19 September 2023

Earlier this year, a returning customer asked me to make her a Memory Bear out of some clothes that her late mother used to wear. She chose a model from my website and sent me a nice navy floral dress and pink pjs. I decided to use the latter for the bear's paw pads and bow. I also made use of some buttons from the dress, as well as its sash, which became the Bear's necktie. One last detail was the insides of the Bear's ears, which I made out of the plain navy pockets of the dress.

18 September

In the last few days,Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital has had a couple of big cats among its patients (though it would probably be more accurate to describe them as little big cats in this instance).

Tigger only really needed a hole mended on his back. While he was here, however, he also agreed to have a good bath (Tiggers can be a bit wary of baths as we know).

Leo the Leopard came with some serious injuries, having lost his nose and one eye in a dog attack. Fortunately, his owner had retrieved them from the assailant, so I was able to put them back for Leo.

The feline monopoly was broken up by New Ted, who was very grateful to have the wound on his neck treated, as well as getting some new stuffing.

16 September

56-year old Ted, a Chad Valley bear, came to the Hospital in a rather bedraggled state, having been much loved and cuddled for all his life. His paw pads were tatty, he had many holes, had lost some stuffing and more or less lost his nose and smile too. He still had good eyes though, and - amazingly - the squeaker in his tummy was still working fine. It was a most ingenious rubber one, the likes of which I had not seen before (see the photo on the right). After a good clean and an intensive course of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, Ted was full of life and smiling again. His owner says she shed a little tear of joy when she saw his first post-op photo.

12 September

A variety of species were treated at Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital in August and September.

They included a Monkey with a scuffed nose, who had lost his smile; a sad bunny called Arjun Arjun, who had lost a limb and a lot of stuffing; and two disparate members of the Fur family - Furry Dog, who had plenty of holes in him, and Furry Ted, who just needed a bit of plumping up.

I suspect he checked himself into hospital just so that Dog did not feel lonely)

3 August

If you would like to take part in future workshops later this year - or indeed to buy a gift certificate for someone else to take part - please get in touch with Rachel at Asquiths.

30 July

Hot on the heels of Tinkle Ted (see below), I have had another unexectedly musical parient at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital)) 45-year-old Bear was admitted for complete re-stuffing. As I removed his old stuffing, I found inside him a rusty old music box with a missing wind-up key (which used to come out of a special hole on his back. It seemed beyond repair, but my husband decided to improvise a key for it and try to wind it up. To our surprise, the music box then came to life and played Brahms' Lullaby.

27 July

Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital has had another new species! An otter called Otter came to me with a nasty gash in his side, having lost quite a bit of stuffing as a result. As otters love water, I gave him a good wash before treatment, and it was a very happy animal that went back home as a birthday present to his owner, who first received him for her 1st birthday in 1980! 

Another recent patient, Sooty, was in danger of losing his head when he arrived in Hospital. The tragedy was successfully averted, Sooty's other injuries were treated too, and he also went back home happy. 

As for 40-year-old Bluey, he had lost an eye in what was described to me as a vicious attack by a young human (not his owner, I hasten to add). A new eye and a good gentle clean made him look as good as new.

24 July

Tinkle Ted was admitted to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital with head injuries and rather brittle skin - only on his head though: he had spent most of his life wearing clothes, so the rest of him was in a much better condition, and he even retained some fur.

Ted was, however, severely short of stuffing, which made him all floppy. Soon after I started his treatment, I realised why he was called Tinkle Ted. Inside him, I found what remained of a most ingenious contraption made of wood, metal, cardboard and plastic.

Before it fell apart, years ago, it used to produce a gentle tinkling sound when Ted moved. The tinkle was surprisingly big for such a small bear (Ted is only about a foot tall). I am proud to say that I managed to rebuild the mechanism and fit it back neatly inside Ted's tummy. It was a nice surprise for his owner. When collecting him from the Hospital, she said she suddenly remembered the sound that her dear Ted used to make when she was a girl...

21 July

Big Brown Ted was admitted to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital with a nasty hole in his head, another on his ear, and many more besides - all on his right side. Once patched, he also had his nose restored and some stuffing added. The meant that his pants, which had become too large for him, fitted perfectly again. 

40-something Bear was rather anaemic, so I prescribed him some new stuffing. During surgery it became clear he had many small holes in him, which I was happy to patch. He was positively beaming after his operation! 

Young George, who is very dear to his owner, was quite poorly when he arrived in hospital, so he too needed more stuffing. He had been patched up many times before in cottons of various colours - for which I am really grateful to those responsible: this made it easy for me to unpick his old stitching and make him whole again.

13 July

Last night, I held the first session of the Teddy Bear Making Workshop at Asquiths Teddy Bear Shop in Henley. A huge thank-you to its Director of Bears, Rachel, for oranising the whole thing and helping it go so smoothly!

I had five students, and they all made excellent progress. I hope to see them all again next week, and to share the results of their work after the final session in August.

12 July

I have made another little Teddy! He really is quite small, just 4". His name is Tommy, and he claims to be a bit of a rebel - but I know that he is quite a softie at heart, and his favourite book is The Little Prince. I actually think that, with his nice long scarf, he does look quite a bit like the eponymous hero, don't you?

10 July

The latest celebrity patient at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital had several books written and many movies made about him. He needed some plumping up and a few cosmetic procedures. He had also lost his favourite T-shirt, so I made him a new one. Actually, I have just realised that he has his name emblazoned on it - so much for my attempts to keep his identity secret...

Another patient, 83-year-old James, came in a serious condition and required extensive surgery. The results, however, were most pleasing. James also had a sartorial request, as his favourite scarf (is he a Norwich fan, I wonder?) bad been badly damaged by moths. As you can see, he proudly wore it again when discharged.

Finally, I had the pleasure of treating Teddy Edwards, a fine bear who needed a good clean and plenty of attention to his paws and a torn ear. He too looked ever so radiant and happy after his treatment.

7 July

Today I welcomed a return patient to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital. Almost exactly two years after Geoffrey Giraffe's first visit (not surprisingly, he came to me then with a neck injury), he now needed some more extensive treatment. I was very pleased to note that, on the whole, he had fared quite well since his operation. I was also pleased to see his young owner again - he has grown a lot in two years, and is now taller than me! Geoffrey was just as brave on the operating table as I remember him being back in 2021. The surgery was a complete success, and he was able to go back home the same day.

22 June

Three toy Teddies discharged from Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital this week were not among the most difficult patients I have had. However, it was good for 60-year-old Ted and for two inseparable friends, Alan and Wighty, to be treated before their condition deteriorated any further.

All three suffered from various degrees of weight loss, which I was happy to reverse with a good dose of polyfill. They also had all their minor injuries treated, and enjoyed the opportunity to have a good wash - which in Ted's case in particular did wonders in restoring his natural hair colour!