Friday, November 24, 2017

Terrier, Transformed (now with patterns)

BEFORE (I only bought this stuffed dog because it was being sold online with a just-as-beat-up old bear I wanted.)

Since it's mine now, and since it is some sort of terrier, I went ahead and gave it the spa treatment (bath in sink + vacuum fluffing + new stuffing). Turns out, it was once a bright blue.
The ribbon stank, and it shredded I washed it, so out it went.  I sewed the ears to provide definition (they were like one mountain range). 

AFTER: With its new eyes, it spies another terrier:

The idea is, both of these terriers ^ will go to the next online auction to raise money for Terrier Rescue (live terriers, that is).

Dating the Dog

This dog was handmade--you can tell by the hand-stitching inside, and there's no label either. Its original eyes were distinctly non-childproof: they are held on with sharp prongs (that puncture the cloth), like the pointy grips that hold a gem in a ring setting. 

I found a couple McCall and Simplicity sewing patterns for dogs that looks similar, from the 1930s–40s. The U.S. started making polyester after WWII, and the toy's blue plush is definitely some petroleum-based synthetic, so I'm guessing this terrier might be from the 1950s?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

bink says:
What an improvement! I love what you did with his little ears—makes him look much cuter. He really is Snoopy blue isn’t he? He’s very darling and awake now—before he was dozey.

Love that you are breathing new life into these toys. I think they (and all the positive forces in the universe) are very happy see them cared for and appreciated.

Fresca said...

Thanks, bink!
Yeah, I think this Scottie is made of the exact same blue polyester as your Snoopy.

Bink said...

Snoopy’s cousin! Imagine buying this fur in a fabric shop in the 1950s. Snoopy dates from about 1958–a gift from one of the older women who took dance lessons from my father,..or so I was told.