I am an avid watcher of Repair Shop and of course the Teddy Bear Ladies often have a teddy to mend/restore. These ladies often take the bear totally apart, and wash the fabric carefully and then line all the pieces with some toning thin felt to give the original some strength and body - by the way they mostly sew everything by hand, and they have a special long tool that they use for the stuffing, they manage to get the stuffing in and then use this tool and give it a twist to make it firmer.