The text atop this photo collage says, "Writing a Memoir." Then we see a string of Polaroid photos held up with clothespins. Left to right, the photos show a personal notebook with a rainbow on the cover; a series of outline notes that include an image of a Tammy doll clothes sewing pattern; two vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns.

What are you working on for the holidays? Please leave a comment! #ChristmasProjects #ChristmasGifts

As many of my regular followers know, in my “day job” I work as a school librarian. This year in December I will be giving my “Secret Santa” gifts to our PE teacher, who happens to have a little girl who’s three years old. So of course I’m making doll clothes for her, to give as my Secret Santa gifts! REQUIRED AFFILIATE MARKETING STATEMENT:  As … Continue reading What are you working on for the holidays? Please leave a comment! #ChristmasProjects #ChristmasGifts

A doll's feet are shown in a pair of yellow felt shoes with a sort of Moccasin-like look to them. The text reads "Free pattern!" The felt these shoes are made from is a bright yellow polyester blend felt.

Let’s make a pair of easy-to-sew felt shoes for Judy Littlechap 13 inch dolls (FREE patterns)! #Collectibles #DollCollector

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. For those of you who live in the United States, let me start by wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a while since we’ve seen Judy Littlechap, the doll I found at my local Goodwill for $2.50 and decided I wanted to design a wardrobe for her. … Continue reading Let’s make a pair of easy-to-sew felt shoes for Judy Littlechap 13 inch dolls (FREE patterns)! #Collectibles #DollCollector

In this thumbnail, we see shorts and a sleeveless shirt on a Dora and Friends 8 inch doll. These doll clothes can be made with a free sewing pattern from Chelly Wood dot com.

Let’s sew doll clothes for Dora and Friends 8 inch dolls with today’s free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #HappyThanksgiving #DoraTheExplorer

Please scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free printable PDF sewing patterns and links to any additional relevant tutorial videos. First, I want to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans out there! Tomorrow is the day we celebrate Thanksgiving. My little Alana doll (from Dora and Friends, shown at the top of the page) is displaying some very … Continue reading Let’s sew doll clothes for Dora and Friends 8 inch dolls with today’s free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #HappyThanksgiving #DoraTheExplorer

In this image, a Mattel Barbie (Teresa) doll models a handmade ski jacket in white and grey, with a zipper that opens the jacket in front. Visit ChellyWood.com for the free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making this ski jacket or winter coat for Barbie or similar fashion dolls. The thumbnail reads "free pattern."

Sew a winter coat and jeans for Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Sewing #HolidayGiftIdeas

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Last week I posted a re-mastered version of an older tutorial that needed some voice-over, and it showed you how to make a winter coat for Barbie with a front separating zipper. Sorry my photos are so grainy, but this project was one of the original projects on my … Continue reading Sew a winter coat and jeans for Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Sewing #HolidayGiftIdeas

The image shows sewing pattern Simplicity 8281 for Barbie, Cher, and Farrah Fawcett dolls.

The Patterns of Christmas Past — Share a memory! #Sewing #VintageSewing

Whenever I dig up my Simplicity 8281 doll clothes sewing pattern, it always reminds me of a Christmas in about 1982  or 1983, when I used this pattern to sew a whopping 60 doll clothes outfits, and I sold them all to classmates and neighbors, to raise money for our family’s Christmas gifts. My favorite of these patterns was the View 4 dress because it … Continue reading The Patterns of Christmas Past — Share a memory! #Sewing #VintageSewing

In this image, a Mattel Barbie (Teresa) doll models a handmade ski jacket in white and grey, with a zipper that opens the jacket in front. Visit ChellyWood.com for the free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making this ski jacket or winter coat for Barbie or similar fashion dolls. The thumbnail reads "free pattern."

Sew a winter coat or ski jacket for Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Winter #FashionDoll

  For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Today’s video is a re-mastered version of an older tutorial that needed some voice-over. I’m trying to re-master these older videos now and then, so people who are visually impaired and also people who don’t speak English will be able to follow the directions more easily. In today’s … Continue reading Sew a winter coat or ski jacket for Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Winter #FashionDoll

A Petite Barbie (Tabitha) and a Curvy Barbie (Vanessa) walk around the courtyard outside the main entrance of the Louvre Museum in Paris in a photo that lies atop the thumbnail which reads "Adventures in Paris Part 2" and shows a graphic image of the Eiffel Tower.

Adventures in Paris Part 2, with Barbies! #CurvyBarbie #PetiteBarbie

Yesterday I posted about the doll play videos called “Adventures in Paris” with Vanessa (Curvy) and Tabitha (Petite) Barbie dolls. Click here to see Part 1 of the series of these fun doll play videos. I also asked the question: Have any of you taken photos of your dolls in various locations? Feel free to add your doll photography anecdotes (personal stories) in the comments … Continue reading Adventures in Paris Part 2, with Barbies! #CurvyBarbie #PetiteBarbie

The image shows Tabitha (a black Petite Barbie) and Vanessa (a Latina curvy Barbie) in a photo frame, on top of a text box that reads "Adventures in Paris Part 1" with a graphic of the Eiffel Tower alongside the text.

I took my Barbie dolls to Paris, and this video shows the highlights! #CurvyBarbie #PetiteBarbie

Yes, you read that right! I went to Paris in 2016, and I took my Barbies with me. Today’s video has been on my YouTube Channel, ChellyWood1, ever since my trip to Paris. Although passersby thought I was pretty weird, taking photos of my dolls in various locations around the city, I have no regrets. When I got home from my trip, I pieced all … Continue reading I took my Barbie dolls to Paris, and this video shows the highlights! #CurvyBarbie #PetiteBarbie

Beside the Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns we see a series of swatches of solid colored fabrics lying next to a harvest printed fabric. A yellow arrow points to a line of colored and numbered circles along the selvage (also spelled selvedge) edge of the harvest printed fabric. The text reads, "Advance 2896: What are these dots?"

How to use the selvedge (AKA selvage) circular color guide (AKA the color registration marks) when choosing matching fabrics @ ChellyWood.com #Fabric #Sewing

Over the last two weeks, I’ve been sharing with you my sewing adventures, as I made a harvest-themed outfit for vintage Barbie dolls, using Sew-Easy patterns by Advance, pattern number 2896, view three, the shirt and skirt separates set. As you can see in the image on the right (above), the outfit I’ve made uses a pretty harvest-themed cotton fabric. But what if I wanted … Continue reading How to use the selvedge (AKA selvage) circular color guide (AKA the color registration marks) when choosing matching fabrics @ ChellyWood.com #Fabric #Sewing

Text reads "ORT holder or thread catcher" and the image shows a fabric basket that collapses and pops out, for holding "old ratty threads" and other miscellaneous sewing accoutrements.

Collapsible ORT thread catcher for sale in my store! #Sewing #Handmade

Also known as a “thread catcher,” the item you see above is sometimes referred to as an ORT holder. The letters O-R-T stand for “old ratty threads” or sometimes “odd random threads.” My mother-in-law, Anita, has made me half a dozen of these thread catchers, and I absolutely love them! So when she asked if she could sell one of her lovely creations in my … Continue reading Collapsible ORT thread catcher for sale in my store! #Sewing #Handmade

The thumbnail says, "museum tour!" and shows a graphic of a little purple and blue museum. Click here to watch the DoApick short video about a Barbie exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Let’s do a pick at the Phoenix Art Museum’s Barbie exhibit! #VintageBarbie #VintageKenDoll

Today’s “Do a Pick” game is a unique one. My sister, who lives in Phoenix, took photos at the Barbie Exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum last summer. She sent them to me, knowing I’m a big fan of Barbie. So I put this YouTube Short together using her photos. If you had your choice of all these Barbies to pick, which one would you … Continue reading Let’s do a pick at the Phoenix Art Museum’s Barbie exhibit! #VintageBarbie #VintageKenDoll

The text reads "sewing room for dolls (DIY)" and the image shows a glue gun poised over the top of an open diorama room box that contains a miniature dress form mannequin, a table, and on the table stands a tiny vintage sewing machine. Visit my website, Chelly Wood dot com to learn how to make your own doll's sewing room diorama like the one I use in my stop motion videos.

Let’s make a little Barbie dress form for a miniature sewing room! @ ChellyWood.com #Barbie #DIY

Isn’t this a cute little dress form? I bought it on eBay for a very reasonable price, but I didn’t really like the color. Its original color was black with a gold stand. As I wanted a red-white-and-turquoise theme for my original doll-sized sewing room, I decided a can of spray paint was all it would take to turn this “Barbie dress form” into the … Continue reading Let’s make a little Barbie dress form for a miniature sewing room! @ ChellyWood.com #Barbie #DIY

Estrela Barbie: a rare treasure! #Collectibles #Toys

Have you ever heard of the Estrela Barbies? After a fan from Brazil named Debora left a lengthy comment about them on one of my blog posts, I contacted her to find out more about these rare and highly collectible Barbie dolls. Today’s blog post will give you the details, as they were explained to me by Debora, in my online interview with her. Before … Continue reading Estrela Barbie: a rare treasure! #Collectibles #Toys

A vintage Malibu Barbie models a handmade dress. She stands beside a photo of Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns, which is labeled "Sew-easy by Advance, Barbie, Mattel teen fashion doll patterns, around-the-clock wardrobe."

How I altered the neckline of vintage Barbie pattern Advance 2896 to fit better #SewingTips #VintageSewing

Last week we took a look at the skirt pockets on my Sew-Easy Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll sewing pattern, and today I’m going to explain how I altered the neckline of the cap-sleeved shirt that is part of this View 3 pattern set. To be clear, the skirt in the image above is a separate garment from the shirt. Now quickly, let me make … Continue reading How I altered the neckline of vintage Barbie pattern Advance 2896 to fit better #SewingTips #VintageSewing

A black Barbie models an orange raglan-sleeved cotton shirt and an orange gingham check cotton pencil skirt. The text reads "free pattern!"

Easy Barbie clothes to sew with FREE patterns! #ChristmasGiftIdeas #EasyCrafts

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. On Halloween, I gave you a pattern for and a tutorial showing how to make the cotton shirt shown at the top of this blog post, but what about the skirt? It’s super easy to make too, so today I’m going to post the whole ensemble. That way, if … Continue reading Easy Barbie clothes to sew with FREE patterns! #ChristmasGiftIdeas #EasyCrafts