Does anyone else hate certain BJD clothing closures?

A much safer alternative (and not synthetic-specific) is to put a little fray check on the ends - I do it to all my ribbons.

 

I wouldn't say I hate any particular closure type, but I definitely have preferences that are based on the scale of the doll. I've never had anything bigger than 1/6, barring a few porcelain dolls I don't play dress-up with, but the smaller the doll, the more important it is that the closure be 'seamless' or at the very least, make sense for the type of garment it is. Nothing ruins the elegance of a ballgown or a prom dress than a bulky velcro closure in the back, even the thinner kind meant for delicate fabrics. But at the same time, velcro is extremely bulky and noticeable on something smaller than 1/6, so my tinies won't be wearing any velcro unless it's something it makes sense in, like an animal costume.

So I'm not against velcro in doll clothes, but I typically would prefer any other type of closure if the option exists. I don't mind my playlines having velcro, I do mind my expensive art dolls having it.

 

Velcro....ugh....I despise that crap. Not only does it damage more delicate fabrics, trims and wigs, but it feels so cheap and more suitable for little kid toys, not realistic, high quality, beautiful, BJD clothes. It kind of ruins any doll clothes I buy, and makes me less likely to buy from the seller again. That and it rarely lays right and tends to make things look bulky, warped or awkward. Have I mentioned I despise that crap??

Another is lace up stuff. This one really depends on how it's done and how easy it is to use. It's great for realism, making things adjustable and looking pretty, but it's a pain in the ass when you need to undo 16 loops in a corset to get it on the doll, or fully unlace a boot to get the foot in.

Buttons, snaps, hook and eye, tiny zippers, head removal required...that's all fine by me!

 

I think types of closures don't annoy me as much as the lack of closures on certain garments. I'm not the kind of person who's chill with popping off hands or heads; most of my dolls don't have an easy way to get those back on, I don't have dressing hands, and I don't think a lot of my dolls have those notches for hooks to rest on if I took things off.

But as for actual closures, the way velcro snags does bother me, always grabbing onto hair and such. I don't have a lot in my BJDs' clothes, thank goodness. I get that it's probably handy for a kid's doll clothes if the kid is young enough to make snaps a struggle, but I'm good without it.

In my own doll sewing, I tend to use snaps. I'm hoping to get better at buttons and I need to learn how to install zippers, but in the meantime, all snaps all the time over here!

 

The most frustrating closure I have encountered are super tiny loop +pearls closures.
You must imagine the tiniest pearls possible, and a loop just exactly big enough to stay around it on the other clothing part.
Of course the clothes are also sitting very tight in the areas this closure is used (like on arms for example)

And then you are expected to fumble them together. Of course it's practically impossible to get the loop over them. In the end you need an hour and tiny tweezers

 

I always use metal snaps for my closure, as long as it makes sense for the garment. I rarely use velcro. The back of an outfit having a giant strip of velcro sticking out of it just looks wrong to me haha. I like functional buttons, but tend not to put them on clothing I make. Getting the button holes perfect on a tiny scale is a pain when you can just stitch on some snaps real quick. I also wont use hook/eye or similar type closures. They don't stay closed well in my experience, unless you get the large ones that slide under a metal bar, and those are difficult to close and unsightly. I do like to use zippers as well, especially in things like jackets or dresses. It looks more realistic to me.

 

Velcro - all of my guys have long hair and I always found it gets stuck in velcro back closures which is just so unpleasant. I had a few Soom outfits where the fabric was too delicate for the velcro closures so was always scared I might accidently rip something. I do not like sticky back velcro in general as the glue on the back of it is an absolute pain to get unstuck and the residue it leaves is horrible.

 

Little buckles on doll shoes drive me crazy though I like the look of buckles and straps. Any kind of ribbon shoes, and lace up boots, ditto. My hands are so bad that it's really hard for me to do up that stuff now. I want my dolls to look good but dressing them can be very hard for me sometimes. Ditto stringing. I used to be very good at it and now it's hard!

 

I know snaps are fiddly but I use them often, and stitch them on to within an inch of their tiny lives. If they come off? They can be replaced.
Once at a Con I even moved a snap over so the outfit I sold would fit the buyer's doll more precisely. They're easy to do that with, for a more custom fit.

I DO use velcro
but before you roast me! XD
I use dolly velcro that usually won't snag nearly as much. It's very fine stuff. I always think strategically about which side of a closure I put which bit on to minimize chance of snagging. Snaps can be just too bulky for an area that needs to lie flat, or for 1/6 size dolls or smaller.
Also, Velcro is just more Accessible. A lot of us in this hobby have vision or coordination issues when dealing with stuff this TINY and well, velcro is easy to stick and unstick.

That said, Having seen this thread, I shall probably use it less and keep improving upon my stock to get less snaggy stuff.

I usually fake string ties if they are not long ribbons- I fold little knots, sew them on, and have snaps firmly under each one. That way it looks like you tied teeny strings but you won't have to and I don't either! I do like being able to tie cutesy clothes with ribbon. It just works with the whole ruffly pastiche.

 

I’m in the Not A Fan of Velcro camp. I hate the sound. It never looks right. It snags fibers. Urgh. It irritates me to detangle wigs from it. And let’s not forget that bits of fluff are drawn to it like a month to a flame.

I don’t like doll scale buttons either because my hand strength is poor. Minimal lacing is fine.

I use snaps, not the giant ones. Not the tiny ones. The Goldilocks size.

All that said, what’s great about this hobby is there are a multitude of ways to fasten doll clothes. You do you.

It would be nice if sellers note the closures used.

 

Buttons! I have a doll heart skirt that I almost want to throw away despite liking it because it's a series of tiny buttons to fasten the skirt. I split my brittle nails trying to fasten the poor thing. I much prefer velcro, metal snaps, eyelets, anything but the real buttons! I like the look of the buttons but they don't need to be functional. Lol

 

Yes! The little tiny buttons are the worse. Especially when they are up against the neck or body of the doll. It's so difficult to my hands to fasten and on fasten them when the material has no give, and the button hole is too small.

 

The most personally frustrating are ones that lack closures, and expect you to disassemble your doll instead. I mostly collect DDs and other vinyl dolls, and while I don't mind removing hands for changing clothes, removing heads is a pain, even if it's not that hard to do. One of my dolls has a delicately styled, tight-fitting wig that I don't want to risk messing up, and it also means the outfit can't be worn by resin dolls whose heads don't come off. Plus, sometimes it's still difficult to fit the clothes over their shoulders. I've seen a Smartdoll dress pattern that expected you to take off the doll's bust to get it on and off, and at that point, I'm just not going to bother.

As far as actual closures go, I think tiny, in-scale buttons are the most difficult to work with. They're hard on my fingers, and there's usually a ton of them, too.

 

I now fear lace-up clothes. I'd like to say I did this with no needle as not even a sewing needle would fit through the loops. I had my hands, the provided crochet thread, and the caffiene through my veins.
imgur.com

imgur.com
I will not be doing this again.