Panda

[redbird]

Signs of adulthood, #473: When you're a grownup, you have to repair your own stuffed animals.

I've had this stuffed panda for 30 years, which is a quite respectable age for any panda, biological or stuffed. She's in good shape for her age, but she'd developed rips near the seams of both rear legs. I'd just sort of lived with that, and kept sleeping with one arm around her (it's comforting).

A couple of nights ago, I leaned on her wrong while getting to sleep, and half-detached one ear. Surgery was clearly called for. My mother is a long way away, and it's been a long time since I've asked her to do my sewing. So I did it myself. First the ear, with black thread. Then a break to replace a button on my all-purpose black cardigan, since I had the black thread in the needle anyway.

Then, switch to white thread and fix her legs. Panda was very brave, and didn't complain at all.

This morning, she looks right, and I can no longer see her insides.

Comments

[elynne.livejournal.com]

I picked up a tiny stuffed tiger cub from a second-hand store a while back. His head was half-off, and stuffing was leaking through the back of his neck. I repaired him as best I could, then made him a solemn promise that he would never go back to a second-hand store; that, one way or another, I would be responsible for him for the rest of my life, or the rest of his, whichever comes first.

I don't usually love stuffed animals until they need repairing - I'll love one for a while (a year or so is about average), and then retire it for a new critter. This is why my stuffed animal collection keeps growing like crazy. :]