When Disaster Strikes... the Hole Story

Poor old Beasties...

Poor old Beasties...

Our children think that it is a lot of fun to pretend that their imaginary friends are sick or wounded and that they need to be nursed back to health.  Ironically, when their creature is really sick or wounded the fun evaporates.  We strive to make toys that children love to death, carry everywhere, sleep with and play with in all environments.  Recently we have begun threading our machines with the industrial strength bonded nylon upholstery thread.  Prior to that, our machine stitched seams were just not as indestructible as the incredible Polartec fabric that we use.  The good news is, our creatures and dolls are amazingly easy to repair, sometimes seamlessly and with no 'scars' (though scars are easy to accomplish with heavier thread. We love a scar or two...) Holes though, that's another story. We would like to share with you directions on repairing holes.  If you can possibly stand it, we encourage you to let your children do the hole repair.  Everybody can benefit from knowing their way around a needle and thread!

First you will need a needle and some upholstery thread.  Walmart, Hobby Lobby, JoAnne's, or any craft store or store with a craft department will have what you need.  In a bind, regular thread will work as well.  It is just not as strong, and we tend to be extreme folk.

  Your friend's hole will look like this:

It will not unravel or fray and, if your child is not obsessed with pulling out stuffing, is fine for play until it can be fixed.  When you are ready to sew up the hole, it is best to start the repair about a quarter of an inch beyond the opening's end.  Thread your needle and leave it unknotted, tying a knot at your first stitch.

Make your first stitch, about an eighth inch from your knot...

Continue stitching until you are about a quarter of an inch beyond the hole and then finish off your repair with a knot.  We tie ours off by feeding the needle through the last stitch loop and, before pulling the thread taught, feeding it though the other loop, illustrated in the photo below.  Repeat the knot tie a time or two... again, we tend to be extreme.

We then thread our loose thread ends into a longer needle, poke them back into the knot and push the needle until it pokes out of the other side of the creature.  We pull the needle through, pulling with enough tension that cutting the excess thread allows it to pop back into the creature's body. 

Check all the seams and sew up any weak looking areas.    

Your creature is healed... and all the cooler for it! :) Well, we think; and so did the Skin Horse in The Velveteen Rabbit.

An excerpt from Margery William's beautiful Velveteen Rabbit story:

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse.

"It's a thing that happens to you.

When a child loves you for a long, long time,

not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.

"When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse.

 "You become. It takes a long time.

That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily,

or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off,

and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.

 But these things don't matter at all, because

once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

We hope this blog was helpful and, of course, we are here to help!  If you need to send us your friend for a little doctoring just contact us and we will let you know how to proceed.  We love how our cuddly creatures age but like them to be fit and making their owners happy.  Let us know if you have any concerns!