Do vintage Ken clothes fit modern BTS dolls? #BTSfan #DollClothesPatterns

A photo of Ken vintage doll clothes patterns from Sew-Easy by Advance, pattern #2899 shows the following outfits for Ken (top row starting on the left): a blue short-sleeved shirt with collar and a pair of drawstring white pants; a boat-neck charcoal colored T-shirt with maroon bermuda shorts; a white bathrobe; (bottom row from left) khaki trousers with a long-sleeved white shirt that has a collar and single front pocket; a brown dinner jacket; a pair of yellow pajamas including a collarless pajama shirt and pants.
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.

I’ve had this vintage Ken doll clothes pattern number 2899 from Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance for a couple of years now, and I’ve wanted to try sewing these patterns, just to see if they will fit my BTS doll that I got for Christmas two or three years ago.

Why haven’t I gotten them sewn? Time. There’s just not enough of it.

But maybe if some of you, my followers, can answer the question I’m asking today, your answers may inspire me to get my butt in gear, and start sewing!

Do vintage Ken clothes fit the BTS dolls? If any of you know, please let me know in the comments section below today’s blog post.

A BTS doll is shown in its original packaging.
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.

For any of you who don’t know, BTS is a super popular boy band from South Korea, also known as Bangtan Boys. According to Wikipedia, “Billboard executive Silvio Pietroluongo compared the group’s commercial success and influence to that of the Beatles and the Monkees.”

You know how the 1960’s saw the “British Invasion” with the Beetles, the Rolling Stones, etc? Yeah, like that, but there has been a strong Asian influence in pop culture with today’s teen generation, and BTS tops the charts for this particular genre.

Anyway, I received a Jimin doll, representing one of the band members of BTS, for Christmas one year, and I have yet to take him out of his box and start making him clothes. I’m a big fan of romantic comedy Korean dramas, like Crash Landing on You, Her Private Life, and Moon Embracing the Sun.

What I’d really like to make is a traditional Korean outfit for both Jimin and maybe Barbie too. I really, REALLY love the design of the hanbok, the traditional Korean dress for women, and I’d like to experiment with creating that pattern someday.

As part of a discussion on Chelly Wood dot com about BTS dolls and the costumes Chelly wants to design for them, this is an image of a woman wearing a traditional Hanbok dress from Korea, around the Joseon era. The blousy part of the bodice is purple with tiny yellow flowers and the skirt is yellow. There's a black tie-closure at the woman's bosom, and it drops down below the waist. There's also a little decorative element with a tassel hanging from the waist and dropping down to about the lower thigh area of the skirt.
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 I’ll also want to have a traditional, Joseon-era costume for Jimin, my BTS doll. I find this costume so charming, after watching so many cool Joseon period Korean dramas!

Can you imagine Jimin in something like this?

As part of a discussion about BTS dolls and how Chelly Wood wants to design traditional Joseon era Korean costumes for the BTS doll she owns, this image shows a man dressed in traditional Joseon era garb. His undergarment has large wing-like sleeves which are yellow, and the overcoat is purple with tiny yellow flowers. He wears a traditional hat, like a see-through top-hat with a very wide brim, and it ties under his chin with a black ribbon.
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.

Of course I need to familiarize myself, first, with the basic patterns I’ll need to make, to fit the doll, and honestly, the vintage Ken doll clothes pattern number 2899 from Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance has a lot to offer. Just read the back! (See image below.)

And by the way, how quaint is that wording at the top of the pattern? I love it!

This is a photo of the back of a vintage Ken "Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance" pattern number 2899. On the back, the words are very cute, as if they are giving instructions to a child. For example, the top portion of the pattern reads, "A handsome wardrobe for Ken -- Barbie's boyfriend, fun to make, and sew-easy too!" The paragraph below this headline reads, "Tucked in the envelope are patterns for six different outfits. Each is printed on a separate tissue with its own step-by-step instruction chart. There is also a little sewing book, which tells you in simple words and drawings, the steps you take to make Ken's clothes. It doesn't matter which outfit you make first -- one is as easy as the other. Pin a tissue to the fabric and cut... do what the little book and chart tell you... and you're on your way."
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.

I love how View 3 says, “Deck pants and shirt… for sailing fun and other sports.” How adorable is that?

Now that I’ve typed up this blog post, re-read through the back of the pattern, and thought about my original goal of creating traditional Korean costumes for Barbie and Jimin, I’m starting to feel a little bit inspired. But if any of you have ever sewn (or even tried on) vintage clothes for your own BTS dolls, as I’ve said at the top of this blog post, please leave a comment.

I’d like to know if this pattern will even fit.

And in case any of you would like to see what other people have made for their BTS dolls, browse through my “Share Your Creations” page. One of my followers, Cindy C, sent me a whole bunch of pictures of BTS dolls wearing doll clothes she made, using my own patterns! It was such an honor to post her creations because, as I’ve said, I enjoy Korean wave and especially Korean dramas.

If any of you are curious about Korean dramas, and if you’re not afraid to read English subtitles, you can find quite a number of great Korean dramas on Netflix. I recommend Crash Landing on You, Her Private Life, and Moon Embracing the Sun but there are many others well worth watching!

Most of the commercial patterns I display and talk about here on ChellyWood.com 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.

In case you haven’t heard, my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” is now live on the Creative Spark platform. You can sign up any time you want!

And don’t panic if it seems like too much to take on right now — sometimes our lives get really busy. I get that. But for any class on Creative Spark, you don’t have to sign up any time soon. Just sign up when you’re ready.

If you’re interested in taking my paid course, you will pay a one-time fee, and there’s no specific time limit to access your course. You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you.

To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

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*ChellyWood.com earns money by linking to JoAnn Fabrics, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other online affiliate programs. Links provided above may be affiliate links. For a full list of my affiliate programs, and to understand how cookies are used to help this website earn money, please see my “Privacy Policy” page.

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, Vogue, 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.

The Jimin doll and the other BTS dolls are marketed and sold by Mattel, but I believe their trademark name is owned by BigHit Music Co., Ltd. At the time of this blog post’s writing, the trademark has been accepted by the US Trademark office, but has not yet been “assigned to an examiner.” However, I believe my daughter bought my BTS doll at Barnes & Noble bookseller. You can easily find them on Amazon too, if you’re interested in buying one. Mattel’s site doesn’t allow you to search for them yet, but I’m sure that’s coming.

6 thoughts on “Do vintage Ken clothes fit modern BTS dolls? #BTSfan #DollClothesPatterns

  1. Hi Chelly, are you on Instagram? There is a costumer that you might like to follow that does and wears traditional male Korean clothing from that time period (or close, I can’t claim to know it to say it is exactly it)

    1. Yes, my Instagram handle is @ChellyWood1. I haven’t been on there in a while though because I got a new phone, and I’ve just been too busy to download the app to my new phone. But I will. I just need to get caught up with other stuff first.

      I’ve been saving inspirational Korean doll images on Pinterest though.

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