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.

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…

Chelly Wood5 Comments
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
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
Within a turquoise blue frame, we see the hand of a Momoko doll (dressed as Juliet) resting on a tiny dollhouse table. The text reads, "Doll table DIY" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner.
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Furniture, Props and Dioramas, Romeo & Juliet

Make a super simple DIY dollhouse table for Barbie and similar-sized dolls

  Today it’s time to create a lovely, circular table for your 1:6 scale doll dioramas. Just follow along, and this easy-peasy tutorial will show you exactly how it’s done. This tutorial video goes back to 2016, though, so I didn’t have the software to make a voiceover for my videos back then. You’ll have to just read the text and follow along as photos … Continue reading Make a super simple DIY dollhouse table for Barbie and similar-sized dolls

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This thumbnail image shows three handmade doll clothes outfits: on the left is a pair of pants with a shirt that buttons in front and has three-quarter length sleeves; in the center is a circle skirt dress with a bolero; and on the right is a pair of shorts with a short-sleeved shirt. The text reads, "summer projects: what did you get done" and below the doll clothes it says, "Please share!"
Crafts and Hobbies, Holiday Crafts, Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

Did you get some of your summer sewing goals accomplished?

At the start of July, we shared our summer sewing goals and summer doll projects in this blog post. At that time, I was hoping to make some of the doll clothes from the McCall’s 4716 Sunshine Family pattern set (the purple arrow in the image above points to it), and I was planning to make a few things for Barbie too. However, I got … Continue reading Did you get some of your summer sewing goals accomplished?

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The image shows a doll's feet wearing a pair of satin shoes with foam soles. The shoes are made of pink satin with a pink craft foam sole. The text reads, "free pattern" over a square cotton fabric frame made of purple cotton fabric with tiny white polka dots. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the upper right hand corner above the photo of dolls' shoes.
13-inch doll clothes patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, Daily Patterns, Doll Shoes, Littlechap Dolls, My First Barbie 13 inch Doll, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Let’s make a pair of shoes for 13 inch Barbie or Judy Littlechap dolls w/today’s free shoe pattern!

  For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. *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 … Continue reading Let’s make a pair of shoes for 13 inch Barbie or Judy Littlechap dolls w/today’s free shoe pattern!

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The image shows a lady loading her glue gun with spare glue sticks, and there are actual palm trees (potted plants) behind her. The text reads, "doll beach DIY."
18-inch doll clothes patterns, 2 Enchanting 2B True -- Doll Pics, American Girl Doll Patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, Madame Alexander Doll Clothes Patterns, Paper Crafts, Props and Dioramas, Tutorials: Crafts

How to make a BIG beach diorama for your dolls!

As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Yesterday I shared some pictures of the 18 inch doll beach diorama that I built about four years ago or so: The video at the top of the page today shows you how to make your own doll beach, just like the one in the image above. It’s ideal for 18 inch dolls, but of course … Continue reading How to make a BIG beach diorama for your dolls!

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The image says, "entrance slips for art class" and shows nine images which can be quickly and easily sketched as students enter the art classroom. You can find my Teachers Pay Teachers store at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Chelly-Wood
Interviews With Crafters, Links, Paper Crafts, Selling Your Crafts

New item for sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store — entrance slips for art teachers!

  If you’re new to my website, you may not be aware that in my “day job,” I’m a school librarian. One of the elective classes I teach is Introduction to Art. This past year, as my art students entered the classroom, they were immediately given a quick sketch practice, which we called their “entrance slip.” I projected an easy-to-sketch graphic on the whiteboard, and … Continue reading New item for sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store — entrance slips for art teachers!

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In a purple frame with tiny white polka dots, we see the words "free pattern" hovering above the Chelly Wood dot com logo. In a frame within this frame is a photo of a doll holding up a little green purse or handbag. The handbag is made of green cotton fabric with white felt for a closure. A tiny green button is sewn to the closure flap. The purse his held aloft by a miniature fashion doll's hand by the 1/8 inch ribbon that's used as a purse strap.
6-inch doll clothes patterns, 7-inch Dolls, Bratz Dolls, Breyer Doll Clothes Patterns, Chelsea, Crafts and Hobbies, Enchantimals, Lottie dolls, Mego Action Figures, Mini Anna Dolls, Mini Elsa Dolls, Palitoy's Pippa Dolls, Pepper Dolls (Vintage), Remco I Dream of Jeannie Dolls, Stacie Patterns, Strawberry Shortcake Dolls, Sunshine Family Dolls, Topper Dawn Dolls, Tutorials: Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Vintage Skipper, Vogue Ginny Dolls, World of Love Doll Patterns, Yarn and Embroidery

Make a purse or handbag for 6 to 7 inch fashion dolls w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com

Scroll down to the second set of bullets to download the free printable PDF sewing pattern.* Today’s doll purse will fit a wide variety of tiny dolls. Not all of the dolls that will fit this purse are mentioned in the first bulleted list, so please keep that in mind. Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make … Continue reading Make a purse or handbag for 6 to 7 inch fashion dolls w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com

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Here we see a doll's matted, snarled hair flying wildly behind her head. The doll's face is obscured. The ChellyWood.com logo appears below the image and to the left.
Belle Beauty and the Beast Doll from Hasbro, Crafts and Hobbies, Disney Princess Dolls, Doll Makeovers, Selling Your Crafts, Strawberry Shortcake Dolls

Doll Hair Repair — Is it ever a hopeless endeavor?

I frequent second-hand stores when I feel like having a “fun day out,” and I like to look for used dolls that can be repaired and given a new wardrobe. But one of the most challenging problems with used dolls is matted up, tangled hair. I’ve had some amazing successes with dolls that had such horrendous hair problems, I honestly didn’t think I could do … Continue reading Doll Hair Repair — Is it ever a hopeless endeavor?

Chelly Wood10 Comments