Hawaiian shirt inspiration from Simplicity doll clothes pattern 7928 #HawaiianShirt #DollClothes

Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Today I’m going to talk about how a pattern for one doll may inspire a pattern that I design for a different doll.

Last Friday I shared my Smokey Bear pattern with you, and I explained how you can transform this pattern into a Paddington Bear look-alike. Then I displayed the project I’m currently working on: a Hawaiian shirt to fit my Paddington-like bear. See image below:

Here we see a little tan bear made of flannel with felt eyes and a felt nose. His paws and ears also have felt. He wears a red, black, and white splotchy Hawaiian style shirt with a collar. He also wears black trousers. The watermark says, "Chelly Wood." — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

But where do I get my inspiration for an outfit like the one shown just above? I actually got this concept from a Ken doll Hawaiian shirt pattern!

Yes, the idea came from the Simplicity doll clothes pattern #7928 that you see below:

The image shows Simplicity Barbie and Ken doll clothes pattern number 7928, which includes the following patterns: a Barbie bikini top with Hawaiian shirt and shorts; a Ken Hawaiian shirt and shorts; a Barbie short sleeved shirt with collar and crop tie and jeans; a Ken tee shirt (T-shirt) with jeans; a Barbie strapless short evening gown; a Barbie muumuu dress; a Barbie jacket. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

But you might wonder how I altered a Ken-sized pattern to fit a pudgy little bear. I mean, just look at the two of them… Their bodies are quite different:

Here we see a modern Ken doll in a pair of polka dot undershorts lying on a white table next to a plush bear. Their body types are quite different. For one thing, Ken's body tapers from broad shoulders to a narrow waist; the bear's body is more of a triangle shape with a narrow upper body and wide hips. Ken's arms are long while the bear's arms are short. Ken stands much taller than the bear -- perhaps by as much as three or four inches (7 to 10 centimeters). And the bear's neck is much, much wider than Ken's neck. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

But there’s a lot these two have in common too. Their shoulders are about the same distance apart, right? Their bust measurement is about the same.

So how did I take a Ken-sized Hawaiian shirt pattern and alter it so it fits my little bear?

That, and many other secrets of pattern alteration, are what I’ll be teaching in my Creative Spark class around the holiday season this year!

To learn how you can be the first to sign up for my pattern alteration class, please watch the video below…

It may seem like I’m mentioning my upcoming Creative Spark class on this website quite a bit, but friends and followers, I can’t tell you how excited I am about this class!

There’s finally a way for me to teach you my easy techniques for doll clothes design, so that those of you who own a doll or dolls that you just can’t find patterns for — finally you’ll have a way to expand your rare and unusual doll’s wardrobe to suit your needs.

I can’t stop talking about this class because it’s truly a dream come true for me! I have a knack for designing doll clothes that will fit dolls of any shape or size, and I want to share that talent with you.

So if you haven’t already, please think about asking friends or family members to purchase my “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” class, as a gift for you, perhaps for the holidays!

Most of the commercial patterns I display and talk about here on ChellyWood.com (including the Simplicity 7928 doll clothes pattern) are also available for sale on eBay. However, if you’ve never purchased a pattern on eBay before, it’s a good idea to read the article I wrote called, “Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay.” It will save you time, money, and will likely prevent buyer’s remorse.

And by the way, if you use the links I’ve provided to make your eBay purchase, this website will receive a small commission, which helps fund the ChellyWood.com website, so I can continue to provide you with all the free patterns and tutorial videos offered here.

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Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with the pattern company or companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly finds inspiration in the doll clothes designed by these pattern companies. To purchase patterns from Simplicity, McCall’s, Butterick, or other pattern companies shown and discussed in this blog post, please click on the links provided here. These links below the “Disclaimer” section do not help raise money for this free pattern website; they are only offered to give credit to the company that made these patterns.