Things that annoy you... *Rant Thread* - pt.2

It is an underrated word that makes me giggle

My tracking hasn’t updated since the beginning of December on 2 of my items. So broken.

 

I get annoyed by those who are judgmental and nosy about what another collector is doing. These dolls take a lot of effort and we should all be focused on our own instead of worrying over what someone else is doing or buying.

 

Hmmm... Preemptively, I'll say that how difficult shipping has become due to COVID is almost certainly going to annoy me later down the road. Packages come slowly, and once or twice they've even gotten lost---obviously with a reputable company that's nothing to be afraid of, since they'd refund it, but I don't know how that would be handled if it got lost while shipping to or from an artist doing, say, a faceup. Though, I don't have enough bad experiences to know how that would work, anyhow.

 

Hand-sewing. It's less drama than machine-sewing for tinies, but it takes FOR-EVER and my ADHD doesn't like that.

 

I feel ya. I always hand the hand sewing to my mom as I don’t have the patience for it at all.

 

My ADHD makes me the opposite. I have a sewing machine, but I have no idea how to use it, and it stresses me out when I used to try. I don't have the patience to find a youtube video series to learn how, nor do I want to learn how right now.

But hand sewing calms me. Its like meditation.

Ryu

 

1. The "Normal" skin label.
2. Not having the option for darker resin colors.
3. Darker resins being much more expensive.
4. Production times being months long even years (looking at you dollshe)
5. Doll clothes being just as if not more expensive then people clothes... isn't it less fabric? Idk. Dosen't stop me though.

 

I thiiiink that this is caused by
1- lots of doll clothes are made by hand, or in small batches, by individuals or small companies
2- teeny little doll clothes can be a *pain* to sew, especially if they have lots of little little details.

at least thats what comes to mind for me? if anyone else has thoughts/opinions feel free to add!

 

Definitely agree that most clothing is made by hand by just one person, so I understand.

 

Simple kimono and yukata are seriously super-easy to make yourself, and if you check down in the Patterns thread in the crafting section of the forum there are at least a couple of freebie patterns to give you an idea of how to start. (It's easy to resize for whatever doll type you're sewing for once you see how the pieces go together-)

There's not a lot of fancy technique involved, so they make great "learning projects" if you're a newbie at sewing, and pretty much any light-weight linen, cotton or silk will work material-wise. (I've made yukata out of quilter's cotton, and kimono out of shirting, for instance-)

So, don't take the lack of ready-made laying down! Get out there and make your own.

Which... leads to my rant of the day...
My favorite on-line fabric source is out of the light-weight off-white linen I wanted.
BAH! *shakes tiny fist*

 

Speaking as someone who was more experienced than most with a sewing machine when I took up bjds, I can say that it took me several months to really understand the best techniques for making doll clothes. And the fabric is really the least of it. I've done commission work as well and you can spend a lot more on the right trims and notions to make the outfit pop than the fabric. The labor can be ridiculous too-I've spent enough time on one outfit that I don't even want to think about what I was making an hour-it was next to nothing. Admittedly, the folks who are doing one limited outfit can kind of mass produce, but they're still not making a fortune. Which is why I don't do commission work any more-got tired of folks wanting a custom outfit for their odd-sized doll, but wanting to pay me less than they'd cheerfully shell out to a company for something mass-produced.

 

You guys have made great points all of which are valid. A good pair of ethically sourced jeans for example cost me a pretty penny. A lot of jobs have been sourced over seas because it's cheaper, sweat shops etc. Then we also have the forced labor of our inmates, they get paid close to nothing and major corporations take advantage for their gains. There's alot factoring into it. Fast fashion has definitely influenced how I see clothing prices ngl.

 

My rant: WHERE ARE THE LONG DRESSES??? The max length is to the knees and that's if I'm lucky. If I just needed skirts, then I'd figure it out myself, but I can't make a fitted bodice to save my life. I have fantasy ladies and historical ladies that need dresses to mid shin at a minimum but nope. Can't find it in 1/4 or 1/3.

 

My most recent hobby rant?

Motivation—or lack thereof—to get any hobby related projects done. It takes so much for me to bother picking something up and getting to work on it, and a few projects have been left halfway done with me not having the motivation to finish them. But then—February's always been a tough month for me. I tend to become creatively bankrupt every time February rolls around, and have no drive to really do anything. I'll just have to weather the storm and try and pick it back up in March.

 

I'm annoyed that there isn't an easier way to straighten those annoying doll wigs that inevitably arrive all weirdly curled to one side and can't be styled. Trying to figure out some obnoxious contraption to hold the wig up properly so I can pour water over it is entirely too much work for my lazy self.

 

Current pet peeve - how difficult it can be to judge wig quality when shopping on eBay. And odd-coloured wig based (not sure of the word, the part the hair attaches to?) - an auburn wig with a grey base!

 

TIL...I think I'll go take a look soon. I would love to be able to make a royal kimono for Hisato, my MNF prince, despite having to sew by hand.

There are people here on DoA that make custom dresses/clothes, maybe commission someone?

Ugh, why are doll stands so freakin' expensive! I don't care for the crotch ones, I just want a bunch of waist doll stands that don't cost $25+ each! And ones for SDs and 70cm dolls are even MOAR expensive!

Ryu

 

I don't think there's any need to hide behind your sofa for any of that! I see what you mean about assumptions packaged in with the labelling of resin bodies (especially Iple as fat?? what???) I know iple used to be thicker than other dolls of that height, and thereby harder to clothe with standard clothes, but nowadays, I think a lot of 65cm dolls fit that same size, and even ignoring that, iplehouse still strikes me as thinner-than-average relative to human body types?

The other one that strikes me, admittedly only after seeing Reese (twigling) discuss it was gender essentialism--the defining of a plastic body with certain features as male or female. Especially as she uses gender-neutral pronouns for a lot of her sculpts, I know Reese's thoughts on it were really interesting to read, thinking about why certain heads or bodies were treated as innately gendered in the first place. It got me thinking a bunch, because I have a few characters whose gender does not align with the gender ascribed to them by their respective companies.

 

I feel like my “rant” is going to get so much backlash lol....

I just don’t like how expensive pets are. BUT I understand the smaller dolls do require precision and skill to make something so small. But sheesh I’ve come across people selling like... bunnies or snails for like 300. That’s the price of a doll.... I’m still new to the hobby so forgive me if I understand nothing but that’s super frustrating.