I love a good mend. This formerly plush and well-loved treasure belongs to one of my clients. She entrusted him to my care when I offered to bring him back to whole.
I made sure she wasn’t concerned with historical preservation which is a whole different thing, but instead a simple mend to keep his chin up.
Isn’t he adorable?
After years of presumed hugging and loving, this plush leopard was in danger of losing his head.
Notice the grey stuffing around the neck? Believe it or not I had two sections of grey insulation from a Christmas gift. The insulation, once covered in plastic, protected a shipment of gourmet ice cream. Yum!
I stored the insulation in the garage, thinking I would use it for packaging one day. Little did I know that a month later, I would be using it to mend a plush toy. The color and texture were the perfect material to replace the lost stuffing. Most new plushies are filled with white fiberfill. This plushie is padded with heavy, grey scraps. Kismet!
Once I had the stuffing sorted, I contemplated different options to support the neck. It’s unlikely to fall into a child’s hands given its fragile state, but I wanted the support to be child-friendly nonetheless. I settled on a cardboard spool from some twine.
With the support and the filling in place, I pulled out a spool of waxed thread and a curved needle and carefully stitched the opening back together. I had to get creative with my stitches as some of the fabric couldn’t support a taut stitch. Instead, I worked my needle through the stuffing and then the fabric, bringing the layers back together.
The stitches on the back of the neck are uneven, but they were the best I could do without risk of damaging the material. I managed more even stitches when I mended the side of the face and the tail.
I tied a bow around his neck made from vintage seam binding and I added a hand-made tag.
It’s nice to be entrusted with someone’s treasure. I hope I’ve done him proud.
If only he could talk!
Gardening Nirvana 
He looks so good. And so happy to be mended! I love the little tag you added.
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Thank you! xo
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Beautifully done, retaining the character. Do you get to see ‘The Repair Shop’ on our BBC1?
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Thank you, Derrick. I will seek out The Repair Shop with hopes that we can get it here. It sounds like my kind of show. We are currently watching and loving Escape to the Chateau, also a BBC fix-it type of show. I love it.
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Aw…so sweet! Great job! xo
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Thank you, Jill.
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He came our perfectly remade. I love the vintage bow. That tube came in handy.
You are an artist. Hope your client was pleased.
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Amy, she was delighted and touched. And my goodness, you spoil me with your compliments. Thank you!
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Great job! I keep things like the cardboard from the twine you used, it’s funny how things I might have thrown away will be perfect for mending or even creating something new.
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Thank you! I’m not a packrat by any stretch, but small things like this cardboard tube often come in handy.
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Beautifully well done!
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Thank you, Cindy!
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I see a great deal of gratitude in his eyes. He’s adorable and I’d want him fixed too. You even have a soft heart for stuffies! He looks GREAAAT! 🙂
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I love that you see gratitude, Marlene, but I’m not surprised. You see the best in everything. I can’t fix all the world’s problems, nor the emotionally challenging ones close to home, but I can breathe a bit of life into a stuffy now and again. And does my heart good. xo
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He would say “Thank you very much, I feel Good now for a lot more years”.
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Well there you go!
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Sweet, sweet, sweet! Love the face. I am sure he talks to other stuffed animals. What a great job you did! Have you always been so crafty and handy?
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I love the face, too. He’s full of personality and I’m sure wins hearts on his travels. I love sewing, mending, paper-crafting…all of those things. Our parents were both creative, and we were encouraged to create as well. My years working in a costume shop taught me a few techniques along the way. It’s fun!
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Hats off to you! I so enjoy reading about what you create.
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Wonderful rescue, Alys! You did a splendid job. He reminds me of the Skin Horse and Rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit, a lovely childhood classic.
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Thank you, Eliza. I haven’t thought about the Velveteen Rabbit in years. Such a classic.
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There you go being the kindest and sweetest gal we know. How brave to take on the task. The paper roll was just genius! I can’t imagine all the adventures this little leopard has been on. The days were so innocent when we were children and could love our stuffies so much. I hope little ones still find the magic in a stuffy friend before technology takes hold of them. To quote Mary Poppins, he’s ‘practically perfect’ again. 💗🥰 xxk
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Oh, I love a good Mary Poppins quote. Thank you KMI. In my days of theater, we often made repairs to vintage items. It was both a challenge and a pleasure, honoring what was, but making something whole and useable once again. xo
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He still looks bright eyed and happy. I’m glad you could restore his posture and give him a tail repair. I have a penguin and a bear who are almost as threadbare. It’s nice to see a toy so well played with…
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Lisa, he does look bright-eyed. I love his expression, too. Are your treasures from your childhood? We moved around so much that very little came along. I treasure my mom and dad’s photo albums the most.
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Yes, they are stuffed animals I kept and took away with me. Anything left was eventually donated, though my niece and nephew played with our toys as well.
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I’m glad he still retains all his original battered rakishness, just a bit tidier!
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Yes! I agree, Kate.
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What a wonderful “mend” and now ready for many more cuddles with people…
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