Bodysuit snag

Sorry for posting another topic. This one’s much more important.

So I was adjusting 2B’s bodysuit to smooth out a wrinkle after posing her when a rough part of my finger snagged her bodysuit (not sure what the right terms are). I nearly killed myself - figuratively speaking of course. But I’ve been mentally and physically, with a pillow, beating myself up ever since that happened. It was so stupid. I’ll be wearing white gloves once I find somewhere to buy them.

I love her so much. I was distraught all night because of what happened. The only way I could sleep was think, “what’s the worst that could’ve happened?” And, thankfully, that snag wasn’t it. It’s sorta hard to see in the picture, so I had to circle the small black dot. With my own eyes, I can spot it, but I can’t assess the actual damage unless looking from the side and under good lighting.

Is there some way I could fix this issue? Or perhaps prevent it from getting worse?

I contacted my DD Friend Shop, and they said that they aren’t selling and can’t find any extras of the bodysuit, which is unique to 2B.

I checked 2B's original listing, and she's a Semi-White skin, not a custom skin tone or anything of that sort, so the bodysuit shouldn't be unique/custom made for her, as I assume from her photos that there isn't any special painting or something (like Miku's arm tattoo, for example) on the suit itself, and it's just used to keep her from getting easily stained.  Even if it does have some small custom painting on it, it seems like most of her outfit covers it anyway, so even just replacing it with a basic DDdy bodysuit would work fine.  Just keep an eye out for a DDdy Semi-White body suit, either secondhand, or for the Volks store to restock it.

I don't think the snag should cause you any issues in the meantime, and you probably won't be able to smooth it back out.  Sometimes, if you snag fabric but don't break any of the fibers, you can kind of run your fingers along the fabric on either side of the snag away from it to try and smooth the fibers back out, or even just stretch that area out to reposition the stretchy fibers into place with the others.  If you've snapped the fibers, so that there's a tiny hole there now, there's not really any fix you can do, and I think personally the best option would be to leave it alone as much as possible, otherwise you'll risk the hole getting bigger, and just try to replace the bodysuit later on down the line.

There's an old 'trick' for women who've accidentally snagged their nylons while wearing them, which is to use a little bit of clear nail polish to keep the threads from coming undone through the rest of the day, but I do not recommend it in this situation.  The nail polish would likely be far more noticeable on the bodysuit than the snag is, so definitely stay away from this solution.

15 minutes ago, OccultBeast said:

I checked 2B's original listing, and she's a Semi-White skin, not a custom skin tone or anything of that sort, so the bodysuit shouldn't be unique/custom made for her,

Her bodysuit has a chest cutout matching the cutout in her dress, so it is unique to 2B

Just now, BeyondTime said:

Her bodysuit has a chest cutout matching the cutout in her dress, so it is unique to 2B

Yep. And I've heard that 2B's bodysuit also has the back zipper to the side so that it doesn't show through the back cutout (I don't have a normal bodysuit, so I'm not too sure).

19 minutes ago, OccultBeast said:

I don't think the snag should cause you any issues in the meantime, and you probably won't be able to smooth it back out.  Sometimes, if you snag fabric but don't break any of the fibers, you can kind of run your fingers along the fabric on either side of the snag away from it to try and smooth the fibers back out, or even just stretch that area out to reposition the stretchy fibers into place with the others.  If you've snapped the fibers, so that there's a tiny hole there now, there's not really any fix you can do, and I think personally the best option would be to leave it alone as much as possible, otherwise you'll risk the hole getting bigger, and just try to replace the bodysuit later on down the line.

I'll try this out. I was also wondering if pushing the protruding bit in with a sewing needle might do anything. If nothing else, I'll leave it alone as it is.

Besides the bodysuit boob hole, the seams are different so they don't show on her butt etc.

1 hour ago, whitewhale said:

Is there some way I could fix this issue? Or perhaps prevent it from getting worse?

Yes it can spread if not tended to. Search for "how to fix runs in nylon stockings" and you'll turn up plenty of articles, but they'll all tend to suggest using clear fingernail polish to seal the hole. Random article:

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Sewing-Tips-and-Tricks/Sewing-Hacks-How-to-Fix-a-Run-in-Tights

Edit: That's if any of the fibers are actually torn. If it's just stretched it should be ok.

Suggestion: I always wear nitrile gloves when handling DDs.

Edited June 19, 2020 by cfx

5 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Her bodysuit has a chest cutout matching the cutout in her dress, so it is unique to 2B

I had a feeling that might be the case, given her outfit!  Just couldn't find proof of it easily enough, not having seen her in person myself.

 

1 minute ago, whitewhale said:

Yep. And I've heard that 2B's bodysuit also has the back zipper to the side so that it doesn't show through the back cutout (I don't have a normal bodysuit, so I'm not too sure).

I'll try this out. I was also wondering if pushing the protruding bit in with a sewing needle might do anything. If nothing else, I'll leave it alone as it is.

I'd try with something more blunt than a needle if you did, as you could accidentally snag more of the fibers in the process using a sewing needle.  But if it does seem like you've only pulled the thread and not snapped it, you may just be able to rub the fabric around it and get that one thread to lay a little more flat, even while it's still on her.

5 minutes ago, whitewhale said:

And I've heard that 2B's bodysuit also has the back zipper to the side so that it doesn't show through the back cutout (I don't have a normal bodysuit, so I'm not too sure).

The normal Volks ones have snaps in the back, so even the presence of a zipper makes it unique to 2B. 
 

Just now, OccultBeast said:

I had a feeling that might be the case, given her outfit!  Just couldn't find proof of it easily enough, not having seen her in person myself.

Eh, I only know because owners have posted stuff about it here. 

Edited June 19, 2020 by BeyondTime

4 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Eh, I only know because owners have posted stuff about it here. 

I never looked into much because I didn't want to come to regret not having gotten one myself! 😂

If you're certain the material is just stretched in that area, place a finger on either side of the protrusion, say 1/2" apart, and press outwards stretching the material, just a tiny bit. Then do that 90 degrees from where you just did it. That can make the threads equalize back out over the area. Don't overdo it and stretch the whole area out, and if any of the threads are broken then this will likely make the tear worse.

I didn't invent that technique; it is shown on instructions that come with some of the doll pantyhose.

1 hour ago, whitewhale said:

So I was adjusting 2B’s bodysuit to smooth out a wrinkle after posing her when a rough part of my finger snagged her bodysuit (not sure what the right terms are).

Just a additional note, this is really common with doll clothing because the fabrics and stitching are so fine. I have dry skin and if I don’t wear gloves as @cfx suggested just handling the clothes snags fibers on rough patches in my skin. 
 

You can get cotton gloves in packs of 3 on amazon, and they’re pretty cheap. 

Edited June 19, 2020 by BeyondTime

12 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Just a additional note, this is really common with doll clothing because the fabrics and stitching are so fine. I have dry skin and if I don’t wear gloves as @cfx suggested just handling the clothes snags fibers on rough patches in my skin. 
 

You can get cotton gloves in packs of 3 on amazon, and they’re pretty cheap. 

I am definitely planning to get gloves. My skin is usually smooth. The stocking snagged on one of those temporary rough bits at the tips of your fingers, besides your nails.

16 minutes ago, cfx said:

If you're certain the material is just stretched in that area, place a finger on either side of the protrusion, say 1/2" apart, and press outwards stretching the material, just a tiny bit. Then do that 90 degrees from where you just did it. That can make the threads equalize back out over the area. Don't overdo it and stretch the whole area out, and if any of the threads are broken then this will likely make the tear worse.

I didn't invent that technique; it is shown on instructions that come with some of the doll pantyhose.

I can't tell if the material is just stretched. There is one visible horizontal line under good lighting at the area where the snag is, perpendicular to the vertical seams (if that's the right word). At the center is less than 1 mm of fabric jutting out, slightly puffy at both the base and apex. It's almost impossible to tell if it's just one string just cut off at the top, or if the top is still connected and it loops around, returning down besides itself. I'd need a magnifying glass.

I'm assuming it's cut atm. I'm really, really sad. Hopefully it doesn't get worse.

Edit: Also, the bodysuit is stretched, obviously. I can't stretch the material much more, so I think I'll have to take it off later on to try that technique.

Edited June 19, 2020 by whitewhale

42 minutes ago, whitewhale said:

Edit: Also, the bodysuit is stretched, obviously. I can't stretch the material much more, so I think I'll have to take it off later on to try that technique.

If it's already tight enough that you can't do this easily by just pressing your fingers on the vinyl and pushing outward a bit, don't do it because you don't want to overstretch it.

I don't have 2B, or any of the doll bodysuits, so I don't know how tightly stretched they are when worn. I've done this technique with doll pantyhose but they're thinner and likely not as tightly stretched.

1 hour ago, whitewhale said:

Hopefully it doesn't get worse.

I would try to determine if it's just stretched out of shape or if the fiber is truly snapped. If it's snapped and the bodysuit is stretched tightly I would take it off of her and put it away until you have an idea of how to fix it.

One thing about repairing things like this is that you don't need to rush into it. It can be a good idea to take stock of the situation, gather information, and think about how to proceed.

One option might be to take it to a sewing shop and ask someone there. Another option is going to doll meets and asking someone, but those probably aren't going to happen anytime in the near future.

Chances are your only replacement option would be to buy the full outfit from Mandarake or Yahoo Japan Auctions. I'll be honest, all these outfits are going to deteriorate with use over time. It's just like any other clothing item, so I don't think I would spend that kind of money on something small. The outfit would probably go for a few hundred dollars, and you could have another snag the day after you got it.

When I got my Saber Altria her armored gloves couldn't hold her sword because the gap in her fist was too small. The sword hilt was even designed to come apart so you could fit the narrowest part in and then put the hilt back together inside of her closed hand. The glove itself came apart right where two parts were glued together when I tried to get it in.

It wasn't that big a deal since it was just two plastic parts that were glued together in the first place and nothing was snapped, but I didn't want to epoxy them back together until I figured out a way to fix it so that the space was large enough to hold the sword properly. That part spent about a year in two pieces because even though I knew what I needed to do to fix the issue I couldn't think of a good way to do it, but eventually I came up with something and it worked.

I decided I ain't gonna fuss about it any more. It's taking more of a mental toll than I'd like to admit, shamefully, since it's the first actual doll I'll be taking care of for quite a while. The snag is on the inner thigh, which is better than anywhere else around the thigh. It can be hidden by her skirt. And all I want is to be able to cuddle her for a long time into the future. So, I decided to use transparent nail polish and be done with it. There's more of 2B that I treasure than that small snag. Although, having done the little fix to prevent the issue from worsening, the snag is more apparent while the bodysuit is worn.