1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
    Dismiss Notice

Do you remove hands and head when dressing/redressing?

Sep 23, 2015

    1. Another thread brought up the question about do you change clothes on your dolls. Yesterday I decided to change the elaborate outfit on my Dollstown big girl to her Halloween witch costume. I always forget what a job it is to redress! I almost lost a finger when it got caught in the threads and almost lost one eyelash strip wallowing her around on the bed!! I think a poll would be great to find out if others are lazy like me and risk damage and if I need to get smarter!! LOL!!!
       
    2. I remove the head if it won't fit through the neck hole, but I only remove mag-on hands. Other hands can darn well stay on if it's in any way possible, I hate fiddling with S-hooks.
       
    3. I find that if something does require the removal of hands, I very quickly no longer find said outfit attractive :P I really hate having to take a doll apart. The one time that I had to switch hands in order to get an outfit on was the one and only time I have ever damaged a doll - the s-hook slipped, and gouged the inside of her wrist joint. Not a visible thing but it really made me paranoid lol. Besides, how do you hold onto the string and s-hook while slipping on something that is too tight to fit over the hands? I think things should be constructed in a way that takes into account the dolls they are being made for :/
       
    4. Yay for the one touch system Volks got for their dolls' hands and feet! XD It's really easy to take them off even though they're not magnetic. I only do so, though, when I can't get the clothes on any other way - when the pant legs or the sleeves are too tight for the hands or feet. The head comes off when the neck hole is too tight. Other than that, I usually only take the wig off (since it'll come off anyways).
       
    5. I take te S-hook out and slip a piece of rolled-up bubblewrap or fabric through the elastic to keep it more or less in place. Once the outfit is on, I pull on the bubblewrap or fabric to get a nice loop of elastic to slip the hook back on, and then I attach the hand/foot again. (Still way too much trouble. :P )
       
    6. I definitely take heads off any time I'm putting something on that goes over the head. Sometimes depending on the head and the garment just removing the headcap is enough to make space so the clothing isn't dragging over the face. I try to avoid taking hands off if at all possible, though. I would do it if I had to for a really great outfit, but I'd rather not--- all of my dolls have s-hook hands, not magnet ones, so it's a major pain in the ass. I usually end up asking my daughter to reattach the hands because for some wierd reason she's just way better at it than me =P
       
    7. When I sew clothes for my dolls, I make them so they open enough in the back so I won't have to remove the ehad. But one or two things I've bought require a head removal. Except for my MiroDoll Mika, all the heads come off fairly easily.
      I never remove the hands or feet for dressing my dolls. It's too hard to get them back on.
      Also sometimes you can pull a stretchy knit shirt on by putting their legs through it and pulling it up, rather than trying to get it on over their head.
      I haven't replied to that other thraad, but I do change my dolls' clothes often.
       
    8. I'll remove bits if I need to... heads, hands, even feet in the case of my hooved and clawed Soom guys... But I don't find it necessary for every change or for every doll. It just depends on the individual piece.

      What I *do* find myself removing almost every time is the doll's wig. Especially if it's a longer one prone to getting tangled or in the way.
       
    9. This is my absolute favorite thing about Volks! They make it soooo easy, I wish all dolls were that simple.

      Sometimes, I do pop heads off if it's going to be a tight squeeze, but I really hate removing hands (Or heads when they headcap is connected to the s-hook). I try to not buy any clothes that require hand removal, and the few I do have rarely ever get worn. That's just too much hassle for a clothing change.
       
    10. I only remove the head if I have to -- for like, pull-on hoodies and stuff, mostly. I don't love removing the head a ton, because a lot of my dolls have finicky wigs, so if I don't have to, I won't. On the other hand, I always prioritize the faceup over my comfort, so a lot of them get their heads taken off fairly regularly :p

      I never take the hands off, because none of my dolls have hands that come off easily. So if the hands won't fit through the holes, that doll doesn't wear that top or dress. Bah.
       
    11. For the most part, no, I don't bother with it, even with the ones with mag-on hands. (Except for one, but his hands are a little loose, and tend to pop off whether I want them to or not while dressing him, so I just save the trouble and take them off before I start.) Only if I know that a particular outfit's going to be tight around the arms or otherwise tough to get fingers through, AND the hands are mag-on. It's way too much trouble for the hook-on hands, and that's the vast majority of my MSDs.

      For heads, again, no, I generally don't bother with it. Most of the clothes I have for my dolls have either a front or back opening of some sort, so I don't have to bother with their heads. I do have one shirt that doesn't have an opening, and doesn't stretch enough, but it belongs to one specific doll, a MiniFee, so it's easier to get his head off and on again than the rest. Even so, it's such a pain that I rarely swap him in and out of that particular shirt. (Though that might also be because he spends more time than necessary undressed... :wiggle)
       
    12. My Elfdoll girl, Volks MSDs, and Volks Dollfie Dream hybrid have easily removable hands and I always yoink off their hands before redressing anything with sleeves; it's just less headache.

      If there's a significance chance of the clothing rubbing the faceup or crushing eyelashes (like, something with a realistically small neck hole), I usually take off the head too; it's a couple extra minutes of effort, but avoiding the risk of messing up the faceup is worth it. I wish all companies had easy mechanisms for head and hand removal.
       
    13. I avoid removing their hands,legs and head with a passion but it is only if necessary then i do it, such as if the collar for the t-shirt cannot fit through the head then i will remove the head but i try to avoid it as much as possible. Same goes with the hands and legs
       
    14. Although I have dolls that I love as much or more than my Fairyland dolls, the Fairyland dolls are the ones I find myself interacting with the most because they are so easy to dress! Not only do they have mag hands, but I can also easily swap mag feet between flat and heel, which doubles my shoe options. So I've come to discover that having a wide array of outfits, wigs, and shoes -- and being able to use them all frequently -- is one of the things I love most about my BJDs!

      Somehow I never think to take a doll's head off when I dress them -- it seems kind of inhumane.:XD: But when I do remove the head, I always think, now why don't I do this all the time?! Makes it so much easier...
       
    15. NEVER!

      I'll rip through seams before I do that. I know... I should just remove heads and hands. Plus--removing the head carefully can save on clothes brushing up against faceups! But I'm terrible about taking dolls apart in any way. I've had bjds since 2004 and have still never restrung them!
       
    16. I remover her head because it falls off a lot ^^;;
      I've never removed her hands (i am actually not really sure how to) o-o i was scared the stringing would... unstring..?
      LOL I BET I SOUND LIKE SUCH A NEWB SORRY
      I've only had her for 2ish months ahahah
       
    17. I almost always take off hands because it's really easy with the one-touch system and that way I don't have to worry about breaking a finger or squeezing hands through tight arm holes.
      But I can't stand taking off Nadeko's head, it's annoying and freaks me out although I'm fine with restringing. I do it only with one outfit because even an MSD head wouldn't fit through that neck hole and there's no other way to get that shirt on, but if I had known that before buying the outfit I don't think that I would have bought it.
       
    18. I think it depends on what I'm dressing the doll in as well as which doll it is.
      For example, with Pixie, if the clothing is stretchy/non binding in any way I'll likely leave all her parts on. But if I'm putting her in her latex catsuit, feet and hands MUST come off or I risk tearing the latex. Some of her shirts also don't stretch enough to clear those massive ears of hers so off comes her head.
      And in the case of my Ephemera (DC Alberta) often times her head MUST come off because there is no way I can get a shirt over those huge horns.
       
    19. I avoid it if there is any way possible. Such a pain. The few clothes I have that require removal of body parts just sit in my boxes, collecting dust.
       
    20. I've collected BJDs for 10 years now and have actually never had to remove their heads or hands when dressing them. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have any pullover type doll's clothes...