Restringing Ginny in Time for Christmas

Vogue Dress Me Ginnys from 1996, 2009, and 2002 fell apart in December 2023.

In December 2023, a trio of Ginny dolls fell apart. I placed them on my "to-do" list (learn how to restring these myself instead of relying on my husband to do it). For over nine months, the dolls lay on a doll bed in the doll room until I finally ordered restringing bands designed for Madame Alexander's 8-inch dolls (because I thought the bands would work for my Ginnys, too, after I viewed a YouTube instructional video).

Another before stringing photo shows the dolls with the 2002 Ginny's head just propped up on the neck.

After the bands arrived, I took one more photo of the dolls before removing their clothes only to discover that the bands would not work!

My Dress-Me Ginnys have zip ties in the arms and legs to attach the original rubber bands used for stringing together.

A zip tie, instead of a metal hook, is in each doll's arm and leg for attaching the original bands (as illustrated in the photo above). The zip tie forms a hole instead of a hook, so an elasticized string, not a rubber band, had to be used to restring these girls.

Fortunately, I had enough 1/8-inch (3 mm elasticized cord) to complete the task. I couldn't take photos of the restringing process because I had to use both hands (and a hemostat) to grasp the cord and pull it through the arms, legs, and heads.

Individual After Photos

2002 Dress-Me Ginny wears a separately-sold Christmas dress.

Vintage Dress-me Ginny from 2009 also wears a separately-sold Christmas dress.

This Vogue Christmas coat, hat, and boots keep this 1996 Dress-me Ginny warm.

As a Whole Group

The girls are whole again just in time to display in a couple of months in this year's Christmas decor as they have been displayed in past years. 

The trio is seen in this photo from the archives and two of the three are in the photo below with other Christmas-dressed dolls.

Christmas Dru, Gingerbread Dru, and a Ginny Boy joined two of the now restrung Ginnys in another photo from the archives.

Related Link

Stringing Ginny (video)

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Two More Patients for Doc G.

Two early Ginny dolls have come unstrung.

I discovered these two limbless Ginny dolls when I retrieved my 1913 Grumpy doll to photograph for the Grumpy post.  Since their early 1990s arrival, they had been sharing a curio cabinet with Grumpy, my composition Patsy,  and several other 8-inch Ginny and Madame Alexander Wendys.  They both have 1991 copyrights from Vogue Dolls. Ginny Little Navajo is on the left and Sari on the right in the above picture.   Both are from the International Collection.

As I reached into the back of the curio to remove Grumpy, I saw the Little Navajo's jacket with the doll's arms in the sleeves, but no body or head.  Oh my... here we go again, I thought.  Sari's head, dangling from the body, was found next. 

The two patients had a bit of a wait before receiving attention.

I removed the clothing and wrist tags and kept them in the waiting area (the doll room) for a day or two before taking them to the resident doctor along with the remaining elastic cord.  Upon receiving them this past Sunday, Doc Garrett said, "I'll have to get to them later.  I'm about to watch the game."  (No one, except our grandsons, maybe, interferes with his football time.)

I have no idea how long these two had been in their states of  limb-lessness with heads loosely hanging or completely separate from their bodies; but I knew a few more days in that condition would not matter.  So I left them in the capable hands of the doctor. 

Monday evening the doctor returned the patients to me as good as new. 

I dressed them to prepare for their return to the curio cabinet.

Now that my elastic cord for restringing is almost gone, I will have to replenish the supply soon. I am certain there are other unnoticed dolls here that are in the same, if not worse, predicament.



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Lost and Found Arms

The armless Patsy Joan

When I gathered all my Black Patsys to photograph for the Buttercup Trixie and Predecessors post, I discovered Patsy Joan had lost her arms... somewhere!  There she stood, armless high upon the top row of a wall shelf with other similar-size dolls alongside and behind her.  Oh where, oh where are your arms, girl?  (I wondered.)


I felt around on the shelf for the arms, but they were not there!  Since standing dolls cover the floor beneath, in front of, and on the right and left sides of that shelf, I moved several standers and found one arm.  Relieved, I moved some of the standers and continued to look in the general area where I felt the other arm might have fallen; and there it was, a little farther back than where the other arm had landed onto the carpeted floor.

From the desk drawer I retrieved some sewing elastic since I could not readily find the rubber string that "we" usually use for restringing.  I undressed Patsy Joan and took the doll, the arms, and elastic to Doc Garrett, who shook his head as he inhaled and exhaled a brief sigh after accepting the new patient.   Without saying a word, I just smiled at him.  He knew what needed to be done.

I returned to the doll room and continued photographing the other Patsys.  Before I had them all photographed, the doctor brought Patsy Joan and the remaining elastic to the doll room.  With the repair completed, he said, "I'm going to have to start charging you 50 cents or something."  I chuckled but agreed with his next statement:  "You'd have to pay a lot more if you had to send the dolls off for repairs."

Although I concur, I have not yet paid him his 50-cent fee. 

Patsy Joan with restrung arms

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