams, using "invisible" clear polyester thread. Stitching in the ditch means keeping your stitches on the underside of the two edges as much as possible, then finishing the seam by pulling the thread between the two pieces so that as little of it shows as possible. Check arms and legs to be sure they are still fully attached. If not, use a tapestry needle and thread to reattach them.
Replace sewn on features by embroidering new ones. Match the original color as closely as possible. Remove old stitching first, then follow the line of the old stitching for the new feature. Use straight stitches to make noses, decreasing the length of each stitch until you have made an inverted triangle for cats, bears and bunnies. Make an oval shape for dog noses. Use an inverted "y" shape to recreate the mouth.
Replace button eyes only if the toy will not be given to a small child. Eyes can be sewn in an oval or made more circular. Be sure to outline first in black or some other dark color. Fill in with white if desired, then make an iris in the color of your choice. Don't forget to make the pupil area black. Some stuffed dolls, such as Raggedy Ann and Andy had features drawn on with pens. You can also use embroidery paint or fabric paint to make new features.
If the animal is missing one limb or ear and the other is intact, use the intact piece to make a pattern. Be sure to leave at least a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Match the fabric as closely as possible, or go all the way the other direction by making the new fabric completely different in color.
To properly cut fake fur, turn fabric fur side down. Use a marker to outline the pattern piece you need to make. Cut the backing, not the fur, keeping the scissors blade as close to the backing as possible. Using a matte knife, instead of scissors, is better for the fur.
Make new clothes using the old clothes as patterns, or find pattern books from the era your toy was produced. Recreate everything using vintage fabric from thrift stores. Replace snaps and eye hooks. Look through old magazines from your toy's era to find ideas for outfits. Choose styles, colors and trims from the correct era.