Barbie waves. She wears a soft white felt sleeveless top and a black miniskirt dotted with little candy corns. The skirt she wears has a long tulle petticoat. She is also wearing bright orange high heel shoes. Free patterns for making this outfit are found at ChellyWood.com. Text: Halloween ensemble. Free sewing patterns at Chelly Wood dot com.

It’s October… Let’s finish sewing a Halloween ensemble for Barbie!

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. Last week I gave you the little mini candycorn skirt project, and today I’m giving you a tutorial with lots of little stop-motion scenes, showing how to make the easiest felt shirt ever. Yes, the felt shirt project is one that has been available here, on ChellyWood.com, for quite some time, … Continue reading It’s October… Let’s finish sewing a Halloween ensemble for Barbie!

Recycled fabrics are used to form the circular arrows of the recycle symbol.

Christmas Gift Idea: Support Afghan Refugees by Purchasing a Christmas Tree Ornament from SilaiWali

  I know that many of you create doll clothes using recycled clothing, which is so admirable! We all want to see that kind of change in the way humans use the earth’s resources. But during the holiday season, it’s easy to slip back into our old habits, buying plastics and non-recycled goods, as we try to fill the Christmas stockings of all our kids, … Continue reading Christmas Gift Idea: Support Afghan Refugees by Purchasing a Christmas Tree Ornament from SilaiWali

Portland Frog holds up a peace sign in protest. This is part of a blog post at ChellyWood.com that asks the question, "Is being a rebel good?" Discussion centers around McCall's 2970, as this Made-for-Topper-Dawn doll clothes pattern will also fit LOL Surprise OMG dolls (at least the View B dress does anyway).

Is being a rebel a good thing? #SillyMemes #SewingHack

See that image? That’s a thing that happened to me over the weekend. Every time my husband tells me to go buy him a “Whatsit-whoozit” at the hardware store, I always come home with the WRONG item. Then he yells at me, as if I should have known exactly which “Whatsit-whoozit” he meant. So over the weekend, when he had his truck all taken apart, … Continue reading Is being a rebel a good thing? #SillyMemes #SewingHack

Halloween skirt, free sewing patterns at Chelly Wood dot com. Barbie doll shown from waist down wearing a mini skirt made of candy-corn printed black cotton with white tulle long petticoat underneath. Please click the thumbnail to access the free PDF sewing patterns including A4 doll clothes patterns.

It’s October… Let’s make a Halloween skirt for Barbie!

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. I first started this website in the early 2010’s, more as a side project than a business. I wasn’t expecting it to become a hub for free sewing patterns. Back in those early days, I didn’t have a fancy camera, video software, and a sound system, so my earliest videos aren’t … Continue reading It’s October… Let’s make a Halloween skirt for Barbie!

Free Bratz doll clothes patterns at Chelly Wood dot com. Doll is shown in handmade white snap-down-the-front blouse and hot pink elastic waist shorts dotted with light pink modern flower designs. Click the thumbnail to read the whole article and download the free Bratz doll clothes patterns.

Free Sewing Patterns for Bratz Dolls — Cotton Shirt and Shorts — Here you go!

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. It has been a while since I posted something for the little Bratz dolls. So today’s free patterns can be used to make a cotton shirt and a pair of elastic-waist shorts, to fit your Bratz doll. The sleeve and bodice front are all one piece, for this shirt, so it’s … Continue reading Free Sewing Patterns for Bratz Dolls — Cotton Shirt and Shorts — Here you go!

Discover Sewing Magic with Chelly Wood's Doll Clothes Sewing Pattern Creations! Inside a charming quilted frame, a unique Chelly Wood doll (a creatively transformed Spin Master Liv doll featuring a grey wig and custom face paint) strikes a pose, pointing at three vibrant purple question marks. Dressed in a red check gingham short-sleeved shirt and black trousers, the doll accessorizes with a red gingham handkerchief securing her silver grey hair and completes the look with black flats. Click to explore ChellyWood.com, your go-to resource for free, printable PDF sewing patterns to craft stylish doll clothes for dolls of all shapes and sizes. Dive into the sewing community and enhance your skills today!

What can you do if you’ve lost the instructions for a commercial sewing pattern? #MeMadeMonday #SewingHack

Before I started typing today’s blog post, I googled the same question: “What can you do if you’ve lost the instructions for a commercial sewing pattern?” And let me just say that yes, AI can make mistakes. It became very obvious to me that Google doesn’t know how to correctly respond to this question. Granted, Google AI offered links to their sources. So that’s good. … Continue reading What can you do if you’ve lost the instructions for a commercial sewing pattern? #MeMadeMonday #SewingHack

What will Barbie and Ken wear in the dollhouse display? Do a Pick. Which one? Ken wears a grey suit to match Barbie's "Mainly Rain" coat and hat. Click the thumbnail to play along.

Let’s Do a Pick — Clean your room! (And your Barbie’s dollhouse…) #DoApick #vintageToys

Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following: Scenario A: Barbie wears “Golden glitter”, Best Buy 3340 Ken wears “Mainly for Rain” grey suit, Best Buy 8618 Scenario B: Barbie wears “Mainly for Rain” long red coat, Best Buy 3338 Ken wears a fur-trimmed Sherpa jacket with matching pants, Best Buy 8617 (I got the number wrong in the video) Scenario C: Ken wears red … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Clean your room! (And your Barbie’s dollhouse…) #DoApick #vintageToys

Shown in trousers, a collared shirt, and a decorative business suit’s tie are (left to right) GI Joe (African American), Action Man, Broad Ken, and Superstar Ken. The logo for Chelly Wood dot com is found at the bottom. Free Patterns!

Free sewing patterns for making business clothing for 12 inch male fashion dolls and action figures

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing pattern. In the past few weeks, I’ve uploaded three different videos to my YouTube channel, each one showing how to sew a different article of business attire for 12 inch male dolls and action figures. Today’s blog post will give you patterns and tutorial videos for making the shirt, the trousers, and … Continue reading Free sewing patterns for making business clothing for 12 inch male fashion dolls and action figures

With a quilted frame around it, we see a section of a McCall's vintage fashion doll clothes sewing pattern for making a cape that will fit a fashion doll like Barbie and similar-sized dolls.

How to Sew a Welted Arm Opening in a Cape

As I type this first sentence, the ground outside my sewing room window is wet with early morning rain. It smells lovely out there! But this means fall is underway, here in the northern hemisphere, so it might be a good time to do a blog post on cape-making. Specifically, today’s post will show you how I made a welted opening in a cape, so … Continue reading How to Sew a Welted Arm Opening in a Cape

DIY miniature tie with free patterns including A4. GI Joe models a handmade red tie against his navy blue collared shirt. In the background we see Superstar Ken, GI Joe, and Action man action figures also wearing the handmade tie.

How to Sew a Tie for Broad Ken, GI Joe, Action Man, and Superstar Ken (with Free Pattern)

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing pattern. In today’s “How to Sew a Tie” video, I told you I’d be sure to give you a link to a helpful tutorial that shows you how to tie a Windsor knot for your doll or action figure’s tie. This link will take you to a very helpful step-by-step video showing … Continue reading How to Sew a Tie for Broad Ken, GI Joe, Action Man, and Superstar Ken (with Free Pattern)

Various sewing and crafting notions like thread, a tape measure, scissors, and a writing utensil swirl around the words "Sewing Vocab" in a thumbnail frame. This is the default thumbnail for the sewing picture dictionary (or sewing glossary with pictures) on ChellyWood.com, a website that offers free printable PDF sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: Buttons

DEFINITION: A type of fastener that usually passes through a hole or uses a loop as a method of closure. This is my own definition. Of course you can google this term to find other definitions as well. A lot of people who are new to sewing doll clothes struggle to find tiny buttons that are ideal for making dolls’ clothes, so today I’ll give … Continue reading Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: Buttons

McCall's 6260 vintage Barbie patterns: view A shows a ponytail Barbie wearing a pink gingham dress with lace skirt overlaid and a matching pair of pink gingham panties (shown below the doll on a silver graphic line); View B shows a silver evening gown (strapless) with matching stole and a pink ribbon tied at the waist; View C shows a pink swing coat with very large pockets and lots of buttons; View D shows an orange Kimono style bath robe with white trim and a white belt tied at the waist; View E shows a pair of high-waisted black pants with a little bolero style pink top over the top of them; View F shows a blue bikini with tiny pink polka dots.

How to Store and Preserve Vintage Sewing Patterns

Today’s topic is near and dear to my heart. If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you’ll know that I own quite a collection of old doll clothes sewing patterns. Many of them are featured in my Monday sewing lessons, all of which can be found on this page. Over the years, I’ve gotten better and better at preserving my vintage sewing patterns, and … Continue reading How to Store and Preserve Vintage Sewing Patterns

Thumbnail shows GI Jo in dress pants, a shirt with a collar, and a tiny formal tie. Free patterns at ChellyWood.com. He wears a pair of wine colored Oxford wingtip dress shoes with a slight heel.

Here’s how to make easy elastic waist trousers, for GI Joe, Action Man, and other muscular dolls/action figures… #GiftsForBoys #SewingMom

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. A long requested item, today’s video tutorial shows how to make a simple pair of elastic-waist trousers for muscular action figures in the 12 inch range. If you’re new to sewing, this is a relatively easy project to complete. Today’s trousers pattern will have a shorter inseam than the ones I’ve … Continue reading Here’s how to make easy elastic waist trousers, for GI Joe, Action Man, and other muscular dolls/action figures… #GiftsForBoys #SewingMom

The Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll that has been OOAK-made over to look like the real Chelly Wood) points across her sewing room at an ironing board upon which an unplugged iron rests.

What type of ironing board do you use when you’re sewing? #iSew #BeginnerSewing

Every now and then, one of my blog or YouTube followers will reach out to me with a really clever question. That’s the case with the question I’m answering in today’s blog post. But I’d like to hear your responses as well, so when you’re all done reading what I have to say on the topic of ironing boards, please take a moment to leave … Continue reading What type of ironing board do you use when you’re sewing? #iSew #BeginnerSewing

Beside the McCall's 2970 pattern, a list of dolls that will fit this tiny fashion doll sewing pattern can be read as follows: Dawn, Dale, Glory, Rock Flowers, Tutti, Lori, Nan, Posie, Kim, Donna, and the final name, Pippa, is followed by a question mark. The text at the top of the image says, "Who can wear it?" and the envelope's patterns include each of the following outfits for these tiny 6 inch fashion dolls: View A is a halter dress; View B is a long-sleeved long dress with lace trim; view C is a long-sleeved short dress (above the knee) with a full skirt and the dress bodice has a collar; view D is a tunic, pants, and long vest; View E is a nightgown or bathrobe; View F is a cape with hood.

How to turn one dress pattern into two dress patterns #MeMadeMonday #SewingTips

In addition to the View B dress from McCall’s 2970, my Snapstar doll can also wear a number of outfits I designed to fit the Bratz dolls. So if you came here looking for free doll clothes patterns for your Snapstar dolls, please click here. But today’s blog post is actually about how to expand one doll dress pattern into more than one. Read on … Continue reading How to turn one dress pattern into two dress patterns #MeMadeMonday #SewingTips