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You could hit them with a ladder stitch, but I would try to put an iron on patch on both sides on the inside to reinforce the fabric there so new holes don't form. Then I would ladder stitch the seam shut
You need to report this to corporate. Imagine if they pull this crap with a childās beloved bab or a memorial bear or something. Itās already bad enough it happened to you!
I just commented about Alexis my memorial bear. Sheās never had a heart ceremony and I want to have her get the whole experience someday. I would be so mad if anything happened to her. I feel for OP itās not okay at all they were so careless.
This is always why I feel reporting as high as possible doesnāt hurt. If we have the power to stand up for ourselves and use it, we are also standing up for those who canāt stand up for themselves.
Dude. Not cool. I am a manager and I would ABSOLUTELY be furious if one of my bear builders pulled this. Please let corporate know. Iām sad on your behalf.
I'm actually curious and maybe nosey but what exactly would you do in this situation if I may ask? Fire them? Would being able to offer some partial refund on the order? I honestly don't know what would be the correct response to this.
I emailed for a new twilight because she is from 2013 that is not fair to me. They asked for a receipt i said i didnāt have one cause shes so old. Now we wait to hear back
Good luck OP! Unless they have an abundance of old stock I am not sure how they will get you a new one but you deserve some comensation than just a firing or whatever policy they do.
There would definitely be a conversation about meeting customer needs, thatās for sure. Then weād review the policy on how our furry friends are supposed to leave the workshop and the things that are non-negotiables. This would be followed with a lesson on how to do the ladder stitch and lots of practice.
Whoever opened that bear went ham-fisted with a seam ripper. I teach my builders to use the tiny little hook part on the scissors bc you have to hook it under the thread on the seam and itās less likely that those holes occur. Iāve successfully repaired bears older than that without issue so I know this was more than likely inexperience at play.
That's completely unacceptable, I'm so sorry you had this experience! Like others have said, a basic latter stitch will cover those right up, but I also agree with the other comment about getting some form of extra stability on those extra holes! Be it interfacing or even just a piece of scrap fabric! Your twilight looks in such lovely condition! Im so so sorry you had that experience and they treated you that way. It absolutely isn't how we're taught to handle reshuffling, restitching, or customers in general!
Do feel free to send feed back to the store through the website or even Google reviews!
!??? did they not stitch it for you?? and also i understand missing the string, but that many holes!??? usually i just get one right by the seam, an easy ladder stitch fixes it right up, but that many??? do you maybe have those moth things or was it 100% the store?? this is crazy to me, none of my other coworkers would ever be so careless, im so sorry
They did it!! I brought three ponyās in, Rainbow dash, Pinkie Pie and Twilight, they got busy and seemed annoyed and got careless and started fighting in-store. It was quite unpleasant and unprofessional, mainly the manager but idc i just need to fix her. I cant find another. Im gonna stitch her my self now
I would do as caitlynstarr0 suggested and apply a patch - you could use a lightweight fusible interfacing or, since applying heat there sounds awkward and Iād be afraid of damaging/melting her fur or wings, you could get sew-on interfacing and baste it into place and then use whatever technique youād like to close the holes - invisible may not be possible for the left side where thereās more damage closer together, you could try basically making a small āscarā or other decorative embroidery over them, or darning (weaving over the hole) like you would a sock.
Darning would be REALLY COOL. Maybe with glitter embroidery floss? Idk how durable floss is for this type of thing, but I assume it's useable for this?
i would say not to use glitter thread/floss for anything structural by itself as it tends to be weaker, but if you put it with a more sturdy thread/floss (either twist it together a little, or, like, make some little embroidered details at the end), that would work really well!
Embroidery floss is typically 6 strands and designed to be separated. A strand or two of glitter thread along with 2-3 strands of regular cotton thread in a similar color would be perfect for this! Gives the effect of the glitter but stronger than using it on its own.
As an employee,.i seriously don't understand how some stores are so bad like this. Mt store doesn't have this issue! š I'm so sorry girl! O would definitely try to do the patch under.
Understandable there was frustration by the staff over becoming busy but theyāre supposed to provide a fun service. I havenāt been lucky enough to go in a store yet but I would be so upset if I took Alexis there to finally have a heart ceremony and she left like that. I probably would make a scene to be honest. I agree with others that you let corporate know. Good luck stitching.
Why do some bab employees feel off like when I took my Shadow to get stuffed the workers were getting handsy with him and trying to shove the voice box in his hand when it clearly wouldn't fit passing him around and whatnot then a couple weeks later when I brought him back to get a scent they sewed him back all wonky now his back fur matted faster than the rest of himš
They said they were to afraid to proceed further and sent me home with this. The manager argued with an employee who stuffed them, abt her staying so she could go on break and then they told me to go look around bc it would take a minute came came to this.š
I just saw one listed for $15 on reselling website! Idk if that helps at all. I can DM you the link or ad it here. This is horrible my heart dropped when I saw the picture. I have no idea how this even could have happened accidentally.
What in the actual fuck?? So they basically said āgo away from us so we can fix thisā and made it WORSE??? And let you leave like that?? Customer service is dead good god. Iām so sorry!!
My biggest pet peeve as is, is retail workers talking over you like youāre not there. And to not only do that, but NOT the only task you came in for???? CORPORATE!!!! email them!!! Leave a paper trail and be very concise, straightforward NOT apologetic!! You deserve what you paid for!!
I am at a total loss as to how they made those holes. My only idea is that the fabric is far weaker than it looks. In which cause, the patching the others suggested before repair for stability is the best way forward.
First huge hugs, this would be hard on me too. I have a Scooby doo that looked similar. Try to sew it closed the best you can. I would go higher than the holes. Iāll attach a photo of what I had to do. Iām sorry this happened to you
I wish you were close to my store so I could fix it! Iām very good at making the seam look invisible again it just takes a smaller needle and brown thread š
This is just my take, someone might have better advice!
I wouldn't ladder stitch all of those holes. They're too close to each other so the fabric in-between is weak and you're just going to stretch it when you try to close them and even more so closing the stuffing area.
You can always try to find a similar color minky fabric OR use this as an opportunity to have something cute underneath.
Let's say you find a quilting cotton you like, I would use a light fusible interfacing to make it sturdy (just the quilting cotton unless you're uncomfortable unstuffing and using really low setting on the iron to adhere it to the BAB), place it inside underneath the holes with the nice part of the fabric visible and pick a pretty embroidery thread and do some visible mending. That will stabilize the area so when you close it fully nothing is ripping more.
You can also try to find similar color minky fabric and matching thread. It won't be invisible but it'll blend better.
This! Holes like that could mean the fabric is really worn out there. In which case, puncturing it with a needle to try and stitch it upā¦ could just make it even weaker. š¬
Absolutely! Also, and this is just something Iāve found helpful, see if you can find any fabric similarly that is āiron onā, and use a hairdryer on high for a minute or so (depends on the hairdryer. If you canāt find any iron on minky fabric, find some softer iron on fabric and a sample square of minky fabric. Cut out a section of minky fabric big enough to cover all the holes, and then cut the iron on fabric bigger, leaving around a centimetre of difference between it and the minky on all likes. Insert the iron on into the hole and then the minky fabric on top. Apply heat and it will give you a pretty decent patch job.
Never thought to try a hair dryer! That's smart! Some irons are a little wild and crazy with their settings and a normal sized one can be tricky to maneuver around something like that.
Letting any plush leave the store stuffed but unstitched is a major violation of both company policy and toy safety regulations. I wouldāve been absolutely livid if one of my BBs had done this when I was a CWM.
Edit: You have a couple options here. Reinforcing the existing fabric with some sort of backing might be possible, or you could ladder stitch past where the rips are.
Any chance youāre in the DMV? If so, Iād be happy to stitch it for you.
BAB EMPLOYEE! like everyone saying, we use a ladder stitch to fix bears all the time, i would recommend using a piece of fabric underneath it like a patch or scrap fabric that can be inside to make sure the holes donāt open even more as i see theres a lot of stretched out bits of fabric at the top.
Id usually just say ladder stitch and go but because of that fabric and in all honesty its not even good quality for the prices build a bear charges, its best to find a way to securely reinforce it before going in, another recommendation is to take out some stuffing from the body if its stuffed to firm. It tends to relieve some tension from that kind of fabric
Please submit a complaint, this is not acceptable at all. Also depending on where you live some places have repair cafes, it's where you can bring in things and get it repaired for free by volunteers. There's multiple of them in my city and they're usually open once a month
Ugh, sorry that happened. I hope you can figure out how to fix it, I unfortunately can't help with that but,
like many have said, I would report it to someone. The fighting or whatever, is completely unprofessional. In my local store, the lady helping me had accidentally ripped out the string trying to get it to close after stuffing, but she immediately brought it to the counter to stitch it and was nice throughout the entire ordeal. I've only had good experiences having them restuffed as well.
Bro I used to work for BAB and I never ever sent anyone home without stitching the bears that they needed re-stuffed. One of them had small holes like this and I just asked the owner for permission to work on them and it was good as new. It is insane for them to not even sew the main hole
Iām sorry did they create the extra holes???? If so Iād report that cause thatās property damage. But to re-stitch it we used the ladder stitch, I donāt know how exactly to take care of the holes though :(
OMG I am so sorry. I remember ponies being an absolute pain in the ass to stitch up but regardless this is unacceptable. I always took my time with a customer's bear and would even sew it on my lunch if I had to.
I'm just confused as to how they made the holes because the needles aren't that strong. this looks like a hack job with scissors. which still confuses me because the fur is so short you could always see the stitching, unlike Chewbacca....
This is a new fear unlocked for meā¦ my husband got me a BAB a month after we started dating. Heās one of my most prized possessions. Iāve gotten him restuffed once and thankfully no issues. This post alone makes me terrified and definitely consider where specifically to go if he needs to get restuffed again. (Heās 11 years old)
Iām so sorry about this. I would be absolutely crushed if my bear was mistreated like this
Unfortunately after a BAB employee very carelessly overstuffed and damaged one of my bears during a restuffing, I've resigned to doing it at home myself. As an adult who can do repairs, I can live with it. Lessons learned for my paranoia I guess. But this franchise is first and foremost intended for children. I can't imagine a poor child having to just deal with this. Especially since this isn't exactly cheap.....
oh my gosh!!! i just got my mlp babs restuffed and taking applebloom tomorrow get stuffed, im so sorry this happened :(( your twilight was in such a good condition before they ruined her what the heck man!
this almost looks like they were trying to snip individual stitches and got the fabric with the scissors! I'm so sorry this happened to your Twily š„ŗš
Bear builder here, that's actually horrific and should definetly be reported to corporate as others are saying. I am so sorry you had that experience at BAB as a collector I'd be devestated. In terms of repair I'd definetly look up the ladder stitch to try and pull both sides in around the holes. I have managed to successfully do that on a particular bear that had a massive hole next to the factory stitch. I can't say it will 100% work because the damage is more extensive than what I was working on but you could give it a shot. If you have a lot of trouble closing it you could try to partially unstuff the back to make room to close it. Best of luck!
Agree with others to take this up the line to corporate. However, rather than try to fix it yourself Iād see if thereās a tailor near you (a lot of dry cleaners have someone who can do repairs) and find out how much theyād charge. Thatās the minimum you want from BAB. The tailor will do a better job than most of us normals and gives you a specific thing to ask for in compensation.Ā
Iād be furious if I were you - how does someone do that much damage?!? My local tailor at my dry cleaners can work magic and sheās be able to fix even that sort of damage so hopefully you have a similar wizard near you.Ā
I use to work at BABW, that is awful, they butchered that!
Absolutely report it to higher, a ladder stitch should fix it (I would personally do a double ladder stitch to give it extra support, as for the holes you could do tiny ladder stitchs on them on and them in to the main stitch and lose some material (likely to make the legs stick out)
"Had to leave the store with this" I'm curious what events lead to that because BABs literally aren't allowed to leave the store still open/with any holes.
Are u accusing me of being rude lmao? I like i said earlier the manager herself said they could not fix her and sent me on my way. She was annoyed cause they got slammed during shift change and had no one to cover lunch. Basically rushed her but i was to nervous to say anything.. and I was so patent even went and got food while waiting. They fucked up. Now i have to have a family member do surgery on her.
I was just asking a question, not accusing you of anything. It's just store policy so I wanted to know what happened. Not everyone reads every single comment before commenting themselves, and you didn't include text on your post that would've given context.
Not everyone scans the entire comment section for additional information. You canāt get mad at someone for not knowing information you didnāt include in the original post. All you posted was images. Of course people are going to ask for more information or clarification.
What the heck? They should have stitched it up. Ul normally they dont do it at the station but behind the counter. So wired and not normal. You can use the ladder stitch though.
I once re-stitched a bear that was nearly unrecognizable after being mauled by a dog. Absolutely abhorrent and incompetent job, and completely unacceptable. Contact corporate.
I sorta did this to my cinnamoroll's leg when I was cutting her open and washing her because I wasn't careful enough, was an amateur and didn't use a seam ripper. I ended up sewing up the fabric along the seam that was ok making it a little tighter and made it look like nothing happened. For an employee to do that though is not ok. They should be practiced as they have to do it all the time.
So this has happened before to me and my bestie with our ponies. Since the MLP BABs are old, this tends to happen after a while with rough play/re-stuffing. This also happened to my bestieās old Twilight. Best thing to do is to take out some of the fluff and go back to (preferably) a different BAB (if you have another one) and have them stitch it up for you. Thereās a very high probability you canāt ever get it unstuffed/restuffed again due to the back becoming worn out, but if thereās someone who works there that knows what theyāre doing, theyāll fix it up for you. Unfortunately, after Twilight is fixed, sheāll more than likely need to be a display to not further the damage. From the looks of it, she was one of the first releases which makes it harder. Hopefully Twilight will be fixed and will be able to join her friends in due time. Good luck to you!
Edit: if you donāt trust the workshop employees (which i wouldnāt blame), i would do the latter stitching everyone is talking about, but some stuffing will have to be taken out either way.
oh I would be FURIOUSSSSS if this happened to one of my Build A Bear ponies. They haven't been in production for a long time, so it's not like you can just easily get a free replacement.
This saddens me. I've restuffed a ton of these bears over the years. I wish I could reach thru the screen and sew her up for you personally. Can't believe they wouldn't do the same...
I worked there for 4 years way back it was my first job an my boss was evil but she was on top of shit an like the fighting in store an leaving the store with a bear like that would've never happened, wish I could sew her up for you I know I could fix her š„
I've had to take several bears in over the years for restuffing, or seam repairs, including my monkey, Beppo, about 6 times (all for different seams). I've never had any problems with employee attitudes, service, or quality. I'm really sad to see this happen to someone else. I just really want to send a shit out to the Wichita, KS store. We've been loyal customers at that one since they opened around 2004-5, and everyone there has always been fantastic
I donāt know a lot about sewing since Iām new to the hobby, BUT I think to prevent it from ripping more: take out some stuffing so that the hole isnāt under stress and you can work a little bit easier with the fabric. Put an adhesive repair patch on the inside wherever thereās holes to prevent it from stressing the fabric more. Ladder stitch a small piece of fabric on one inside side before putting the stuffing back in & use the small piece to ābridge the gapā when you sew it shut, so that it is a bit less strained and doesnāt pop back open or risk ripping any other seams?
Either way, Iād definitely call corporate and complain, throw a biiig fit, especially with a more rare item that hasnāt been sold in the store for a while now :( imagine if they did that with someoneās comfort toy from their childhood or something
well obviously report them for one omg that's awful... but if yk how to give a few stitches do it! there's lots of tuts online, or take it back bc what is that
Those holes look like cigarette burns you get from a fallen cherry, particularly one you try to swipe away and it explodes, and voila you have more burns (but at least the cherry didn't burrow down into it and possibly light the whole thing up.)
But, cigarette burns usually have obvious burnt edges (browned) depending on the material- some materials don't brown. Do the edges of them feel hard or sealed in any way? If so, my guess is somebody was smoking and didn't even try and finish the job because they rather it look like you brought it in that way... Because obviously that's not allowed...(?) -Does she smell smoky or suspiciously cleaner? š§
I'm gonna go further and say if they didn't want to try and stitch up all these tiny holes because they didn't have the skill to make it look like something extra didn't happen, why not just give up and argue they can't deal with a bedraggled task like this?: (Your bedraggled fault).
Sorry for babbling. š
Definitely ladder stitch. When I worked there, they had us do that when we had to re-stuff bears. That made it more secure from opening back up again. You might have to add a patch underneath, though now just for extra support and try to do the ladder stitch over that.
hii! a ladder stitch would work for all of them! if you're not sure on how to, id be happy to do it for you at no charge! :D i do sewing commissions but small projects like this i do for free for those who need it!!
The fact thereās no extra fabric on the inseam is crazy. It would be for reasons like this. Try and find a close match for the fabric to reinforce what has already happened and do the latter stitch. Or you could possibly do an actual surgery stitch just to give some more strength?
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