5 June 2025

I was asked earlier this year to make five traditional Memory Bears to commemorate the life of a wonderful mother and grandmother who had passed away - one each for her two daughters and three of her grandchildren.

One of the daughters, whose idea it was (and who kept it secret from the other members of the family), brought me some of her mother's clothes to use in making the bears, and some of her scarves for their bow ties.

We discussed the plan thoroughly, and then I set to work, making sure that all the bears were quite similar - it was essential that they should all have blue eyes - yet each was somewhat different from the others.

After they were ready, the five bears were presented to the family. I am told that it was all very emotional, and many a tear was shed.

30 May

A traditional Teddy called George, who is over 100 years old, came to my Hospital on St. George's Day. He belongs to an old lady, who received him from a relative when she was a child. She always treated him well, often dressing him in various costumes - so his body was better preserved than his head and limbs.

The fabric was of course very fragile, and there were many holes to patch, as well as scars from previous repairs to tidy up. I also topped up George's nose and gave him new stuffing and a new growler - I very much hope that his owner will recognise the voice that he lost long ago. As for his somewhat wonky ears, we decided to leave them as they were, because they had become part of his unique lovable personality.

Another one of my patients, young Biggy, is very important to his 9-year-old owner, as he goes everywhere with her. He was repaired once before but not very well: all the stuffing was, well, stuffed into his pyjamas - rather than his body. I therefore restored and reinforced Biggy's body, gave him a full re-stuffing, and then dressed him back in his pjs.

26 April

Having never had crocodiles among my patients, I was very pleased to welcome one to Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital. 40-year-old Mike had a couple of nasty wounds in his chest and head, which I stitched up neatly. As his eyesight had become quite poor, I worked a bit on his eyes too. Mike looked bright-eyed and happy as he went back to his family.

Big Ted, a traditional teddy aged 65, came to the Hospital for a clean, a full re-stuffing, and new paw pads. He also regained his voice thanks to a new growler. Big Ted perked up considerably as a result of his treatment, his head held up high and his fur glowing.

I also treated Noops, whose lovely and loving owner drove all the way from Shropshire to bring him to the Hospital. A terrible accident involving a washing machine had left Noops with a badly disfigured head (though very clean indeed). Fortunately, I managed to find a donor for a fur and stuffing transplant, and Noops soon looked his old self again.

21 April

A panda and two bears were all brought to Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital by a nice couple who clearly love their Teddies!

ChiChi the panda had been re-covered a few times back in the 1970s by his owner's seamstress mother - the last time in light blue as she had run out of white fabric)) It was a pleasure to follow her immaculate stitching. I gave ChiChi a good clean, a full re-stuffing, two new eyes on new felt inserts, and a new felt tongue. I also stitched up all the holes, re-stitched the seams, and re-embroidered his nose.

ChiChi's best friend, a tiny bear called TT, also got a new eye and had his nose re-embroidered. He looked really smart after I cleaned him and darned all the threadbare areas.

Meanwhile Dennis, the youngest of the three patients, only needed to be washed and re-stuffed, and to have his nose and claws re-embroidered.

19 April

A jointed Russ Gregory bear in his late 20s called Gregory came to Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital to have his smile restored - as you can see, his mouth was really droopy. He also clearly needed new paw pads. As his fur was matted, I cleaned and brushed him, and also re-stitched his back seam, and topped up the embroidery on his nose. As he was leaving the Hospital, Gregory gave me a timid smile))

An outpatient called Teddy did not stay long because his owner could not go to sleep without him. All she wanted me to do was to top up Teddy's stuffing, as he had lost much of the stuffing that he originally had.

I also treated a very unusual traditional teddy, Poor Old Bear - instead of a growler, he had a kind of a little bell inside him, so he had a most pleasant musical voice! P.O.B. required a lot of work: I patched all his holes, replaced the pads on his hind paws, re-embroidered his claws and nose, and added some stuffing to his hips and shoulders. His owner was very pleased that he was back to his old self when he came back from Hospital. 

8 April

68-year-old Teddy was hand made, and rather well preserved for his age, but he definitely needed some TLC - and he got it here at Sasha's Teddy Bear Hospital. I gave him a good clean, mended all the holes, and added some stuffing. I also re-attached his arms and legs in such a way that he could actually move them. Teddy perked up visibly as a result, and went home to his family in a buoyant mood.

I can safely say the same about 73-year-old Bear. He too left the Hospital in a much better shape, after I patched his badly damaged arm, mended the holes on his face and body, and added some stuffing to enable him to sit up properly - and even to stand up, should he ever wish to.

Another patient, Nesbit, had already been to my Hospital a few years earlier. He has always led a very active life, travelling a great deal - but, like the rest of us, he is not getting any younger. An unfortunate poke in the hip left Nesbit with a nasty wound, which his owner bandaged neatly while awaiting admission. I patched him up, and gave his favourite necktie a bit of a makeover, but had to advise him to slow down a bit. Fortunately, Nesbit has taken an interest in chess, so he is likely to lead a more sedentery life from now on.