
I recently began to follow The Fold Line, a YouTube channel that takes a look at people-sized sewing patterns that are making waves in the fashion industry, and I feel like I’m a little more savvy about what’s in fashion since I’ve begun to watch these videos.
In her “Sew Trends Autumn” video, Kate takes us along on a window-shopping spree at Covent Gardens and describes what the fashion trends will be for the fall season of 2022. It was this tour that inspired my chunky tunic with big-leg pants, which I’m featuring in this “Vintage Pattern Spotlight,” for my Monday blog post.
Thank you, Kate at The Fold Line, for giving me some great fashion trend inspiration!
A while back, I ordered a like-new, uncut Butterick’s Personality Doll Wardrobe 6664 (Marie Osmond Barbie) doll clothes sewing pattern from the eBay store CreativeJH, and I was super pleased with my purchase! And it’s this pattern that I used to create my Fold-Line-esque trendy fall outfit for Barbie.

I owned this pattern as a teenage girl, and I used to love dressing my Marie Osmond Barbie-sized doll as a child. So I was super excited to find this old pattern completely uncut. (On a side note, the eBay store CreativeJH, currently has a Nascar Barbie for sale, for a very reasonable price, and she’s an NRFB!)
Okay, but back to my Butterick’s Personality Doll Wardrobe 6664. As I’ve said, I owned this pattern in my teen years, so I remembered some of the nuances of this particular pattern. For one thing, the tunic seemed a little too short if you used a double-fold hem at the bottom, and the sleeves didn’t tie with ribbons very easily.
So I remembered altering this tunic pattern (View A), even as a very young sewist.

As I’d done many years go, I lengthened the sleeves to create a casing at the doll’s wrists. This allows you to secure the cuff areas with elastic instead of tying them with ribbons.
I also lengthened the bodice, to create a double-fold hem along the bottom. I remember doing this back in high school and finding the whole tunic pattern much more pleasant to work with afterward. It gives you more room to create the elastic gathers at the waist as well.
You may also have noticed that my Barbie’s pants aren’t the same peg-legged pants that the Marie Osmond doll is wearing on the pattern envelope for Butterick’s Personality Doll Wardrobe 6664. Those are actually made from my very own bell-bottom pants pattern, but I’ve altered them to have a fuller look.

In my high school days, we would have called these wide-leg pants.
Here’s what the original bell-bottom pants would have looked like before making any alterations, and you can download this pattern using this link:

But yes, I made a significant alteration to my own bell-bottom pants to create that wide-leg look.
If you’d like to learn how to alter (in other words, make changes to) the patterns you already own, my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” may be just what you need to make your commercially designed patterns into the patterns you see in your imagination.

Are you worried that you won’t have time to take a course in doll clothes pattern alteration? You’ll be happy to learn that, for any class on Creative Spark, you don’t have to follow a schedule. Just sign up when you’re ready.
It’s a one-time fee for the course, and there’s no specific time limit to finish your course. You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you. So please go have a look at my paid courses on Creative Spark, using this link.
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.
To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.
For my free doll clothes sewing tutorial videos, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1.
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
*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.