Frequently Asked Questions

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We are open Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday 10am until 4pm.  Other days are possible by arrangement  Visitors are welcome by appointment only to our home based studio.

Not a shop as such as we work from the studio room at home.  However, visitors are welcome by appointment only.  From September 28th a selection of our teddy bears will also be available from Dalish Cafe in the Hewel Lane Rural Business Centre near Redditch.

Yes, we do! You can find all of our products on our website and place an order for pickup or delivery.

At present we do not sell craft supplies but we hope to introduce these soon.  We do offer handmade teddy bears, vintage teddy bears and we repair teddy bears

Yes we carry out a wide range of repairs, in fact we can carry out most repairs except for adding lost fur!

Most repairs can be carried out.  We have replaced paw pads (very common) and missing eyes, restuffed and replaced growlers and squeekers.  Music boxes can be replaced and recently we had to have a new music box built to order because the tune was not available anywhere!

Dogs have commonly destroyed teddy bears and a lot of this damage can be repaired providing there is enough of the old bear still in tact to work from!

Cleaning years of dirt, repairing holes in fabric... all is possible, although some fabric repairs may need extensive work and often new fur added to completely replace a panel of the bear.

Joints can be replaced, limbs rebuilt, faces embroidered.... if in doubt, just ask us if we can repair your bear, the chances are we can.

That is a difficult question to answer because every repair is different.  We offer a no obligation quotation free of charge.  This is best carried out with the teddy bear in front of us and we can discuss options with you.   Ask for an appointment for this which can be at our home based studio in Redditch.

If you do not live locally then you can send us photographs of every detail (such as any holes in the fabric, loose or broken joints, worn out paw pads missing eyes etc) and a detailed description of the bear and its condition.  We may need to ask you more questions so don't forget to include a telephone number we can contact you on, just in case (no hard sell, guarantreed).

We provide a full written quotation which we ask you to accept prior to work starting by signing it.

You can bring the bear to us or post it (registered delivery is recommended).  The repair will be carried out and returned upon receipt of payment.  A 50% deposit is requested before work begins.

Bears are always sent recorded delivery with a tracking number provided.

A price guide is available and can be found here.  An accurate price can only be provided by us when we see your teddy bear; some of these prices are reduced when combining processes, for example if we have to open a teddy bear to restuff the body, we remove a percentage of the growler cost as the bear is already open and resewn elsewhere.  Every bear repair is unique so please ask us for an exact price.

That is another difficult question, often the repair can be more than the bears monetary value.  What most clients want is to extend the life of their old childhood friend and that is worth more than money as it is the sentimental attachment and the memories the bear brings.

My own old friend, a Wendy Boston bought at my birth, went to hospital with me and listened intently to all my worries and kept every confidence.  My grandparents bought me this bear, he isn't worth a vast amount, but he is priceless to me.

Every repair is different so again this is a difficult question to answer.  Once started we will try to complete all repairs within one week.  We will always give you an estimate of how long the repair should take and when you can expect your old friend returned safely to you.  Some repairs require items and materials to be specially ordered and this could take much longer than the usual repairs.  As an example, we have been asked to replace a music box in a bear with a very specific tune required.  It is impossible to source this tune through the usual channels but we can have this made specially to otder but it will take about 4 months.  We have carried out most of the repairs and returned the bear to his owner and will be return to us when the music box is ready and we will reopen and fit the music box at that time.

Cleaning is very time consuming and can sometimes take longer than a week because we must not get the fabric too wet.  We often have to leave the fur to dry before cleaning the same spot.  This will slow the cleaning process considerably.

We will never give a value but will indicate if we think the teddy is a collectors bear and worth a lot of money.  There are specialist auction houses who offer a valuation service who have a lot more information about current values based upon recent sales.

Teddy bear identification is not an easy thing to do.  There are a lot of manufacturers and only a few are well known.  We can attempt to identify your bear but will not guarantee our identification as there are just so many variables to consider.  As an example, I recently purchased a musical teddy from a well known auction site.  He needs a lot of work so I got him at a bargain price.  He was sold as a Hermann bear and indeed he certainly looked like a Hermann.  Upon receiving him I still thought he could be a Hermann but now think he is actually a Lefray.  I had other suggestions on a facebook group so I hope this shows how difficult identification can be.

Absolutely.  We have a standard range of bears here on our website but we can make just about any style of bear in any colour that is available, fur type and length of pile as well as just about any size.  Basically any of our bears can be fully customised or we can design a completely original bear specially for you.  Just send us your requirements and we can discuss options if necessary via a video call.

If its cuddly, we can make it!  We specialise in teddy bears but have patterns for rabbits, hares, chicks, dogs, cats, rag dolls... just ask us to make what you want.

Yes.  Some fabrics are not entirely suitable so please check with us to see if we can use the fabric first.  We have made bears from a wide range of fabrics including recently a cashmere cardigan.  Generally fabrics that do not fray or stretch are best but there's usually something we can do with more problematic fabrics. You can choose any of our basic bears as a starting point, we can scale to suit the amount of fabric you provide.  We can always add accent fabrics as well.

We can alternatively dress a teddy bear in memory clothes made from your own fabrics as well as create props that remind you of a loved one.

Most bears can be made within a day or two of starting (depending on style and size).  This does not mean your bear will be with you in a couple of days.  We will always give you an estimated date when you can expect your bear.  We try to offer a service within 4 weeks of ordering but at busy periods it could be longer.  If you are in a hurry for a special date, let us know and we will see what we can do.

We carry a range of common fabrics in stock but may need to order special fabrics and this can take a week or more to arrive.

Teddy Bears, like any other product, are owned by their respective manufacturers and we cannot produce an exact replica.  It would not be legal or ethical.  We will endeavour to produce something in the style of your lost bear but it will be a similar look only.  We will not copy other peoples bears without their written permission.

Also we would need several photographs showing the bear at different angles to make a close match.  Some educated guess work will always be needed!

Characters are copyright no matter what source material they are from.  As such we cannot make a teddy bear of any of these characters.  We will make teddy bears that evoke a feeling of characters but will never directly copy them.

UK law requires testing of teddy bears (like any other toy) to be declared child safe.  Our teddy bears are so varied we cannot have them tested.  We do use child safe fabrics, eyes and joints but will never sell a teddy bear as being child safe.  

Our teddy bears are intended for collectors and never for a young child to play with.  

Young children and babies should never be left alone with any cuddly toy due to the risk of choking on small parts such as eyes (even if they are of the safety variety).

It all depends on the bear and what you would like for it..  We will consider any offers but it has to be the right bear at the right price.  Please don't be offended if we say no.