18 June 2023

This month, one of the patients treated at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital was a young pup called Spot, who had lost both eyes, the tip of his tail, and the tip of a hind paw. He left hospital very happy, no longer blind or lame, and able to wag his short but cute tail properly again.

I also had two older traditional Teddy Bears, one of whom, by a strange coincidence, had also lost both eyes. Although the bears required quite extensive treatments, they both made a full recovery and returned to their families to enjoy many more years of love and affection.

6 June

My latest teddy, finished today, was made to order. I was really pleased to rediscover a very good pattern, which I had only used once before, way back in 2011! There is some debate about what the new teddy's name should be, so for the time being he will remain nameless.  He is a really nice chap, always happy and wearing a smile. He also wears a comfy knitted jumper, which I have made for him just in case he decides to move to colder climes.

2 June

My practice at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital has taught me that multi-species families are not at all uncommon in the Teddy world. Just recently, I treated another such family.

It comprised a Bear who had lost a leg, a Frog who was in danger of losing one of hers, and a little Elephant who needed some TLC. A short stay at the hospital was enough to deal with all their problems.

31 May

Earlier this year, Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital welcomed a rare aristocratic patient. 40-something Nesbit von Bear had long been a loyal companion to his owners, and travelled the world with them. The adventures had left their mark, and even though Nesbit had received some medical attention over the years, it was time for him to undergo a course of serious treatment for his various injuries and ailments.  I did my best, performing all sorts of plastic surgery, skin transplants, a hip replacement, bow tie restoration and more. A real toff, Nesbit displayed proper sangfroid in the face of adversity and inconvenience, and was always most charming towards me and other patients.

It was a pleasure to have him at the hospital, but all good things come to an end, and we finally said our goodbyes. Nesbit is now back with his family, restored to full health and ready for new adventures.

While I was treating him, I explored his genealogy, and found out that he was a Nisbet London Gold Bear from the original Childhood Classics range made by The House of Nisbet in the late 70s - early 80s.

29 May

Lovely little Bear was much loved by his young owner but was getting rather worse for wear - so it was decided that he needed some restorative treatment at Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital. Bear arrived accompanied by a cousin (to whom he used to bear a remarkable resemblance). They were given a warm welcome by hospital staff and other patients, and then the treatment began in earnest. Bear's owner was very anxious about his well-being, so I promised to send him daily updates chronicling Bear's progress. First, he took a long relaxing bath, followed by several sessions of sunbathing (the weather was most suitable). Next, he had his vision restored with a new pair of eyes.

      

I restored Bear's sense of smell and taste too, by embroidering him a good new nose and smile. Then it was time to plump him up properly, and to take care of his attire - a beautiful new bow tie was a definite improvement on what remained of his old one. When I was finished with Bear, his cousin could hardly believe his eyes - he had not seen Bear in such a good shape for a long long time. Moreover, the family resemblance between the two of them was once again very much in evidence. Happy days!

25 May

Gentle cleaning and restuffing was the order of the day at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital this month as I restored some lovely creatures to their original colours and shapes.

One, a handmade Teddy, had gone rather flat because of a gash in his side. He had some smaller holes in him too, while a very endearing black patch around his eye was in tatters and no longer particularly black.

Another Teddy had a nasty arm injury and some more holes. He also wanted a new bow, in the same colour as one he lost years ago. Panda too had quite a few holes in him, and his muzzle had been squashed from all the hugging he had had from his loving owner.

21 May

I have made another new traditional Teddy, only my second this year. His name is Clive, and he is a Bear with a Mission (though it is so dreadfully secret that I cannot tell you what it is).

What I can reveal, however, is that Clive has kindly agreed, in his spare time, to pose as a model at my Teddy Bear Making Workshops, organised by Asquiths Bearpawium in Henley. The first of these begins in July, and the details will be posted here soon.

The only condition that Clive set was that he would appear at the Workshops under an alias, so as not to compromise his secret mission. With the prospect of having such a distinguished model, I could not possibly refuse!

ln plain English, the little chap needed a new shirt and plenty of stuffing. The owner was also very keen that Teddy should have a nice new bow tie. After treament, he certainly looked a lot livelier!

In general, loss of stuffing is the most common affliction I have to deal with at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital. Katy and another Teddy below were typical cases, and both perked up no end once I have done my job.

14 May

Some patients I treated at my Hospital this spring have not featured here, so I thought it was time to fill the gap. Jacek the cat only needed a some TLC and a good clean (like most cats, he had an aversion to baths).  Selwyn and Puppet (and their Rabbit), needed extensive plastic surgery to help them become movie stars. Monkey and Dog were part of their owner's collection of childhood toys from Eastern Europe. Last but not least, the two Teddies were recently rediscovered in the attic, where they had spent about 50 years...

6 May

My recent Teddy Bear, Appleby, now has a new friend and companion.

It has taken us some time to establish what his name is, but we are now fairly certain he is called Bainbridge.

Just like his friend, Bainbridge is made of cotton, filled with polyfill, and has buttons for joints and eyes. His nose, smile, eyebrows and claws are hand-stitched.

Bainbridge is 15" tall. He has a Sasha's Bears label on his hind paw, and wears a knitted scarf.

Last month, I had the pleasure of admitting the very first rhino to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital. Ron was a bit worse for wear when he arrived but before long he was full of life (and new stuffing) again, all his wounds healed.

Two other recent patients, Teddy and Edward, were both traditional teddies of a certain age. Both were very much loved and well looked after, but suffering from a variety of age-related ailments. After treatment they certainly looked a great deal healthier, and ready to rejoin their adoring owners.

30 April

For the past few days, I have been making a new Teddy Bear of the kind I never tried before. The pattern is my own invention. 

So, without further ado, please meet Appleby!

Made of cotton with woollen inserts and wearing a woollen scarf, he is 14" tall and very light (he only has polyfill stuffing). Though not a traditional jointed Teddy, he can move his arms and legs - so he can sit, stand, or even go down on all four)).

Appleby has large buttons for joints and smaller buttons for eyes. His nose, smile, eyebrows and claws are hand-stitched, and he proudly displays a Sasha's Bears label on his paw.

25 April

By the time of his admission to Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital, Edward Bear had been his owner's lifetime companion for 66 years. Growing up deep in the country, in the Kent Marshes, Edward was the young boy's constant and only friend, following him to Boarding School at the age of 3.

Later in life he had been to a couple of family hospitals and been patched, but by his mid 60s he needed total restoration - the owner understandably could not stand the idea of him being thrown away.

 

Fortunately, Edward responded very well to treatment, and was looking lively and happy by the time he had to travel back home to Buckinghamshire, where he lives now. He was really pleased to get back into his favourite shirt and overalls, and dispense with the socks, which he no longer needed after receiving new paw pads.

15 April

Today I spent a couple of hours in one of my favourite towns near us, Henley-on-Thames. One place that I simply had to pop into there was Asquiths, the famous local Teddy Bear shop, which had recently moved to a new address - right in the middle of town! There I met lovely Rachel, the new owner - or Director of Bears, as she calls herself)). Having inherited my details from the previous owners, Rachel had already sent my way quite a few teddies in need of repair. We had a very nice chat, and one exciting idea that Rachel suggested was to organise some Teddy Bear workshops on her premises.

We still have to discuss all the details of course, but if you are interested, then watch this space! "

10 April

Earlier this year I received a request to re-create someone's favourite childhood toy - Richard Lion, a 1950s Merrythought character from a children's comic.

The owner played with his lion a lot when he was a boy, and even made him new clothes with the help of his mother. Alas, the lion was misplaced at some point. Then, years later, the owner started thinking of him again after watching Repair Shop. Examples of Richard Lion are very rare, but he did find one, in a pretty poor condition. He then emailed Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital and asked me to re-create the Richard Lion that he remembered from his childhood. The task, however, involved not only repairing the lion himself.

I also had to give him the same clothes as those made for the earlier Richard Lion: a corduroy suit worn over pale yellow underwear - the trousers and the underpants with a special hole for the tail - and a felt cap.

Fortunately, the owner had excellent memory, and his drawings and instructions were most precise and clear, so I knew exactly what I was aiming at. The owner even sent me the fabric for the suit.

After the job was completed and a reborn Richard Lion made his way back to Yorkshire, I received a most pleasing email: "Richard Lion has arrived, and he's great. Thank you so much, it's really appreciated. You've done an excellent job."

7 April

A very nice Chad Valley Teddy called Ernest was found by his new owner at Christmas time. No longer young, he still had bright eyes but needed some TLC to make him happier - and a new growler to be able to talk. Having waited patiently at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital, he received his treatment and returned to his new home in time to celebrate Easter.

Another recent patient, Baby Bear, was very happy after getting some extra stuffing - he needed quite a lot, because he is a really big baby! Most importantly for him and his owners, he also had his beautiful bow tie washed and ironed.

And then there was a little Teddy who desperately needed new pyjamas. As he was very fond of the old ones, I kept their sleeves, and used the rest to make him a nice big collar.