28 December 2023

The last patient discharged from Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital this year was Brown Bear, also known as BB. 

His treatment took some time, as I had to completely take him apart before "rebuilding" from scratch, salvaging some original joints and as much of the original fabric as possible. Despite the extent of his surgery, BB's owner was happy to see that he had lost none of his exuberant personality in the process.

14 December

Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital had a few relatively easy patients this month - a couple of bunnies, a raccoon called Rocco, and a Flat Eric character - remember him? Oh, and can anyone tell me what species he is?

The patients mostly needed some cleaning and stuffing, and one of the bunnies had to have his nose mended.

3 December

72-year-old Marty arrived in Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital in desperate need of help.

His most pressing problem was that, some time before his arrival, Marty had parted company with his head. At least the head was still around, which was more than could be said about his eyes and nose - these had really gone AWOL. Once I have dealt with these major deficiencies, I was also able to treat some of Marty's smaller injuries and ailments. Whole again, Marty inspected himself critically in the mirror.

20 November

While work never stops at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital, for the past few weeks I was also getting ready for this year's Goring Christmas Fair. I made another seven new Teddies - Millie, Albie, Harry, Reuben, Rhys, Ben (shown below with their friend Tommy), and David the budding painter.

17 November

I had a couple of unusual patients at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital this month.

Moosly was my first bullock. He had lost all his hooves so had to wear socks and mittens, which really hurt his pride. His horns were also in need of attention, and he was rather short of stuffing. After treatment, Moosly looked much happier and was glad to be reunited with his adoring owner.

I also had Claude the Goose (again, the first of his species) and his best briend Hamlet the Dog. The pair of them were only here in Britain for a short visit from their home in Israel. They both received some new stuffing, and Claude also had a couple of holes mended.

Another recent patient, Snowy Bear, was accidentally sent to the laundry and ended up losing his eyes. I was able to restore his eyesight, and Snowy was truly grateful, as we can now see his owner and family again.

12 November

I have been thinking for some time about a new design for Teddy Bears that would be safe to give to babies and small children. This means of course that the Teddies must have no small parts, so nothing for the baby to accidentally swallow. After some deliberation, I have come up with the design that I am happy with - so please welcome my new Baby Bears! The two that you see in the photo will be going with me to the Goring Craft Fair next week, while another one will be our present to a new member of the family, only born last month.

25 October

The latest patient discharged from Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital, Nuffy the Dog, had been much loved by his owner for nearly 30 years, and was in turn always a source of comfort to her. Having accompanied her on many travels, Nuffy was beginning to feel rather flat, and his fur was getting very matted. After I gave him plenty of stuffing and a good clean, he perked up again in no time.

It was a similar story with 33-year-old Teddy, who had always been a very important part of his owner's life. Over the years, his head started to droop, and his fur lost its softness. A course of treatment brought him back to full fitness, much to his owner's delight.

20 October

Though not very old, Tommy the Leopard came to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital in need of serious treatment. Always by his adoring owner's side, after 27 years of cuddling he was in danger of falling to pieces. I stitched him up, gave him new stuffing, and completely rebuilt his tail. Tommy was very grateful, and so was his owner.

The oldest of my recent patients, a 60-something traditional Teddy, had unusually retained most of his hair and both eyes, but lost nearly all the stuffing in his body and arms, and his neck joint was getting pretty loose. He had also lost his voice, so I gave him a new growler, and patched him up throughout. After treatment, Teddy looked practically as good as new!   

16 October

When this 50-year-old Chad Valley bear called Skoffy came to Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital, he was not at his best. Though much loved for all his life, he had a couple of stab wounds in his chest, inflicted many years back by his owner's brother. Skoffy's nose was somewhat flat from years of hugging, and he was getting rather short of stuffing too. Once I have given him a good clean and plenty of new stuffing, I tended to his wounds, so he was full of life again when he rejoined his happy owner.

12 October

6 October

You may have heard that The Walt Disney Company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month.

By sheer coincidence, I have just had a patient who has a close connection to Disney. Lion was presented by Disney to a world famous actor who had voiced a certain character in The Lion King!

For the avoidance of misunderstanding, I hasten to add that it was not the actor in question who brought Lion to the Hospital. Though still magnificent, Lion had lost a bit of weight over the years, and both his fur and his mane were not as lustrous as they once were. Though not the largest patient I have ever had, Lion came pretty close, so replacing his original stuffing with more modern and safer polyfill was quite a task. Cleaning and brushing him also took some time, and all the while Lion ensconced himself on our sofa, daring anyone else to share it with him.

30 September

I have just had a cat and a dog as patients at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital, and they got on fine while they were here))

Jessie the Cat looked poorly when admitted, but all she really needed was a good gentle clean and some new stuffing. After a short course of treatment, she was playful and frisky as a young kitten again! 

Bobby the Dog, who is quite a bit older, required a lot more care. I gave him a new eye, re-embroidered his lost smile, mended all the holes in his fur, and completely re-stuffed him. Bobby seemed very pleased with all this, and his owner was just as happy.

28 September

Earlier this year, a returning customer asked me to make two Teddies for her twins out of their baby clothes that she had kept. We chose the size and the models, and after she brought me the clothes I played quite a bit with all the fabrics. To be honest, I lost count of how many different ones I ended up using))

As you can see, the boy and the girl are similar (I used the same pattern for both) yet they clearly have different personalities. They seem to be getting along very well, showing a lot of affection for each other.

27 September

I had three patients at Sasha’s Teddy Bear Hospital in the last few days. They were all bears, yet they could hardly be more different.

Trevor, a multicoloured toy Teddy, had been with his owner all her life, and had a lost nearly the entire red part of his costume. The owner's boyfriend found and sent me a suitable replacement fabric, so Trevor was whole again and full of life by the time he left hospital.

The white Teddy called Bi the Bear had travelled extensively with his owners, and had lost a lot of stuffing and nearly lost his tail. Once I reattached his tail, gave him plenty more stuffing and a good clean, he perked up and was ready for new adventures (though he will probably now need some new t-shirts in a larger size).

My third patient was a large traditional Teddy at least 60 years old, inherited by his owner from her grandmother. Though remarkably well preserved for his age, he had a couple of bad wounds on his neck and forehead and a few smaller holes. When he was back home after treatment, his owner said he would be treasured for another three generations!