Keepsake Stuffed Animals

aka: Custom Memory Bears

We can handcraft your sentimental textiles into a keepsake, or memory, stuffed animal. We can help you keep the memories of your loved ones close at hand or create an heirloom that can be passed down to children or grandchildren. We take our time to ensure that your fabrics are paired well and stabilized to extend their life.

Recommended use and care depends on the type of fabric. Delicate fabrics may be best kept for display or light use. Where heavier fabrics, such as denims and heavy wovens, can be loved on by folks of all ages for quite some time.

We are also happy to create a custom stuffed animal for you from in-house fabrics. They follow the same pricing outlines here. 

2022 Update: We are working on adding a picture portfolio to this section, so you can see samples of each animal– If the animal you’re looking for is not pictured, please feel free to message us via Facebook or email. Thanks-Ruth. 

Base Pricing and Animal Selections

Our pricing structure is based on the size and complexity of the patterns we use. The prices in the table below reflect the base prices for each tier. It is possible that additional options or customizations may incur additional cost. Please contact us for a detailed quote so that we can provide you an accurate estimate of the cost and the best plan to create an item from your fabrics. 

Pricing subject to change at makers discretion. We will honor an estimate for 6 months. 

* these animals are a rag doll style

** these animals are “on all fours”

*** these animals are pillow style, with arms/legs/ears that stick out.

Pocket Animals: Mouse & Dinosaur

Mini Pocket Animals Price $37

Animals with one simple outfit: Dog, Cat, Fox, Mouse, Bear, Bat, Dino, Unicorn (these animals “stand” on two feet).

Animals with no clothing: Waldorf Style Cat on all fours, Crow, Bat, Hippo. These animals are more “realistic” shape.

Pocket animals are about 6 inches tall and are easy for small hands to hold and place in a pocket or bag.

We also offer a variety of accessories/ housing for pocket animals. Such as: tents, baby bassinets, sleeping bags, additional clohting, etc. Ranging from $7-20. 

Fabric Selection

When choosing fabric for a keepsake item there are a lot of factors to balance. Obviously, a favorite shirt might be a very important memory, but, it may not have enough structure to craft well. We are able to use fabrics like that to accent more durable fabrics.

Woven Fabrics are non stretch or low stretch fabrics such as: button down shirts, usually with a high cotton content; jeans or other denim items;  slacks such as khakis; table cloths and other linens; curtains; dresses from non-stretch material. Scrubs are also a great woven to work with as they’re made to withstand alot of washing and use.

Denim is a woven, and is one of the best materials for keepsake items. While some denims may have stretch, they have such a dense material they’re generally able to hold their structure for a stuffed animal. Denims will not require any backing materials.

Stretch fabrics, knits, (especially t-shirts, baby PJs, and leggings) are more difficult to create a stuffed animal that holds its shape, BUT they can be used!  They will require a backing material to be applied as an inner structure if they are used as a main fabric. When used as an accent for applique, or smaller pieces like ears where they are paired with a more structured fabric they will not require additional backing.

Flannel Blankets, such as hospital blankets, will require backing as most flannel tends to fray easily.

Wrap Scrap toys may also require some backing or extra stitching to extend the life of the toy, especially loose weaves or hand wovens.

How much fabric? On average most toys can be created from one adult sized shirt. A pair of pants can usually yeild 2-3 animals.  Large animals, such as the humpback whale, will require 2-3 pieces. We also often created a “patchwork” style animal from multiple animals. 

We charge a $5 backing fee per stuffed animal for backing thin/delicate fabrics, stretch materials, flannel, or woven wrap scraps with an iron-on interfacing or other inner layer as we see appropriate. 

All mini pocket animals require backing, this is at no additional charge. 

We are unable to work with fabrics which smell of cigarette smoke.

Any fabric we receive that smells of cigarette smoke will be immediately returned to you and you will be billed for the return shipping.

This is non-negotiable.

Fabric cleaning/stain removal

While we generally try to cut around stains and use the best of the material if it is heavily yellowed or stained the project may benefit from some extra cleaning or stain treatment. We suggest doing this yourself, but can offer some assistance if needed.

  • We offer stain treatment of materials at $5 per item, or max $15 per “load”. We cannot guarantee that all stains are removable but we can use a variety of approaches to make fabrics look as fresh as possible—you can do this yourself if you prefer. We typically try a soak in Oxyclean, oxyclean stain removers, dawn dish soap, or sunning fabrics (yup, just putting them out in the sun). We are happy to advise you beforehand.
  • We offer cleaning for vintage fabrics which have been in storage which may have a smell at the same rate as stain treatment. Step #1 is to get them out into some air! 

At note about stains, rips, and tears– there is no need for you to only send “pristine” fabrics. Not all fabrics will need to have stains removed to use for keepsake toys. Our cleaning services are optional. We are always happy to work with textiles that are not suitable for their original purpose. It’s one of the things we love most about upcycling. We can definitely work with these fabrics and will always choose placement of the best parts of your fabric. 

We are currently booked through May of 2022. We will be accepting slots for Sept 2022.