Thanks for asking them! That explanation makes sense! I use zip-ties a lot for pet-related projects. They are amazing things because you can pull them as tight as humanly possible, and they stay "locked." I guess there's often a stigma attached to "natural" (cotton (?) strings) versus "man-made" (plastic). But it does make sense in that the dolls don't fall apart.

I've never had trouble with the dolls I've had (six non-zip-tie dolls going back 16 years), so it makes me think lately they must not be pulling the fabric strings tightly enough.