For today, I created a little YouTube Short, challenging everyone to create a whole wardrobe from recycled fabrics!
Hooray for Earth Day!!! (It’s April 22nd — but you don’t have to call that your done-with-this-project deadline.)
All you have to do, to join the challenge, is use a small garment, like a child’s tee shirt (that’s what I used) and upcycle that fabric into a mix-and-match wardrobe for a doll or dolls. You can purchase your used garment at a second hand store/charity shop or just grab one that you would otherwise throw out, from your own closet.

I used this child’s graphic tee, which I purchased at my local Goodwill charity shop.
I even incorporated the graphics into my doll’s tee shirt!

Leftovers that were harder to use became the lining for the shorts. (You’ll see that image in the video above.)
When you’re all done with your wardrobe, come back to this page and share what you’ve learned, what you’ve made, and if it becomes a gift to someone, who you gave it to (optional). So bookmark this page and return whenever you’re ready!
I encourage you to do what you can to help save our planet! Why buy new fabrics (which use dyes and other harmful chemicals in the manufacturing process), when you can make all of this out of just one tee shirt?

The patterns for these items of clothing come in both A4 patterns (for people who live outside the US) and American printer paper. They’re all free patterns, of course, and they are designed to fit both Barbie and Sindy, among other fashion dolls.
Here are the links to the free doll clothes patterns and tutorials for each of the items shown above:
- Leafy skirt
- Leafy purse
- Pull-on pants
- Raglan-sleeved shirt
- Pencil Skirt
- Reversible tank top (“vest” in the UK)
- Underpants
- High-waisted shorts (A4 patterns coming soon)
- Headband
- Elastic waist shorts (A4 patterns coming soon)
- Fitted-sleeve graphic tee shirt
Have fun sewing, everyone! And thanks for your participation in this earth-friendly challenge!![]()
If you enjoyed this blog post, and you’d like to see my videos, you might want to navigate over to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1 to look through my playlists.
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.

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, 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 any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.

This wardrobe is lovely!
I’m going to use a second hand pair of short pants for a shirt for a Big Jim serie doll.
Go for it Marco! Come back and let me know how your project turns out, when it’s all done… 🙂
Hi, Chelly, the shirt turned out very good. The fabric has a very small tartan that is lovely on a small scale dress and looks horrible on a pair of trousers 🙂
I have made a pair of shorts and a shirt for my new Steve Austin doll (Six million dollars man).
I have made them from a third hand fabric (if I can say so), I have used some rags from a big bag of rags for cleaning purposes (once they were a skirt and a shirt).
Even these are lovely, old and overwashed fabric is sometimes great!
Yes I agree. Old fabrics sometimes work great for dolls’ clothes!