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psichick78 Feb 14, 2006

Morning ladies

A question please...

A cow-worker of mine, just gave me her teddy from her childhood. It's the most beautiful bear ever! It's old, crunchy inside and is made of mohair. It's a beauty.

But, the eyes are gone, the nose is almost gone and the mouth is missing. One foot pad is also all torn up.

So, before I go ahead and add new eyes, re-embroider the nose etc. What do I need to know? I would just die if I were to ruin her bear.

Also, what should I charge her? I don't want to get rich off her, but you start doing these things for free and then it never stops.

Thanks

pandamac Feb 14, 2006

I have repaired bears before, but hey have been from man-made fur, not mohair. What I have done, is find the seam where it was sewn up the first time and take it out. Then I turn the bear inside out and replace the stuffing and repair anything I can from the inside. Then I turn it right-side-out and finish up with new eyes, nose, stuffing, whatever.

I don't know if it would be any different with mohair......but what I have done has worked well with synthetic furs. Good luck with your project! 

Donna Feb 14, 2006

I have done a few repairs.  First thing I always do is either put the bear in the freezer for a couple of days or put it in a bag with mothballs for a couple of weeks.  You don't want to infect your mohair if there are any nasties living in the old bear.  I am guessing that the bear is not more than 50 years old which should make your job easier.  You can't do sculpting or try to set the eyes deep because the backing may not be able to hold up to the pressure of the thread.  I would use sinew so it doesn't cut the fabric.   If you want to stay true to the original construction of the bear use the cotton eye cord.  I don't like it because it is so bulky but it is what they used back then.  For the nose and mouth, use #3 pearl cotton.  Don't pull the thread real tight, just let it lay nicely on the surface.  I worry about trying to pop a knot through the fabric on the old guys so I usually lock my thread by going back and forth in the head to lock it.   Are you going to replace the foot pad?  I am guessing it is wool felt.  I usually take the old one off and then just ladder stitch a new one on.  You will need to do some antiquing to make it look old.  If you have trouble getting it to look the same as the others it might be easiest to replace them all.   I use tea to stain them.   I have taken them out on the sidewalk and rubbed them on the sidewalk to get them dirty and roughed up.  I had one really old one that I did the tea staining and then put it under water to get it damp then took it outside to the sidewalk.  After washing it, it was perfect.  I keep thinking that I am ruining the felt while I am doing it but if you figure that it has gone through 50-100 years of being loved it has gone through some tough times.  I hate pricing on the repairs.  I am told I am cheap.  To me it is harder to do a repair than make a new one because you are dealing with someones past.   I usually charge between $75-150 depending on what has to be done.  Be sure to take pictures before and after.  I did one repair where about 1/3 of the leg was gone due to moths.  I should have charged $1000 for that one.
Good Luck and learn from the old construction.
Donna

Jennskains Feb 14, 2006

Did she have pics of him When he was new?  That always helps!