Inside a purple square thumbnail, the text reads, "free pattern!" beside the photo of a Barbie doll with long blond hair modeling a strappy summer shirt and a full Halloween-themed skirt dotted with tiny pumpkins. Visit ChellyWood.com for the free patterns to make this outfit for your Barbie dolls.

DIY Halloween Skirts for Barbie: Spooky Sewing Series Part 2 #HalloweenBarbie #BarbieHalloween

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. Today’s “Spooky Halloween Skirt” and top project is actually one I’ve designed in pink and white in the past, and you can find this project under Barbie, Sindy, and a few other dolls, when you link out from the home page. Unlike the “Spooky Sewing Series” Part 1 skirt, this project … Continue reading DIY Halloween Skirts for Barbie: Spooky Sewing Series Part 2 #HalloweenBarbie #BarbieHalloween

A strawberry blond curvy Barbie doll models an animal print blouse that has three-quarter length sleeves and side darts. The text says, "free shirt pattern!" beside the Chelly Wood dot com logo.

Make your Curvy Barbie an animal print blouse, PLUS details about my trip to Chicago! #BookStore #Fashionista

  Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. If you regularly follow my blog posts, you may recall that I attended the IANDS conference in Chicago, back in August. I was so inspired by the people I met at that conference, that I’ve begun the process of designing doll clothes to match the fashionable outfits worn by the … Continue reading Make your Curvy Barbie an animal print blouse, PLUS details about my trip to Chicago! #BookStore #Fashionista

In a purple thumbnail, a Barbie models a Halloween skirt and top ensemble. Beside her are the words, "Free pattern" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo.

DIY Halloween Skirts for Barbie: Spooky Sewing Series Part 1 #Halloween #HalloweenParty

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. Today’s “Spooky Halloween Skirt” and top project is actually the same outfit I posted last Easter, but with a couple of simple alterations. If you’re not sure what I mean by “alterations,” Scroll down past the needle and cross-stitches. That’s where I talk about the online courses that I teach, including … Continue reading DIY Halloween Skirts for Barbie: Spooky Sewing Series Part 1 #Halloween #HalloweenParty

Advance 2896 with quilted frame and Tall Barbie in Halloween dress standing nearby. the doll is shown in profile. Her long hair is accentuated by this side view, and you can see that the dress has a belt that ties in the back. On the pattern envelope this dress is most like the one pictured in View 5.

When your pattern doesn’t fit on the fabric, what do you do? #SewingTips #couture

We’ve all had it happen. You’re thinking, “A fat quarter should be enough to make this little doll dress. Right?” You get home, start pinning the pattern pieces onto the fabric, and then… “Oh crap.” That fat quarter isn’t quite long enough for the skirt’s ruffle (or whatever piece still needs pinning). What can you do? Before I go on, I need to make my … Continue reading When your pattern doesn’t fit on the fabric, what do you do? #SewingTips #couture

The DoApick thumbnail (do a pick thumbnail) is purple with a rainbow and cloud graphic behind a cell phone, featuring a photo from a vintage Mattel doll clothes catalog. Today’s photo features a vintage Skipper doll modeling a yellow dress with multicolored rickrack trim. Click on this thumbnail, and the link will take you to the “Do a Pick” game, which you can play by viewing (and listening to) the story scenario dealing with realistic activities children enjoyed with dolls, back in the early 1970’s. Leave a comment to play along.

Let’s Do a Pick — Take Skipper to Church #DollLovers #DollCommunity

Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following: Best Buy Skipper Fashion #8610 (yellow dress with rickrack trim) Best Buy Skipper Fashion #3373 (red floral skirt with white cotton top) Best Buy Skipper Fashion #8611 (traditional schoolgirl outfit) What’s the story behind this game? When I was a kid, whenever it was playtime with dolls, we would lay out all our dolls and their clothing … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Take Skipper to Church #DollLovers #DollCommunity

Thumbnail image shows the front of pattern envelope Simplicity 8281, plus a close-up of Simplicity 8281's View 6 culottes, vest, and long-sleeved tee shirt. In the middle, between the pattern envelope and the close-up of a doll wearing the View 6 gouchos (culottes) vest and t-shirt, we see a bubble cut Barbie wearing the handmade outfit. Exactly as printed on the envelope cover, the gouchos / culottes and vest are sky blue, while the long-sleeved T-shirt is made of a red and white striped jersey fabric with narrow one-eighth inch wide stripes. The dolls shoes are red classic pumps.

Are denim vests back in style in 2025? #SewingPodcast #FashionHistory

I started my 7th grade year in the fall of 1979, and I distinctly remember owning an outfit that included a denim vest. It came with a pretty ruffled skirt made of tan denim, a white top made of lightweight cotton, and a tan denim vest with cream-colored topstitching. My aunt, Harriet, took me on a shopping spree just before school started, and she bought … Continue reading Are denim vests back in style in 2025? #SewingPodcast #FashionHistory

Thumbnail image shows the front of pattern envelope Simplicity 8281, plus a close-up of Simplicity 8281's View 6 culottes, vest, and long-sleeved tee shirt. In the middle, between the pattern envelope and the close-up of a doll wearing the View 6 gouchos (culottes) vest and t-shirt, we see a bubble cut Barbie wearing the handmade outfit. Exactly as printed on the envelope cover, the gouchos / culottes and vest are sky blue, while the long-sleeved T-shirt is made of a red and white striped jersey fabric with narrow one-eighth inch wide stripes. The dolls shoes are red classic pumps.

How to sew raglan sleeves by hand #VintageSewing #HandSewing

As most of my regular followers know, when it comes to making clothes for dolls, I really like to sew by hand. If I’m using a slippery or curly fabric, like satin or jersey, I definitely prefer sewing by hand. For today’s project — a raglan-sleeved Barbie shirt–I sewed it from start to finish, using a number of different hand stitches. And this blog post … Continue reading How to sew raglan sleeves by hand #VintageSewing #HandSewing

The image shows a quilted frame around the Chelly Wood doll (really a re-painted Spin Master Liv doll that looks like the doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood), and a thought bubble displays that she is having red and white striped jersey fabric thoughts.

How do you stop obsessing about a project? #SewingProjects #VintageBarbie

  My brain has been stuck on the idea that I need to sew the red and white striped T-shirt from my Simplicity 8281 vintage doll clothes pattern for not just months, but YEARS now. Of course I have other, more important projects underway. And now it’s time for my disclaimer statement: many of my links are affiliate marketing links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I … Continue reading How do you stop obsessing about a project? #SewingProjects #VintageBarbie

An image shows a cell phone displaying a vintage Mattel Francie doll. The doll is dressed in a brown winter coat with a matching hat and belt. Behind the cell phone, a rainbow with yellow, turquoise blue, and green colors creates cloud-like curves against a purple background. The screen displays the text "Do a Pick," indicating the name of the game, with a subtitle that reads "New coat for back to school," suggesting the game's theme focuses on buying a new coat for the fall school season.

Let’s Do a Pick — Back to School Coats for Francie or Skipper! #BarbieGames #BarbieFun

Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following: Francie’s brown coat with collar and matching hat, Best Buy #8646 Francie’s long red and white coat with matching purse, Best Buy #3368 Skipper’s red velvet coat with furry collar, Best Buy #8613 What’s the story behind this game? When I was a kid, whenever it was playtime with dolls, we would lay out all our dolls … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Back to School Coats for Francie or Skipper! #BarbieGames #BarbieFun

The thumbnail, framed by a turquoise blue and purple quilt, shows the front of the envelope for Simplicity 5861, a vintage doll clothes pattern for Skipper, from 1964. The text in this thumbnail reads, "Vintage Skipper Simplicity 5861" and under this, we see the Chelly Wood dot com logo.

What is a hook and eye closure, and how do you sew one? #SewingHacks #SewWithMe

Today I’m going to explain how to sew a hook and eye onto the back of a doll’s garment. Specifically, I’ll be working with the bodice for Dress View 6 in the Simplicity doll clothes wardrobe pattern 5861 for vintage Skipper dolls. Let’s stat with a quick explanation of the notion referred to as a “Hook and eye” or “Hook and loop.” The pink arrow … Continue reading What is a hook and eye closure, and how do you sew one? #SewingHacks #SewWithMe

With a quilted purple and blue frame, a photo of a Made to Move Curvy Barbie with bright pink Anime-style hair stands next to and looks down at vintage 8281 Simplicity Barbie doll clothes pattern, which contains the patterns for making the very same raglan-sleeved shirt or blouse that the Made-to-Move Curvy Barbie is wearing. She also wears a miniskirt that is not pictured on the envelope for Simplicity 8281 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns. The ChellyWood.com logo appears to the side of the photo.

What are raglan shirts? — Here’s a quick explanation! #Sewing #HandmadeWithLove

In the image at the top of today’s blog post, Ken is modeling a handmade raglan-sleeved T-shirt, but what, exactly, does “raglan” mean? Well, in today’s blog post, we’ll dig deep into the differences between a set-in sleeve and a raglan sleeve, looking at doll clothes sewing patterns for both kinds. If you’re wondering about the history of the word “raglan” (AKA its etymology), I’ll … Continue reading What are raglan shirts? — Here’s a quick explanation! #Sewing #HandmadeWithLove

Click on the "Website Navigation Guide" button to learn more about how to navigate on ChellyWood.com, to find the free doll clothes sewing patterns and tutorial videos you need, to make a whole wardrobe of doll clothes for your doll or dolls.

Fashion Doll Clothes Patterns (Free Barbie Patterns) and How to Find Them Online #FreeStuff #SewingPatterns

Today’s tutorial video shows how to find free sewing patterns for fashion dolls like Barbie (and others) online, using ChellyWood.com’s library of free PDF sewing patterns. Sometimes people come to my website and leave a comment that says, “I’m looking for free Bratz doll clothes patterns” or “Do you have any patterns for the Disney Princess ten inch dolls?” I designed today’s tutorial video to … Continue reading Fashion Doll Clothes Patterns (Free Barbie Patterns) and How to Find Them Online #FreeStuff #SewingPatterns

A Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll that has been OOAK re-dressed, re-painted, and had its hair dyed to look like the real doll clothing designer Chelly Wood stands beside a photo of a McCall's 9061 vintage sewing pattern for baby and toddler dolls. The Chelly Wood doll wears a red check shirt and black trousers with a pair of flats. Her hair is tied in a red check handkerchief and she wears dark cat eye glasses.

How can I tell if McCalls 9061 vintage patterns will fit my AG dolls? I have 2 methods! #SewingTips #SewingHacks

When you look at a vintage pattern, do you sometimes wonder whether or not it will fit your modern dolls? Nobody wants to waste time making, for example, the nightgown in View E above, if they’re not sure it will fit. Right? In today’s blog post, I’m going to show you a couple of tricks I use to test a pattern before I start sewing … Continue reading How can I tell if McCalls 9061 vintage patterns will fit my AG dolls? I have 2 methods! #SewingTips #SewingHacks

Surrounded by a turquoise blue fabric frame, we read the words "free pattern" above the ChellyWood.com logo. To the right of these texts is a photo of a regular Barbie dressed in pink and white floral pajamas underneath a Barbie-doll-pink bathrobe with white trim and a white belt which is tied at the waist.

Create stylish Barbie pajamas using my free PDF sewing patterns, including A4 patterns! #Sewing #Pajamas

Scroll down to the third set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. It might surprise you to learn that I actually use my own patterns pretty frequently, and recently I wanted to make some pajamas for Barbie. I went looking for the image you see above in my Barbie gallery, and I was shocked to discover it wasn’t there! So today I’m re-posting … Continue reading Create stylish Barbie pajamas using my free PDF sewing patterns, including A4 patterns! #Sewing #Pajamas

Sew a basic party dress for Barbie with free A4 and American patterns @ ChellyWood.com #UKsewing #DollsClothes

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. This party dress has been available on my website for some time now, and in fact, it’s one of the most popular patterns on my website! But in the past, I didn’t know how to convert my patterns into A4 printer paper patterns. (A4 patterns are the kind used … Continue reading Sew a basic party dress for Barbie with free A4 and American patterns @ ChellyWood.com #UKsewing #DollsClothes