How To Sew Up A Stuffed Animal For Tears and Safekeeping

Stuffed animals are truly one of the best parts of childhood for many. Every parent understands the value of these little toys. However, like all things in life, children run out of love for these timeless companions as they get older. 

Leaving them years with wear and tears. Torn seams, holes, or even detached limbs becomes the norm for them. Leaving no choice but to do something about them. 

But hang on!, just because your children have grown out of stuffed animals, does not mean they are okay to throw away. Quite the contrary, these are perfect for safekeeping not only to keep the memories cherished but also to pass to the next generation.

This is why repairing these stuffed animals and bringing them back to life are great options. You can either use them as decorative pieces in some rooms or just carefully store them in the attic without the fear of further tear and wear.  

And fortunately, you can do this even if you are short on your sewing skill. All you need is some basic materials, and a little patience, the following three step guide below.

How To Sew Up A Stuffed Toy

Alright, let’s begin the process with getting our sewing kit ready to go, simply get your thread and needle in order, and ofcourse get your knot ready with the thread.

1.1. Starting the Sewing Process

Okay. Now that you got your needle threaded and your knot ready. It’s about time to start the sewing process and it is pretty straightforward. Here’s how you wanna started;

First of all, simply place the needle on the inside or near the tear. You wanna cover the entire depth of the opening. 

Nextup, you’re gonna need to begin the vital step of hiding the knot on the inside of the stuffed animal.

So, simply, you wanna push the needle through to the outside of the fabric. Here you wanna be extra careful that the needle only comes out of the edge of the tear.

Once done properly, it will prevent it from being visible on the outside. If it is visible in your particular case, then you did it wrong and you wanna return to the step above.

1.2. Stitching Up the Tear

Moving on now comes the crucial part of stitching up. So, to fill the tear or hole in the stuffed animal the stitch that is most recommended is something called ladder stitch. Though most beginners might be familiar with its common term the invisible stitch. 

Here’s are the step you gonna take to do properly;

First of all, you wanna begin with properly inserting the needle into the other side of the opening or tear. It should be directly opposite to where it came out. 

The area we are especially targeting is the folded area of the fabric where the old seam used to be.

Moving on, let’s finally begin the invisible stitch. begin sewing from this position. As the thread goes in and out straight across the tear or rip. 

All you have to do is to pull the thread tight to close up the seam. Done properly it should create an almost seamless finish.

Alright, next up just continue to push the needle through the inside of the fold on the same side. What you are aiming for is about 1/8 inch. Then you simply back out of the fold again. Now without wasting any time, insert the needle directly into the opposite side of the opening.

You aim for the same there too so you only wanna push the needle about 1/8 inch through the folded area on the same side and then come back out again. 

You’re gonna need to repeat this process until you reach the end of the tear. 

1.3. Securing with Knots

Once you’ve stitched up the tear, the next step is securing the thread.

The simplest way to secure the stitches and ensure they won’t unravel is just using a knot at the end. Here’s how to do it:

First and foremost, you wanna begin by finding one of the last stitches you made and then simply pushing your needle under that stitch. Done right, it will create a loop of thread.

Now, just put the needle back inside the loop of thread again. If you are not stuck you are doing it right, Next you gonna gently tug on the end of the loop. It will make it small while also pulling the needle through and before you know it you have a knot.

Nextup, using the same approach, you need to go over this stitch a second time to create a second knot. The reason is simply to make it more durable, so, you are gonna do this in the same place. 

Okay on the final step! You’re gonna begin by pushing the needle into your stuffed animal and out a different side. You are doing this to get away from the tear as it won’t be a secure place to ensure longevity of the stitches.. 

Now, simply tug tightly on the thread and then trim it very close to the body or limb. Once again you are doing this for the extra safety, but also, it will help you hide the thread inside the animal, Ultimately making the repair work virtually invisible.

Closing Thoughts

And Good Job! You’re Done! Hopefully, with the knots secured and the threads neatly trimmed, your repair work shows its worth to your kids.

All in all, with proper aftercare and a little touch up anybody can safekeep these cherished companions that continue to bring comfort and joy to us  for generations to come.

Do you find this guide helpful? Do you think we miss something that makes the process even easier? Let us know in the comment section below. I will love to hear you thoughts about this.