Author: Chelly Wood

I am a school librarian with an English degree plus a library science endorsement, and I like to write. I've also designed commercial doll clothes patterns, and I make stop-motion videos with dolls. My literary agent is Elizabeth Kracht of Kimberley Cameron and Associates.
The image shows a turquoise blue cotton fabric with the words "inspirational jazz for sewing doll clothes" across the top, followed by three circular photos showing a vintage Skipper doll modeling handmade doll clothes. Below these three circular photos is a larger rectangle, highlighting each outfit Skipper wears in the music video: pants with a 3/4 length sleeve shirt; a 50's style dress with bolero, and a pair of plaid shorts with a matching top. Musical notes dance across the lower right corner of the thumbnail.
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Collecting, Doll Play Videos, Links, Music Videos for Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Skipper

New music video to inspire your crafts… With Skipper Simplicity patterns 5861!

  Sometimes I make doll clothes using other people’s patterns. I take lots of pictures, but what can I do with those pictures, since it’s not my pattern to offer up for free on this website? Today I decided to make another “Sewing Inspiration” video, using Simplicity’s 5861 doll clothes patterns for vintage Skipper, which I’m really enjoying making! As a fan of jazz, I … Continue reading New music video to inspire your crafts… With Skipper Simplicity patterns 5861!

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On a purple background, we see the word "Closures" poised above three photos: one of a woman's hand holding a strip of blue Velcro, another showing a lineup of four different colors of 3 inch zippers, and a third image of tiny buttons in bright colors, resting in the palm of a woman's hand.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Interviews With Crafters, Links, Tips for Beginners

New in the Chelly Wood Store: Clasps, Buttons, Velcro, and More!

In my store (found under the “Shop” button in the main menu on my website), you can now purchase clasps, buttons, Velcro, and more. Today’s blog post details each of these items. Let’s start with clasps. I bought the overalls clasps shown in the palm of my hand above, from a store called I Sew for Doll on Etsy. They have quite a few tiny … Continue reading New in the Chelly Wood Store: Clasps, Buttons, Velcro, and More!

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The image shows the size of these teeny-tiny miniature overalls clasps, as compared to a woman's hand. Each piece is so tiny, it's like the head of a straight pin!
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Interviews With Crafters, Tips for Beginners

Where do tiny clasps for dolls’ overalls come from? We should all be aware…

Recently I added a new item to my “Shop” page: closures. One of the items I’m linking to are clasps for Barbie-sized (or smaller) dolls’ overalls, and I’m doing this blog post because I like to be open and honest about where these notions are coming from. I buy my overall clasps (shown at the top of this page) from an Etsy store called simply … Continue reading Where do tiny clasps for dolls’ overalls come from? We should all be aware…

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A quilted frame surrounds Simplicity Tressy Doll Clothes Pattern 5731 (Copyright 1964) along with the Chelly Wood dot com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie

Learning to sew with Simplicity 5731 vintage Tressy doll clothes pattern #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Do you see that blue price tag of 50 cents on my Simplicity 5731 Tressy doll clothes pattern? That’s literally how much I paid for these patterns, and this pattern set was cut, but only missing one piece; it was in a nearly-perfect envelope; and the directions were all there, in tact, and in perfect condition. Oooh! What a find! I must have had a … Continue reading Learning to sew with Simplicity 5731 vintage Tressy doll clothes pattern #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

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Please excuse the mess while my website, ChellyWood.com, is under construction. The image shows a jumble of electrical cords attached to a computer screen that offers some sort of paper pattern like the paper doll clothes patterns that followers of ChellyWood.com can print and download for sewing projects.
Crafts and Hobbies, Interviews With Crafters, Links

Please Recommend a Website for Doll Crafters

Today I’d like to look at some of the creators and websites that inspire my doll clothes and doll craft designs. I’d also like to hear from you… Which doll collectors and doll crafters’ websites do you frequent online? Let us know in the comments! If you’re looking for inspiration, Pinterest has a plethora of doll craft ideas (and some free patterns) that can fill your … Continue reading Please Recommend a Website for Doll Crafters

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows a Mattel Barbie doll with dark chocolate complexion modeling a beautiful white wedding dress with thin spaghetti straps and a very full skirt. The text reads "free pattern" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner of the turquoise blue background frame.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, Barbie Patterns, Daily Patterns, Made to Move Barbie, Vintage Barbie

How to sew a beautiful (but kind of easy) wedding dress for Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com

  For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. I honestly believe today’s sewing project is not too difficult, even for those of you who are just getting your feet wet, when it comes to sewing. The trickiest part is sewing the bodice to the thickly gathered skirt, but as long as you’re using high-quality felt for … Continue reading How to sew a beautiful (but kind of easy) wedding dress for Barbie w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com

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A woman stares off into space with a dreamy look on her face. The "thought bubble" above her head shows three doll face silhouettes and just above this, we read the words, "dream dolls."
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Collecting, Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters

Which “Dream Dolls” you would like to add to your collection? — Please add your comments!

Since I don’t actually own any of my “dream dolls,” there won’t be any official pictures of them. Instead, I’ll use these little silhouetted images to represent them and give you a link to them on a website, just in case you want to see what they look like or buy one for yourselves. But today’s blog post isn’t just about me. I want to … Continue reading Which “Dream Dolls” you would like to add to your collection? — Please add your comments!

Chelly Wood16 Comments
On a turquoise blue linen background, a miniature Anna doll and a Mini Elsa doll from Disney's Frozen face one another. They are both wearing handmade skirts with tiny print fabrics and a soft pink felt jacket that has been embroidered along the bottom of the coat. The overlay says, "free pattern" and the ChellyWood.com logo appears in the lower left corner.
5-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Disney Princess Dolls, Mini Anna Dolls

Make a pretty embroidered coat for Frozen’s miniature Anna dolls @ ChellyWood.com with today’s free patterns

Are you looking for the patterns? Scroll down to the second set of bullets. With fall underway here, in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to make some coats for our dolls! This project is most attractive if you can add embroidery along the bottom of the coat or jacket, so for your easy access, here’s a link to my embroidery tutorial gallery. To make the … Continue reading Make a pretty embroidered coat for Frozen’s miniature Anna dolls @ ChellyWood.com with today’s free patterns

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Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie

Learning to sew with a vintage Holly Hobbie plush doll pattern #HollyHobbie #DollClothesPatterns

Have you ever made a plush doll? Well I have. In fact, this Holly Hobbie doll and clothing pattern provided me with the patterns for making my first plush doll, and I have happy memories of working with this pattern. To read what I’ve written about this pattern in past blog posts, just click on a title below that sounds interesting to you: Tips for … Continue reading Learning to sew with a vintage Holly Hobbie plush doll pattern #HollyHobbie #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood4 Comments
A blue square thumbnail image says, "free pattern" and these words are beside and slightly overlapping a photo of a Kuu Kuu Harajuku doll modeling a handmade yellow dress with a full skirt, short sleeves, and a collar. The chelly wood dot com logo appears in one corner.
10-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Kuu Kuu Harajuku Dolls, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Sew a beautiful party dress for Kuu Kuu Harajuku dolls w/today’s free patterns!

Scroll down to the second set of bullets to download the free printable PDF sewing pattern. Today’s doll dress has appeared on ChellyWood.com before, but this is the first time I’ve associated this free pattern with my lovely “G” doll from the Kuu Kuu Harajuku animated television show. But isn’t she so, so sweet in this dress? Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing … Continue reading Sew a beautiful party dress for Kuu Kuu Harajuku dolls w/today’s free patterns!

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This is the thumbnail for a #DoApick game, in which we choose which doll and which doll dress we want to take to a 1970’s square dance. The image shows a vintage Skipper in a white top and red floral skirt. To play along, click on the image and view the YouTube Shorts video to choose which doll and which outfit you would choose from a selection of three options. The background behind the cell phone image is purple with a rainbow of clouds in green, yellow, and blue arching behind the cell phone, reminding us of a bygone era. The text reads, “Do a Pick” followed by “at a square dance.”
Do a Pick! Game, Doll Play Videos, Vintage Barbie

Let’s Do a Pick — Take your Barbie Dolls to a Square Dance!

  If you weren’t alive in 1972, then you probably think the early 70’s were all about hippies and Woodstock. But actually, pioneers were in fashion, and a favorite TV show for family viewing was Little House on the Prairie. I remember my parents participating in square dancing as a fun event for couples, and it was very popular from 1972 all the way through … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Take your Barbie Dolls to a Square Dance!

Chelly Wood3 Comments
Surrounded by purple fabric with tiny white polka dots, we see a photo of a repainted Ken doll wearing a grey haired wig, a muffin cap, and a fancy Renaissance tunic with trousers. The text overlay says, "free pattern" and the ChellyWood.com logo appears in the lower left corner.
12-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Doll Play Videos, Ken Patterns, Romeo & Juliet, Vintage Brad, Vintage Ken

Pattern update for Ken doll’s Renaissance style muffin cap — and how You can help find pattern errors!

*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 … Continue reading Pattern update for Ken doll’s Renaissance style muffin cap — and how You can help find pattern errors!

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