Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Skipper

Learning to sew with Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

The Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll repainted and re-wigged to look like the real doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood) and a vintage Skipper doll, stand on either side of a vintage Simplicity 5861 doll clothes sewing pattern. The pattern includes (view 1) a red jumper-dress with a dropped-waist that's belted, under which is worn a collared shirt with 3/4 length sleeves; (views 2 and 3) a black and white gingham check dress with a circle skirt (that's primarily view 3) over which is worn a red bolero with 3/4 length sleeves (view 2); a yellow V-neck shirt worn over a green pleated mini-skirt worn just above the knee (view 3); a pair of ankle pants with a 3/4 length collarless shirt that has buttons running down the front (view 4); a blue winter coat with a scarf (view 5); and a red and white ball gown with ribbon trim (view 6).
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.

To say that I adore the Skipper 5861 Simplicity pattern from 1964 would be an utter and complete understatement. It’s so awesome, I have no words to express the fun I’ve had when making each and every one of the outfits pictured on the front of the envelope!

*Please note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.

To start today’s blog post, I’m going to jump back in time about six months to last summer…

The image shows the Chelly Wood doll (designed to look like the real Chelly Wood, a doll clothing designer) seated at her computer in an office setting. The screen shows the URL of Chelly's website: ChellyWood.com. Beside the computer, on Chelly's des, there is a stack of old-fashioned library books because in Chelly's day job, she works as a school librarian. On the wall behind Chelly's computer, we see a painting of Notre Dame cathedral because Chelly also speaks French.
Visit ChellyWood.com for free, printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes.

I ran across this Skipper Simplicity 5861 doll clothes wardrobe pattern last summer on eBay. I’d been watching for this uncut pattern to come up for a long time, and when it did, I snatched it up for a very fair price.

Because I’d been searching for it, for so long, once it landed in my actual mailbox, I decided I would attempt to sew every single item of clothing in this ensemble! As I type this, I’ve finished the last of these projects.

Here we see three handmade vintage Skipper outfits, which were sewn using Simplicity vintage doll clothes pattern 5861. On the left is a floral shirt which buttons in the front. It coordinates with a pair of straight-leg, elastic waist yellow cotton pants. In the center is a black and white gingham dress with a circle skirt that looks sharp with a red cotton bolero that has a black ribbon tie at the neckline. Then on the right, we see a plaid shorts set: a short-sleeved shirt with matching shorts that have an elastic waist. All of these doll clothes were made using Simplicity 5861 to fit vintage Skipper dolls. The three outfits are laying on a blue cutting mat with a centimeter scale, so we can see how very tiny they are! The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the lower right corner of the photograph.
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.

Some of the outfits in Simplicity 5861 were harder to make than others, but to simplify them, I’ve created my own alterations to these patterns. In the image above, for example, the shorts outfit on the far right is an alteration to the pants outfit on the far left.

So when I say I’ve learned a lot from Simplicity 5861, I’m not exaggerating!

Through the links you find below, I’d like to share some of the lessons I’ve learned from this pattern, as well as some of the sewing concepts I’ve developed as a result of the projects I’ve been making while I used this pattern.

As you can see by the list of blog post topics above, Simplicity 5861 offers some fantastic sewing lessons for everyone!

This vintage Skipper doll clothes pattern includes (view 1) a red jumper-dress with a dropped-waist that's belted, under which is worn a red and white striped collared shirt with 3/4 length sleeves; (views 2 and 3) a black and white gingham check dress with a circle skirt (that's primarily view 3) over which is worn a red bolero with 3/4 length sleeves (view 2); a yellow V-neck shirt worn over a green pleated mini-skirt worn just above the knee (view 3); a pair of yellow ankle pants with a 3/4 length collarless floral print shirt that has buttons running down the front (view 4); a blue winter coat with a scarf (view 5); and a red and white ball gown with ribbon trim, having a red bodice and white cotton extra long skirt (view 6).
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 hope you click on some of the links above and really, truly benefit from all the great lessons I’ve learned while sewing Simplicity 5861 for vintage Skipper dolls!

This image of a turquoise blue sewing needle pulling purple thread away from a line of cross-stitching is used as a divider between sections of a blog post.

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.

For more of my free tutorials, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1.

If you would like to make a donation to this free doll clothes pattern website, please click here. There’s also a “Donate” button in the main menu.

For anyone who would like to expand their dolls’ wardrobes, you should really check out my “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” course and my “Design Your Own Doll Pants Patterns from Scratch” classes on the Creative Spark online learning platform. Here’s my bio page on their website, where you can learn more.

This image shows four rows of artist's renderings of doll clothing items. The top row shows four different styles of pants. The second row shows four different styles of shirts. The third row shows four different styles of skirts. The fourth row shows four different styles of dresses, with skirts in long, short, and mid-length styles. The text reads at the top, "Classes in Doll Clothing Design" followed by this paragraph: "Have you ever wished you could create patterns of your own? Click on the links to Chelly's online courses below, to learn more about her paid courses in doll clothing pattern design techniques."

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 go check out my paid courses on Creative Spark, using this link.

As always, feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials.

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

Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:

*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, JoAnn Fabric, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s 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 “Learning to sew with Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns”

  1. Merry Christmas to you and your dear ones. Thanks for sharing all your experience and hard work with us all.

    Reply

    1. When I say, “It is my pleasure,” Marco, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Had you met the 7 or 8 year old Chelly Wood and asked her, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” she would have said, “I want to design doll clothes!”

      It’s what brings me joy! 💗👗💗

      Reply

  2. A belated Merry Christmas to you!
    Really enjoy your talent for working with doll clothes and have recommended you often to others. Please keep up the good work.

    Reply

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