Here's the results of the restoration work I did last week....
Taking into consideration the condition of the fabric on Lilibet's arm, I decided to leave the previous repair in place and work with what was there...I have coloured in the patch to match the surrounding area and also stitched some areas to strengthen them...I carefully tweezered out some of the mohair on the patch so as to make it blend in better with the surrounding fur.
Lilibet's Mum wanted her original paw pads to be left in place so I have backed them with wool felt where needed and hand stitched the old worn fabric back over the top..It does still show that they have been restored but that is preferably in this case rather than putting new paw pads on.....It's lovely to keep as much of the original fabric as possible and if the repair shows but gently blends in then I'm satisfied that this is the most sympathetic way to restore an old bear of this grand old age.....
I still have more restoration to do on her, mainly to a tear by her left arm joint and also some sewing of her seams, I will carry on working on her next month and will upload her final photos to show you before she heads off home.
Next up I Have a sweet Chiltern bear that will be coming up for adoption...I'll upload some photos next week....
Thanks for looking and hope you enjoy your bank holiday weekend!
