There's nothing more disheartening than watching your own or your child's favourite stuffed animal losing it's fur and going bald. After years of hugging and carrying around your little friend, age does creep up and takes its toll on the warm, woolly exterior. There are two solutions for this. You can send your animal to a merchant to be repaired or rewoven. Reweaving is time consuming and reweavers are hard to find; it is a specialised art. The second solution -- depending on the extent of the damage -- is to do it yourself at little cost.

Be sure to first air dry the animal and fluff up the fur as best as possible. You can use fake fur to match the obvious spots for the balding area. If the balding is extensive, try covering the area with clothing or some kind of ornate design, such as buttons, ribbons or sashes -- but if the animal is being used by a young child, avoid small objects that might be choking hazards.

  • There's nothing more disheartening than watching your own or your child's favourite stuffed animal losing it's fur and going bald.
  • If the balding is extensive, try covering the area with clothing or some kind of ornate design, such as buttons, ribbons or sashes -- but if the animal is being used by a young child, avoid small objects that might be choking hazards.

Outline the area you want to repair with a marker. Cut the fake fur with the fur-side down, matching the colour of the animal to approximately fit the outlined area. Use a precision scissor or matt knife for this.

You may have to stuff the animal with cotton balls if the animal needs to be plumped up. Use invisible thread for this purpose.

Use invisible thread to sew the fake fur onto the animal. Make sure the seams are as inconspicuous as possible and that you have aligned the fake fur as best you can. Air dry the finished work. Put a ribbon around the neck of the animal to add a nice touch to the repair work.

  • Outline the area you want to repair with a marker.
  • Put a ribbon around the neck of the animal to add a nice touch to the repair work.

TIP

Consider that it is not always possible to replace the fur of a balding stuffed animal on your own. If the job is a demanding one, you might want to consider sending your animal to one of the many excellent online sites for general repair. Their work can cost less than £65. Ask for an estimate; most sites will require that you take a picture of your animal to do this. If you send your little friend to the shop, insurance is usually included in the price.

WARNING

Note that reweaving an animal is much more expensive than general repair.