You're so welcome!
I think it's totally possible... because I did it once, well with the arms. I was in the same boat as you at the time, I was getting frustrated trying to perfectly stitch them onto the body in my first build so I decided to cut arm holes for my 2nd. I made a legless version the 2nd time around because that's the body shape I was trying to replicate. I have some pics in post 54
It definitely worked! The seam was a bit more pronounced than it was with the ladder stitch- but I've had a lot more practice since then. I reverted back to just using the ladder stitch to attach them to the uncut body because I figured that future repair would be easier if I ever needed to take the arms or legs off for whatever reason. Plus, I'm making my 5th puppet now (plus dozens of failed body part attempts from trial and error) and all different types of stitches/attachment methods have become about the same in terms of ease. Also, your placement needs to be dead on since you can't move the holes after they're cut. If they're ladder stitched on then you can easily rip the seam, reposition, and start again, especially since the ladder stitch is unknotted except for the start and end. I think the pros/cons are pretty equal for both methods- it's just down to preference.
If you have a bit of spare fleece, maybe make a small test to see if that works better for you? You wouldn't need more than about a 2" square for the body/hole and a short tube the appropriate diameter to see how you like that seam and method before permanently cutting into the actual body.
