Month: February 2024

A woman's hand lies open, and inside her hand rests a tiny Sunday best or Easter bonnet made of off-white or ivory colored cotton eyelet fabric and a little pink velvet ribbon tied in a bow at the back of the bonnet. We're seeing the hat from above, looking straight on at the hat's top and brim.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, Barbie Patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, Daily Patterns

Sew a “Sunday Best” bonnet with free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #LeapYear #LeapDay

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Happy Leap Day, everyone! For this amazing Leap Year, let’s think about making doll clothes for Easter, or if you don’t celebrate Easter, consider making this bonnet for your favorite beach day out! Can you believe that I was only 10 years old — or maybe 11 — when … Continue reading Sew a “Sunday Best” bonnet with free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #LeapYear #LeapDay

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
This is a close-up of one of the flowers on Anita's baby Dresden quilt. The center of the flower is pink. The fabric on the flower petal at 2 o'clock is a grey and white check. The fabric at three o'clock is a bright blue-purple-yellow-orange feather patterned fabric; the petal at four o'clock is a pink floral fabric; the fabric at five o'clock is a petal made of a leafy green fabric; the petal at seven o'clock is white with very tiny red polka dots; the fabric at eight o'clock is a vintage red with tiny white flowers and leaves; at ten o'clock we see a petal made of purple mottled fabric; and the eleven o'clock or noonish petal is made of a blue and green floral fabric. The whole flower has been appliqued by hand onto a white square, which is surrounded by a barely-visible blue fabric that has an almost not-noticeable blue floral print that barely shows.
18-inch doll clothes patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Props and Dioramas

Today’s blog post is for those of you who sew for dolls, but you don’t quilt… #DollQuilt #DollCollector

Yes, today’s blog post is for all the followers, friends, and other folks who love to sew for dolls, but perhaps they don’t enjoy quilting. Why? Because I have a quilt for sale in my store today! The quilt you see below was made by my very talented mother-in-law, Anita, who has made almost all of the tiny quilts you’ve seen in my videos and … Continue reading Today’s blog post is for those of you who sew for dolls, but you don’t quilt… #DollQuilt #DollCollector

Chelly Wood1 Comment
The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

The history of the djellaba and the slave trade #BlackHistoryMonth #ModernSlavery

As part of our celebration of Black History Month, here on ChellyWood.com, we’ve studied the Nakatukok of Uganda and Central Africa, we’ve examined the boubou of Senegal and West Africa, and we’ve tried to answer questions about the gele or head-tie, which is popular all over the continent of Africa (as well as abroad). Another unique garment, found in Algeria, Morocco, and North Africa is … Continue reading The history of the djellaba and the slave trade #BlackHistoryMonth #ModernSlavery

Chelly Wood2 Comments
We see side-by-side images of vintage Simplicity 5861 sewing patterns. One has the original images of a blond vintage Skipper doll wearing each outfit in the ensemble. The other image shows a modern Stacie doll wearing the exact same outfits -- even the fabrics match! -- on the cover of the Simplicity 5861 original pattern envelope. This Stacie doll is Black with an African American natural hair look. She even wears the exact same socks and shoes and headbands/hair ribbons that Skipper wears on the original cover art for this Simplicity Skipper pattern ensemble! At the top of this pair of patterns, it says, "Who knew?"
Links, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Stacie Patterns, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Skipper

Who knew modern Stacie dolls and vintage Skipper dolls were an exact match? #SewVintage #Barbie

Check this out! Can you believe it? I made the whole ensemble of doll clothes with my Simplicity 5861 pattern for vintage Skipper, and every single item in the ensemble fits not only vintage Skipper, but also modern Stacie dolls! I loved sewing this set. It was pure joy! Of course there were challenges along the way. I started with the View 2 gingham dress … Continue reading Who knew modern Stacie dolls and vintage Skipper dolls were an exact match? #SewVintage #Barbie

Chelly Wood2 Comments
On a turquoise blue background, we read the words "Skates, boots, and high-tops." Below this and at a slight angle is a photo of the following (left to right): silver cowboy boots, black army boots, and white ice skates.
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Shoes, Interviews With Crafters

The Woes of Buying Doll Boots, Skates, and High-tops on eBay #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Doll boots can be a lot of fun to dress your doll in, when you’re making winter raincoats and ponchos for them to wear in your fall dioramas. But if you’ve ever tried to buy vintage Barbie boots, you’ll probably already be familiar with this little problem: Some sellers on eBay are experts at hiding the flaws in their products. Then, when you buy it … Continue reading The Woes of Buying Doll Boots, Skates, and High-tops on eBay #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood18 Comments
This thumbnail displays the words "free pattern" next to a Texas A&M Ken which models a short-sleeved, collared shirt with one pocket.
12-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Ken Patterns

Let’s create a cute short-sleeved cotton shirt with a tiny pocket for Ken dolls, using sewing patterns @ ChellyWood.com #KenDoll #DollClothes

Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. Last week I gave you the felt dinner jacket that goes with my Ken tux set, and I’ve been talking about designing a short-sleeved shirt to go under the tux for a long time. Well, today I’ve finalized the patterns and tutorial video for making the short-sleeved version of the shirt … Continue reading Let’s create a cute short-sleeved cotton shirt with a tiny pocket for Ken dolls, using sewing patterns @ ChellyWood.com #KenDoll #DollClothes

Chelly Wood1 Comment
In this thumbnail image, a 17 inch Endless Hair Kingdom Princess Barbie models handmade jeans and a handmade tie-dyed shirt with turquoise blue cotton fringe. She looks like she's walking toward the text which reads "free patterns."
17-inch doll clothes patterns, 17-Inch Endless Hair Princess Doll, Daily Patterns, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Sew a pair of jeans and an easy felt shirt for 17″ Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Felt #Sewing

Scroll down to the bulleted section for the free PDF sewing patterns. Today’s patterns have been available on this website for a while, but today is the first time I’ve shared this set as a PDF for my 17-inch Endless Hair Kingdom Barbie doll. Previously, you could only find today’s patterns in JPG image form. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please … Continue reading Sew a pair of jeans and an easy felt shirt for 17″ Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Felt #Sewing

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

Let’s celebrate Black History Month by asking “How old is the gele or head-tie?” #BlackHistory #AfricanHistory

In our celebration of Black History Month, we’ve taken a look at the pastoral clothing of the Karamojong tribe of Uganda in Central Africa; we’ve also studied the boubou, a sort of kaftan worn in many countries of West Africa. Now it’s time to learn about the gele, a head scarf or head tie, commonly worn in Nigeria, the most populous country in modern times … Continue reading Let’s celebrate Black History Month by asking “How old is the gele or head-tie?” #BlackHistory #AfricanHistory

Chelly Wood3 Comments
Thumbnail shows a woman's hand preparing a swatch of fabric for making knife pleats. The two dolls shown are the modern Stacie in African American rendition of the doll, plus the drawing on the front of the Simplicity 5861 pattern envelope, showing a vintage Skipper doll modeling the handmade skirt.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Stacie Patterns, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Vintage Skipper

Making Pleats for a Skipper Skirt with Simplicity 5861 #VintageToys #Sewing

Do you see the folds in that little green skirt, in View 3 of my Simplicity 5861 doll clothes sewing pattern for Skipper dolls? Those are called pleats. Sometimes they’re referred to as “knife pleats.” And for a doll that’s tiny, like vintage Skipper and modern Stacie (shown below), it can be especially tricky to get the pleats just right. Yes, as the text says … Continue reading Making Pleats for a Skipper Skirt with Simplicity 5861 #VintageToys #Sewing

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The text on this thumbnail reads "free pattern" and shows a Mattel Chelsea doll in a handmade orange halter dress made of cotton fabric and felt.
Chelsea, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Chelsea has a whole new look w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Barbie #Miniatures

Scroll down to the second set of bullets to download the free printable PDF sewing pattern.* Little girl dolls are just so much fun to dress, aren’t they? I had a blast using this African-esque swirl-patterned fabric to make Chelsea a cute little halter-style dress! And I easily finished this project in about an hour. You can’t beat that! Today’s doll dress will fit a … Continue reading Chelsea has a whole new look w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Barbie #Miniatures

Chelly Wood2 Comments
African American Ken models an azure blue dinner jacket (with shirt cream colored shirt underneath and matching azure blue trousers) in this thumbnail image. The text reads, "free jacket pattern."
12-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Ken Patterns

Easy felt dinner jacket to sew for Ken dolls, w/free PDF sewing patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Felt #EasyCrafts

Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. In October of last year, I re-posted my entire tux set of patterns for Ken dolls, and at that time, I said I was working on revising the jacket tutorial because people had complained that it was too difficult to see my black stitching on the black felt. And frankly, they … Continue reading Easy felt dinner jacket to sew for Ken dolls, w/free PDF sewing patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Felt #EasyCrafts

Chelly Wood3 Comments
Text reads "Plushies and fiber fill" and the illustration shows a sewing table with sewing machine and a pillow that's being stuffed with fiber fill. Superimposed upon this image is a plush Valentines Day heart that has been hand stitched and a little rag doll in a green outfit.
Crafts and Hobbies, Pincushions, Plushies/Stuffed Animals

Plushies and Fiber Fill — What are they and what can you make with them? #Plushies #ValentinesDay

My grandma always called it “stuffing,” like the breaded food that you fill a turkey with on Thanksgiving, but at my local fabric store, they refer to the fluffy filling we put inside plush toys as “fiber fill.” The stuffing I tend to buy is made of polyester fibers, so I suppose the words “fiber fill” adequately explain both the product and what you do … Continue reading Plushies and Fiber Fill — What are they and what can you make with them? #Plushies #ValentinesDay

Chelly Wood4 Comments
The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

Let’s celebrate Black History Month by learning about the boubou! #BlackHistory #Senegal

About ten years ago, my youngest daughter and I took a vacation trip to Paris. If you’ve never been there, you might be surprised to learn that a lot of African people and people of mixed African and French backgrounds live in Paris. So after our visit to Paris was over, we waited to board our plane to come back to the US, and in … Continue reading Let’s celebrate Black History Month by learning about the boubou! #BlackHistory #Senegal

Chelly Wood4 Comments
Surrounded by a quilted frame, we see the ChellyWood.com logo and images of dolls modeling doll clothes from the 1970's. This image comes from Simplicity doll clothes pattern 7737, dated with a copyright of 1976.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Whatever happened to Kenner’s Dusty dolls and Skye dolls? #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

Are you old enough to remember Kenner’s Dusty and Skye dolls? Want to know why nobody seems to collect them these days? The Simplicity 7737 doll clothes pattern shown at the top of this blog post was one I owned back in the 1970’s and ’80’s. The patterns loosely fit Barbie, but they fit Dusty and Skye really well. Dusty was a doll with an … Continue reading Whatever happened to Kenner’s Dusty dolls and Skye dolls? #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The text reads "for sale in the shop" and below this is an image of several items of handmade doll clothes, including a skirt, jacket, shirt, socks, and underpants. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store

New in the store this week: Chelly Wood’s own handmade doll clothes for Stacie #DollClothes #Handmade

I’m not sure everyone caught it, but last week when I posted the tutorial for making a pair of socks for Stacie, I also mentioned that the entire ensemble pictured above was being sold in my online shop. This outfit includes the underpants, socks, and sleeveless top (which are all made of the same yellow jersey fabric) plus the houndstooth cotton pleated skirt and the … Continue reading New in the store this week: Chelly Wood’s own handmade doll clothes for Stacie #DollClothes #Handmade

Chelly WoodLeave a comment