Plan a wardrobe for Judy Littlechap with me! @ ChellyWood.com #VintageToys #DollClothesPatterns

Judy Littlechap shakes the hand of the Chelly Wood doll, who has to crane her head to look up at Judy. They shake hands. Judy wears her handmade swimsuit, while the Chelly Wood doll (really a Spin master Liv doll that has been repainted and had its hair colored to grey) wears her usual white long-sleeved shirt with tiny black flowers printed on it, over black trousers.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Meet Judy Littlechap!

She’s a 13 inch doll, and I recently found her at my local Goodwill store.

Back in January, someone named Christine C. asked me if I was planning to post any patterns for the new 13 inch “My First Barbie,” and I told her that I didn’t have any plans to that effect.

And then I ran across Judy Littlechap, who will likely be able to swap clothes with the new 13 inch Barbie — what a find! (And yes, I whipped up that little swimsuit she’s wearing, so she can meet all of you with some modesty…)

This photo shows a Judy Littlechap doll standing with her hands at her sides, in a room with a white floor and mottled blue wall. She wears a handmade one-piece swimsuit made of stretchy blue fabric decorated with red swirls and white dots. The bodice of the swimsuit is held up by a single neck strap that meets in the middle at the front and wraps around Judy's neck.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

The Littlechap family of dolls was only in production for one year — 1963 — before they were discontinued, but there was a whole lineup of fashions designed for them. I’d like to design some clothes that would have suited this pretty little doll back in the early 1960’s.

So I rifled through some of my old patterns to seek inspiration. My first thought was to make her a poodle skirt, like the one you see in the lower right corner of this McCall’s Crafts 5462 pattern from the 1980’s:

This McCalls Crafts pattern 5462 offers 10 different outfits for fashion dolls, including Ken. Top row from left to right can be described thus: first a gold evening gown; second a black skin-tight dress with low collar and long sleeves; third, a short fur coat; fourth a pair of baggy tapered leg pants with a tank top for Barbie; and finally, a pink strapless dress that's short but has three layers of ruffles. The bottom row can be described like this (again, going left to right): first, a pair of bike shorts with a T-shirt and a short circle skirt all worn together; second, a workout style bodysuit with a long sleeved T-shirt for Barbie; third, a tank top and shorts for Ken; fourth, a tank top and baggy, tapered-leg pants for Ken, and finally, a pink circle skirt with a white long-sleeved top.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

In spite of her height, Judy is actually the teenage daughter of the Littlechaps, and the mom doll, Lisa Littlechap is taller than Judy! So a poodle skirt seemed like a good choice for a teenager.

But then I read online that Judy Littlechap was supposed to look sort of like Jackie Kennedy.

I can see that. Right?

Here we see a close-up photo of Judy Littlechap's face, neck, and shoulders. Her light brown hair has a side part, and she wears her hair in something of a bob.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

But I can’t see Jackie Kennedy in a poodle skirt.

I think of Jackie Kennedy as wearing classy dresses like the one in View 4 below (the one with the wide white collar in my Barbie Around-the-Clock Wardrobe Pattern 2896):

The photo shows Sew Easy by Advance doll clothes around-the-clock wardrobe (pattern number 2896. Six different costumes are pictured on the envelope. view one is a pair of pajamas; view 2 is a basic dress with short sleeves; view 3 is a white shirt with green skirt; view 4 is a Jackie-Kennedy-esque sleeveless dress with a white collar, view 5 has a sleeveless bodice on a dress with a ruffle trim; view 6 shows ankle pants and a boat-neck shirt.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Or maybe I could create a jacket-and-dress combo like the one in View 2 from my Barbie Trousseau Wardrobe 2895 pattern, for Judy Littlechap. What do you think? That would certainly look classy, if I used the right fabrics.

This image shows Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance vintage Mattel, Inc. Toymakers Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern #2895, which includes patterns for 1. Bridal Gown, 2. Dress and Jacket, 3. Afternoon Dress, 4. Engagement Dress, 5. Nightgown, and 6. Peignoir.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

I looked for some of Judy’s original clothes on eBay, and she did have a plaid pleated skirt with a Girl Scout-ish top, so the skirt in View A below might help me design something similar. This is a modern revival of vintage Simplicity pattern number 5785.

This Simplicity 5785 doll wardrobe pattern is so crisp and clean, that it's clearly a modern reproduction of an older, vintage pattern. View A shows a fashion doll wearing a blue plaid scarf, a yellow sweater with 3/4 length sleeves, and a blue plaid pleated skirt. View B shows a lime green coat with matching scarf and oversized white buttons running down the front, at the top. View C shows a pair of red trousers with a ruffle-trimmed white blouse that has 3/4 length sleeves. View D shows grey Bermuda shorts with a red top-or-jacket that also has 3/4 length sleeves and large white buttons. View E shows a black and white plaid dress with cap sleeves and a black belt topped by another red coat that has 3/4 length sleeves but is tied at the top with a black ribbon. View F shows a striped turtleneck with bust darts and a very short circle skirt made of blue fabric with red fabric for its waistband and red fabric for its lining. View G shows a long evening gown with a black bodice that has spaghetti straps and a white skirt that is trimmed in three rows of black satin ribbon.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

I also like the black plaid dress in View E above, but I’m not fond of those sleeves. They look sort of spacey, like they belong in Star Wars or something. They’re not very 1960’s-ish, if you ask me.

Of course my Tammy doll clothes pattern number 4883 has some good choices. I can see Judy Littlechap wearing a pair of pedal pushers with a crop top, like the set shown in View 4 below.

This vintage Simplicity 4883 Tammy doll clothes wardrobe includes a red 3/4 length sleeve coat; a sleeveless sheath dress with a ruffle and matching belt at the waist; a pair of pedal pushers with a sleeveless crop top; a blue A-line wrap-around skirt with suspenders to match and under these, a red check short sleeved shirt; and finally a lovely prom dress with a red spaghetti strap bodice that meets a full white gathered skirt that's got tiny red silk roses sewn onto it here and there. This pattern also features a shoebox that has been converted to make a pretty, girlish closet with fabric lining and rack for hanging doll clothes.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

My Simplicity 5731 Tressy doll clothes pattern set has some great choices too. That red coat is ultra 1960’s! And I can totally picture Judy in the matching red dress with a V-neck.

This simplicity Tressy pattern 5731 includes a long green evening gown with a pencil style skirt and a thick-strapped bodice; a pleated short skirt paired with a 3/4 length sleeve top that has a decorative V-shaped applique or yoke; a short white bathrobe; a red jacket trimmed in a long white collar (the jacket has 3/4 length sleeves); a V-neck sleeveless evening gown with a very short skirt above the knee; a grey jumper over a 3/4 length sleeve top that's trimmed in lace or ruffles; a pair of ankle pants with a simple top.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Now that I look at it again, the skirt-and-top ensemble in View 6 would really look good on her too. They have a sort of schoolgirl theme going on with that ensemble, and I like it.

And then we come to my Simplicity 4510 doll clothes wardrobe. Judy didn’t have a boyfriend — sadly the dolls were discontinued before she could meet someone and fall in love! So I don’t think we’ll need a wedding dress for her.

The simplicity 4510 Barbie wardrobe includes everything a lady would need for a honeymoon: a bikini, a swimsuit coverup with super short skirt; a dining-out dress with a one-shoulder bodice and pencil skirt topped with a tulle over-skirt; a 3/4 length sleeve jacket with matching A-line skirt underneath; a plaid hostess-style dress with a ribbon for a waistband; a nightgown with lace bodice; and of course the wedding gown, which is very 1960's in its style, with a fitted bodice that has short sleeves and a square neckline, flowing into a full, long skirt that has a very large ribbon tied around the waist (and a veil connected to the head with a tiny ribbon at the top).
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

But I do like that skirt and top in View 2 of this pattern. I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be a top or a jacket, but either way, it has a Jackie Kennedy vibe going on.

What are your thoughts? If you were going to design some outfits for Judy Littlechap, what outfits would inspire your creation? Please leave a comment!

And oh! Hey! Christine C., if you’re reading this, just in case these upcoming patterns do fit the 13 inch Barbie dolls, let me know what you’d like me to design for 13 inch fashion dolls!

I can always resize my regular-sized Barbie patterns to fit Judy (a skill I’ll be sharing in my new Creative Spark course, by the way — How to Design Doll Pants Patterns). But I’ll more than likely just take the patterns out of their envelopes and use them as templates, building my own patterns off of a sloper, like I teach people to do in my new Creative Spark course.

Here we see Judy Littlechap standing beside a modern Barbie doll. We can see that Judy Littlechap's legs are much fuller, her hips wider, her waistline more like a real person's, and her limbs and neck are more muscular. She stands a full head taller than Barbie. Both dolls wear swimsuits but are barefoot.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

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.

Maybe you already own some great commercial patterns, but you really wish you could alter them to look just a little different. If so, my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” may be just what you need to make your commercially designed patterns into the pattern 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.

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.

4 thoughts on “Plan a wardrobe for Judy Littlechap with me! @ ChellyWood.com #VintageToys #DollClothesPatterns

  1. Back in the 60s, when I was a teen, I made myself a jumper like the one in view 2 of the Tressy Doll pattern. Somewhere I even have a school picture where I was wearing it. I made it out of a dark blue and royal blue plaid and wore it with a medium blue cuffed short sleeved blouse (no ruffles), which I also made. I sewed most of my own clothes in high school and It was one of my favorite outfits. Low scoop neck and deep v neck jumpers were very popular at the time. I also made a V-neck jumper (probably the same pattern with an alternate neckline. It was a beige and brown lightweight wool and I usually wore that one with a round neck or turtle neck sweater.

  2. What a great find! Yes, she definitely looks like Jackie Kennedy!😊💖She needs a youthful, yet demure wardrobe.

    Maybe the fur coat from McCalls 5462
    The PJs (1) and the top and slacks (6) from Barbie 2896
    The checked shirtwaist (3) and the green sheath dress (5) from Barbie 2895
    All of Simplicity 5785, except the black and white formal (g) and the ruffly white blouse (c)
    The formal (2) and the capri set (4) from Simplicity 4883
    All of Simplicity 5731, except the frilly housecoat and (if the pattern is included) the frilly blouse of 2
    The swimsuit & topper (5), the off the shoulder dress (3) and the formal (6) from Simplicity 451—

    Definitely get rid of that hideous swimsuit she’s wearing! 😄

    1. LOL! Yes, I made that swimsuit as a sort of “placeholder” so she wouldn’t appear nude on my website. But I’ve already made her a more period-correct lovely swimsuit as a substitute.

      I had Barbie Advance 2895 out over the weekend, and I was trying to imagine her in these dresses. I also really like that black and white check dress from the Simplicity 5785, but I’m not sure the sleeves will look right on this doll. I’m definitely going to take that pattern out of the envelope though, and give it a closer look.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.