Category: Crafts and Hobbies

Chelly’s favorite hobby is sewing for dolls, but sometimes she makes other stuff too. Keep watching for more tutorials and patterns for her other crafty projects.

What is an armscye? A shirt has been sewn together at the shoulders, and it lays flat on a purple surface with the back pieces extending from the shoulder seams. The bodice backs are labeled, as is the bodice front. The garment has not been sewn from underarm to hem yet. Where front and backs come together at the shoulder, there's a bracket indicating that this "arm hole area" is the armscye, on both sides of the shirt.
Crafts and Hobbies, Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures, Sewing Chat, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: What is an armscye? #SewingChat #SewingVocabulary

DEFINITION: The portion of a garment where a sleeve can be attached to the bodice. This is my own definition. Of course you can google this term to find other definitions as well. It should be noted that I’ve only heard this word pronounced like “arm – sigh,” but when doing research for today’s blog post, I also heard someone say it as “arm’s eye.” … Continue reading Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: What is an armscye? #SewingChat #SewingVocabulary

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Ugly Christmas sweater patterns for Barbie. Displayed is the Chelly Wood doll pointing to the View H outfit from vintage Barbie pattern, McCalls 6420, which shows Barbie stepping out in a long-sleeved cowl neck sweater made from tan sweater fabric and a pair of brown tapered trousers. She also wears her signature high heels from the 1960’s. Between this image and the Chelly Wood doll are a sewing machine and various sewing supplies. Visit Chelly Wood dot com to learn more.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Are there any “ugly Christmas sweater” patterns for Barbie dolls? Why yes, there are!

Today’s blog post answers the question, “Are there any ‘ugly Christmas sweater’ patterns for Barbie?” And, yes, in fact, there are. See the image above? In the upper left-hand corner and the upper right-hand corner, you can see examples of cotton fabrics that imitate sweater fabric. So for starters, you could us ANY of my free Barbie shirt patterns that recommend cotton fabric, and just … Continue reading Are there any “ugly Christmas sweater” patterns for Barbie dolls? Why yes, there are!

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Recycled fabrics are used to form the circular arrows of the recycle symbol.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store

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

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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).
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

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

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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!
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

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

Chelly Wood6 Comments
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.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

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

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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.
Crafts and Hobbies, Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures, Sewing Chat, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

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

Chelly Wood8 Comments
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.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

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

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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.
Crafts and Hobbies, Fan Mail, Props and Dioramas, Sewing Chat, Tips for Beginners

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

Chelly Wood8 Comments
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.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Snapstar Dolls, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

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

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The photo of Chelly Wood shows a woman with blond hair turning white. She wears glasses and a denim jacket. She poses with her hand resting against her cheek, while her arm, bent at the elbow, rests against the back of a wooden bench (outside the frame of the photo). The frame includes lines of stitching, a button, and a tan linen background, indicating that the woman pictured is best known for her sewing accomplishments.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store

Who is Chelly Wood in real life? Today’s video gives you a big peek behind the scenes! #IRL #SewingTutorials

  I’ve noticed my YouTube channel’s growth rate has slowed down a bit, and I began to wonder if people who briefly viewed my tutorial videos were uninterested because they thought it was AI generated, especially since I don’t show my face until the end of most of my videos. So I designed this video to make it obvious that there’s a real person behind … Continue reading Who is Chelly Wood in real life? Today’s video gives you a big peek behind the scenes! #IRL #SewingTutorials

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Chelly Wood doll stands next to the pattern envelope for vintage Simplicity 9097, a 1970s era wardrobe for Barbie dolls. Among these patterns are the following ensembles: view 1: a wedding dress with empire waist, high collar, and bell sleeves; view 2: a similar evening gown shown in purple; view 3 a mod dress with pleated skirt and sleeveless bodice; view 3 B: the same mod dress shown with a short cape and scarf; view 4: a turtleneck blouse with raglan sleeves and a long skirt; view 5: the same blouse with a pair of trousers and a long, below-the-hip length vest.
Creatable World Dolls, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Topper Dawn Dolls, Vintage Barbie

How to Sew Dolls’ Shirt Collars so They Look Natural #Sewingtips #CreatableWorld

Shirt collars can be especially tricky when you’re making dolls’ clothes. Are there any tips for making a collar lay nicely on a doll’s shirt? Yes, there are, and that’s the topic of today’s blog post. I know I’ve written about this topic before, but it gets brought up pretty regularly. Please forgive me if this is a repeat for you. Before I go on, … Continue reading How to Sew Dolls’ Shirt Collars so They Look Natural #Sewingtips #CreatableWorld

Chelly Wood4 Comments
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!
Creatable World Dolls, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Sunshine Family Dolls, Tips for Beginners

Are there any sewing patterns for 10 inch Creatable World dolls? Yup! #CreatableWorld #Sewcialists

As you can see in the images above, I’ve been working with the McCall’s 4716 doll clothes sewing pattern, which was designed to fit the Sunshine Family dolls, and in today’s blog post, I’m going to tell you what I’ve learned while sewing it. We’ll look at how the small overalls fit my Creatable World dolls, and I’ll offer some suggestions to make alterations as … Continue reading Are there any sewing patterns for 10 inch Creatable World dolls? Yup! #CreatableWorld #Sewcialists

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On a lilac background, tiny toy trains carry presents and candy canes to an unknown destination. This colorful fabric was entered in the Merry Maximalist design contest by fabric designer, Chelly Wood, on the Spoonflower website.
Crafts and Hobbies, Fabric, For Sale in the Store

Let’s talk fabric! #FabricStash #Spoonflower

  Today’s video shows me making (designing) one of my Spoonflower fabrics in the early stages. The focus of the video is on how I create a digital paint palette in Canva. And by the way, another one of my fabrics (see the image below) has been entered in the Spoonflower design contest. If you get a chance to, please go vote for “Candy Canes … Continue reading Let’s talk fabric! #FabricStash #Spoonflower

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Dolls for OOAK or repairs. Images show two Obitsu dolls, a smattering of Monster High arms and hands, doll heads (some vintage), and a pile of nude doll bodies. ChellyWood.com logo appears in the corner. These items are up for sale in Chelly Wood's eBay store.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store

Do you do OOAK or doll repairs? #DollChat #OOAK

I’ve been going through my closet, finding things I never seem to have time to work on, and putting them up for sale in my eBay store. I’ve sold several NIB dolls over the past year, some doll shoes, and a number of accessories. But over the weekend I listed all the goodies I had in my OOAK/doll repair rubber tub. (The tub is not … Continue reading Do you do OOAK or doll repairs? #DollChat #OOAK

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