How to fix a stuffed animal

I grew up with this brown teddy bear and now my youngest daughter sleeps with it every night.  She even takes it on trips & sleepovers.  So it’s been handled a bunch over many, many years.  With all that luvin’, even the most durable stuffed animals will need TLC once & awhile.  If you want that stuffy back in your little one’s arms, you need to fix those little tears & rips that happen.  Luckily, it’s super easy to fix your stuffed toy.  

First I’ll walk you through the steps to fix a tear or hole in your stuffed animal in this tutorial.  If your stuffy needs more than just sewing up a hole, scroll below for more ways to fix your plush toy.  

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NEED TO FIX A FACE MASK?  CLICK HERE FOR ANOTHER FIXING TUTORIAL!

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Here’s what you need to fix your favorite stuffed animal:

Supplies to fix your stuffed animal

1. 1. Needle
   2. Thread (try to use a color that matches your toy)
   3. Scissors
   4. Optional: Seam ripper

Step 1: Thread the needle

1. 1. You want to work with a double strand of thread on your needle.  To get that, thread the needle, pull thread through, and fold it over so that you have 2 strands of thread.  Cut it so that the length of the folded over thread is about 12” or so.  If you cut the thread much longer than that, it’ll be tricky to work with.

      

   2. To tie a knot, take the two ends of thread and wrap them around your fingers to create a little loop.  Then push the end through the loop and tighten down your knot.  You might know this as an overhand knot.  You may want to repeat this a few times to make a large enough knot so that the knot stays put on the inside of your stuffed animal. 

      

Step 2: Sew the opening closed with a ladder stitch (aka invisible stitch).

1. 1. Start with the needle on the inside of the opening of the stuffed animal and push the needle through to the outside.  Do this right along the folded edge of fabric where the old seam used to be.

      

        

   2. Next, insert the needle into the other side of the opening/tear directly opposite of where it came out – right into the folded area of fabric.  This is how you end up with an invisible stitch – you’re pulling the thread in & out straight across the tear/rip.  Pull the thread tight to close up the seam.  See the little drawing I did below to help understand the ladder stitch.
   3. Push the needle through the inside of the fold on the same side about 1/8” and then back out of the fold again.  Once the needle is out of the fold, again insert it directly into the opposite side of the opening.  Push the needle about ⅛” through the folded area (same side that you’re currently on) and back out again.

      

   4. Repeat until you get to the end of your tear/rip.

Step 3: Tie a knot & cut the thread

1. 1. To make a knot at the end of your stitches, find one of the last stitches that you made and push your needle under that stitch.  This will create a loop of thread.

      

   2. Put the needle back inside the loop of thread.  Gently tug on the end of the loop to make it small while also pulling the needle through to make a knot. 
   3. Go over this stitch a second time to create a second knot in the same place, using the same approach.
   4. Finally, push the needle into your stuffed animal and out a different side of the animal – maybe all the way through a limb, or maybe out a side of the animal a couple of inches away from the tear.  Tug tightly on the thread and trim it very close to the body/limb of the stuffie.  This way, the thread gets hidden inside the animal.

      

You’re hole is fixed!