How to Repair Old Cherished Stuffed Animals

Before I was born, my parents were given a stuffed koala bear at my baby shower. That became my first stuffed animal and I eventually named him "Koala" (very original, I know). My earliest memories include Koala and he went everywhere with me. As a lonely only, Koala was my inseparable buddy. Where I went, he had to go too. I would even take him on family vacations and there was one unfortunate year where he got left at my grandparent's house 500 miles away. I remember being completely distraught until he made it home in the mail.

Since Koala was so important to me, he is the only stuffed animal for my childhood that survived staying on my bed well into adulthood. When Luke and I got married, he ended up relocating to our guest bed but he was still out. And then we brought home Miss B. Despite her sweetness and adorability, that little girl loved some buttons and high heels in her puppyhood (and sometimes now too). Well one day while left unsupervised she snuck into the guest room and had her way with Koala's nose.
I was so upset! My precious 20-year-old teddy bear had been defaced. His poor nose was almost completely torn off!

So away he went, to get kept in a safe place away from harm. I had no clue how to fix him and I got so sad every time I saw his little face.
Well with the news of Minion, I started thinking about how sweet it would be to let Minion have my old teddy bear. So out Koala came. I sat down and brainstormed how I could possibly fix him, and an idea struck.
In much the same fashion as the old man repairing Woody in Toy Story 2, I set to work...

My first step, as scary as it was, was to completely cut off Koala's nose. I started with a few little snips and then the nose was able to slide free, keeping as much of the fabric underneath in solid pieces.

Now it was time to start stitching. Using a curved heavy duty mending needle, I folded the loose fabric pieces down and began sewing them in place. I overlapped the edges to create a solid area with no holes.

Once I was confident, that his nose area wouldn't reopen, it was time for a good washing. I threw him inside my mesh laundry bag and sent him on a ride in the delicate cycle.

Meanwhile it was time to get to work on all those bite marks Miss B left on his nose. I decided to try sanding them down. while it didn't completely remove them, it left a much smoother surface. And the marks pay homage to everything Koala has been through.

Now it was time to figure out how to reattach his nose to his face. Originally it was held in place with this plastic screw and bolt mechanism. But they must have installed that before his head was sewed shut.
Instead, I had Luke cut the screw part off and gave the nose and two shank buttons a coat of fresh brown Krylon Fusion spray paint which is specially designed to permanently adhere to plastic.
Then using E6000 glue, I attached the buttons to the back of the nose.

Now I had a way, to sew his nose back on that should be permanent and run no risk of falling off.
A few minutes of stitching and Koala was restored to life! :)

I can't wait to introduce Koala to Minion and share all the fun adventures we had together. I am so happy I will be able to pass this cherished keepsake on to my child :)