Restoring Teddy Bears and Stuffed Animals

by Pistorius, Christel

• ISBN13: 9780942620344
• ISBN10: 0942620348
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-03-01
• Publisher: Portfolio Pr

Summary

For the first time ever, professional restorers Christel and Rolf Pistorius share their techniques, tips and advice in this informative, instructive and charming book. The German couple provides easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions for repairing and restoring old and new teddy bears and stuffed animals. More than 200 detailed color photos guide the reader in tasks such as: selecting and caring for materials; cleaning; replacing voice boxes, applying ears and stitching noses and mouths. This is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in preserving or restoring their plush toys.

Table of Contents

Foreword	7	(10)
Introduction	10	(1)
Well-loved, played-with, but still lovable!	10	(4)
To restore or not to restore?	14	(6)
Materials and Tools	20	(24)
Know your replacement materials and parts	20	(23)
Old plush (if you can get it)	20	(5)
New plush made to look antique	25	(4)
Voices	29	(3)
Eyes	32	(4)
Stuffing and filling material	36	(3)
Paw and Pad Replacement	39	(2)
Needles, Yarn and Thread	41	(2)
Tools and accessories	43	(1)
Teddy Bear and Plush Animal Repair	44	(72)
Cleaning	44	(13)
Larva, moths and other creatures	44	(3)
Not even the strongest Teddy can survive 100 tumbles in a washing machine	47	(3)
Brushing and vacuuming	50	(1)
Washing and drying	51	(6)
Plush Repair	57	(16)
Florian: The very old, ``naked'' Teddy, before and after	57	(5)
Replacing plush	62	(8)
Reinforcing and mending holes and seams	70	(3)
Teddy Bear Paws and Soles	73	(3)
Worn Teddy Bear paws and soles are the most common ailment	73	(3)
Movement	76	(5)
Movement through jointed disks and wires	76	(5)
Filling, stuffing and voice box replacement	81	(4)
The insides turned out	81	(2)
Refilling, stuffing and sewing up	83	(2)
Decorating	85	(25)
How does Teddy or a plush animal get its expression?	85	(3)
Teddy's mouth completely redone	88	(5)
Eyes make the facial expression	93	(5)
Mouth and nose embroidery are precision work	98	(3)
The difficulty of matching the ears	101	(7)
Embroidering the claws	108	(2)
Unfortunately, there are some hopeless cases	110	(6)
``I can't be repaired anymore!''	110	(6)
Afterword	116