Restringing

Restringing is reattaching a doll's loose limbs or replacing loose elastic cord with new cord.

Reasons for Restringing
The dolls are semi strung with elastic cords in the arms and legs, allowing a wide range of movement that cannot be done with flange joints. Vigorous play or constant reposing and moving of limbs can lead to the elastic in a limb becoming loose over time. Loose elastic means that arms will not hold position and legs will not be able to hold the doll up to stand on her own.

Through American Girl
The American Girl Hospital will do restringing under "Limb Reattachment." This costs a flat fee regardless of the amount of limbs needing restringing.

Through Other Means
Other collectors sometimes offer restringing services for a lower cost than the Hospital, often offering discounts for single limbs. Also, a collector can do it themselves.

How to Restring
Tools needed are brass clamp ferrules and washers (two per limb), a heat source such as a blow dryer, wire clamps, a clamp, and 1/8" elastic cord. The cord is avaliable through many doll repair outlets both online and offline; the other items are easily purchased at a hardware store.

The doll's head must be removed and the internal stuffing taken out and kept. This gives access to the strings of the doll through the neck. Each limb needing restringing will need the elastic inside cut and then removed. The limb will detatch from the cloth body and vinyl cup, leaving a loose cup in the limb and a loose cup internally. The loose cup must be removed from the limb; the vinyl is generally heated to allow a smooth removal. The elastic is then replaced, clamped into place with the ferrule, and the limb cup is replaced into the limb. The elastic is guided through the hole in the joint cup and the internal cup, pulled tight, held in place with a clamp, and the ferrule is clamped down. Once all desired limbs are restrung, the doll is restuffed and the head replaced.

A complete guide is avaliable here: http://justmagicdolls.com/articles/restringing/restringing.htm

This cannot be done with Bitty Baby or Bitty Twins due to their body structure.