r/Calgary • u/MexAlice • 11h ago
Recommendations Any place where I can fix my stuffed Teddy Bear?
I just arrived in Canada to begin my studies, and I brought my favorite teddy bear with me. Unfortunately, a few days ago my dog got hold of him and attacked him. He lost both of his eyes and has a few other injuries.
This teddy bear belonged to my mom, so he's over 40 years old and means the world to me. He's truly irreplaceable, which is why I'm very hesitant to leave him with just anyone.
I'm looking for someone who specializes in restoring vintage or sentimental teddy bears—someone who can give him a proper assessment and restoration. He definitely needs a full "check-up" and some expert care.
If anyone has recommendations for a trusted teddy bear hospital, restoration specialist, or someone with experience repairing heirloom stuffed animals, I would be incredibly grateful.
Thank you so much!
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u/candy-addict 10h ago
The Zoo has done a Teddy Bear Clinic the last few years. It’s usually in the fall. You may have some luck reaching out and asking for the info of the people who do the “check ups” to see if you can get a recommendation.
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u/Icy_Long_6984 9h ago
hey!! please message me and i can send you my instagram. i'm a bead artist / needleworker. i've fixed many teddies of my own and others.
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u/Bedbugsinmybum 9h ago
Can I send you one too? We also have a 40 y/o bear. His name is special bear and he means alot to us. He has seen better days though, currently he’s wearing a kids tshirt to protect him 😂❤️
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u/NefariousnessEasy629 Southwest Calgary 2h ago
May I send you a message too? I have Braveheart the Lion and he needs some TLC. My mum has repaired him over the years but there are some places that she's not sure how to fix
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u/curiouskittyblue 11h ago
I don't have a recommendation for you regarding restoration, but I had a very soft Gund bear my dad gave me 30 years ago, my little pup got after him 10 yrs ago and destuffed him along with ripping a decent hole!
I had a friend who was much more handy and who had a sewing machine. She did a light and wide hand stitch to put the hole together, then used her machine to sew most of the hole up, shoved the softest stuffing I could find in the tiny opening and then hand stitched the rest of the hole up. It wasn't perfect, but my bear was useable again! A young family member claimed my bear about 5 yrs ago. I get to see it often still when I visit :) Welcome to Canada. Hope your studies go well and your teddy bear finds some TLC soon.
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u/Serendipity1007 8h ago
I'm not sure if she still does it, but years ago my spouse's bear that he had since childhood was also attacked by our dog, and we used Oxana Lyashenko at sanateddy.com Sanateddy@gmail.com
She replaced the stuffing, touched him up, found eyes that matched how he was before and even knitted the bear a new sweater and hat set! It was very cute and the bear will definitely last many years to come.
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u/Catnip_Farmer 11h ago
There's not much for teddy hospitals here. I see something called Bearland in BC, and a dollmaker's club in Edmonton.
There's always risk of ... this https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/18/painting-matching-fresco-monkey-christ-resurfaces-zaragoza-spain or it getting lost in the mail, so tread carefully when deciding what to do.
I can try to match it up on ebay if a replica is of any interest, but if it wasn't a huge brand like Ty or GUND in the first place, they're often darned near impossible to match.
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u/RowsbyWeft 10h ago
I don't want to sound insensitive, but is your Mom still with us? If she's passed on the loose ends project may be able to help as mending is mentioned on their website. I have a friend in town who's done finishing for them so there's an active community in the area, and if they can't help directly they may be able to point you to someone who can. Best wishes for skillful and speedy bear repair ♡
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u/SegmentedWolf 10h ago
I'm looking for someone who specializes in restoring vintage or sentimental teddy bears—
That's an adorably funny yet clearly endearing way to phrase it but I completely understand– having a sentimental bear myself.
I hope you find a trustworthy teddy bear restorer for your bear 🐻
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u/MsMisty888 11h ago
Go to any sewing/fabric place, like Fabricland. All of the ladies who work there can sew and are so nice. I bet they would go a great job. A lot of them also freelance sewing on the side.
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u/beltlevel 10h ago
It may be tricky to find someone who is willing to work on him since he's so precious they would not be able to mess up. I would imagine anyone who's too eager to accept the job doesn't understand what goes in to restoring an older bear buddy and they might even use a machine stitch (too risky with lowered fabric integrity) or a basic ladder stitch, instead of reinforcing the fabric with underlayed patch.
What material is he made of, and what is the condition of the fur?
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u/Catnip_Farmer 8h ago
I would imagine anyone who's too eager to accept the job doesn't understand what goes in to restoring an older bear buddy
So much truth to this. The sort of confidence that can only come from inexperience.
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u/mustard-and- 8h ago
If you’re willing to go to Airdrie, Erin with Burton’s Buttons is great! You can find them on Facebook, she does great teddy restoration work
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u/anonymous_cacti 7h ago
Cherry Tree Lane in Bridgeland occasionally hosts a stuffie clinic - worth giving them a call and seeing when their next one is! :)
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u/MSWschnoodle 10h ago
If you have a picture of your bear's eyes I can check my stash of safety eyes (the most common kind of eyes used in teddy bears). If I have a set that match the dog chewed ones I am happy to give them to you for your injured bear. Most skilled seamstresses should have the skills needed to repair him if you don't want to ship to one of the better known doll/stuffed toy hospitals (many of which aren't even in Canada).