Need advice for mending childhood plush

[u/dragonarrow2776]

Hi guys! I need some help.

I've been through a lot in my life and my Rosie has been with me through it all. I stopped sleeping with her a couple of years ago because I was worried about her falling apart. I don't think she'll ever be strong enough for that again, so I'm mostly okay with her sitting on a shelf once she's repaired but I would like to cuddle her occasionally.

I was thinking that mending Rosie could help me heal a part of my inner child. While I've gone through a lot of therapy for my trauma, I still feel disconnected from my childhood. I think spending time mending Rosie and making her whole again would help me reconnect with it.

I'm just not sure where to start. I've sewn my whole life, but mending is new to me. She's quite threadbare in places and her body fabric is quite thin. I'm thinking her fabric may need to be reinforced, but I'm not sure how to go about that without taking her entirely apart lol. (If I have to I will, but that seems really scary tbh).

So, tl;dr: how do I go about mending Rosie? I'm not sure where to start but I want to do it myself to help heal my inner child. ❤️

[u/camioblu]

Personally, I would give her a gentle wash and dry. Then I would gently take apart her seams and use each piece as a pattern for a whole body inner lining to reinforce her all over. Sashiko-stitch throughout, but in small, single thread stitches so as not to show much. Then rejoin her seams and stuffing by hand with a sumple slip stitch.

In this way, you won't have to repair any bits of wear and tear on the outside. She'll basically look the same, only reinforced inside. She can sleep with you, on the other pillow, or make her a small bed on your nightstand.

This goes for you as well. We heal from the inside and reinforce our basic structure with new thoughts.

[u/dragonarrow2776 → u/camioblu]

Thank you so much! ❤️

I'm a little intimidated about taking her apart, but I think you're right. This would probably be my best bet to reinforce her while still keeping her looking relatively the same. Do you have any suggestions on a fabric to use for the inner lining?

[u/camioblu → u/dragonarrow2776]

I was thinking just a simple cotton. You could thrift a pillowcase, maybe something pretty like a floral design. Leftover fabric could be made into bedding for her.

I know it may feel weird dismantling her, but it will be a labor of love. The feelings are yours, so there's no worry of harming her. Think of each pulled stitch as removing pain from yourself and each new stitch (of which there will be many) as stitching yourself back together in a new form.

This could potentially be very healing.

[u/dragonarrow2776 → u/camioblu]

Oh I love this so much, thank you ❤️

[u/camioblu → u/dragonarrow2776]

Most welcome - be well