Category: Holiday Crafts

The Chelly Wood doll stands beside the Simplicity 4510 vintage Barbie pattern envelope. The Chelly Wood doll looks like she's holding up the envelope. The Chelly Wood doll wears a red and white gingham shirt with matching hair scarf, and a pair of black pants with black flats. The image has a quilted frame.
Curvy Barbie, Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie

Can Curvy Barbie wear vintage Barbie doll clothes? #BarbieStyle #ChristmasGifts

I was pleased to discover that Curvy Barbie was able to wear one of the garments from this vintage Simplicity 4510 doll clothes pattern from the 1960’s! But which garment do you think it is…? Which view from the envelope? Give it a guess before scrolling down to see if you’re right. *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site … Continue reading Can Curvy Barbie wear vintage Barbie doll clothes? #BarbieStyle #ChristmasGifts

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The image shows a sewing machine with a tiny pink swatch of fabric between the presser foot and the feed dogs. Thread, bobbins, and other sewing tools are scattered around a white table top near the sewing machine's base. This image represents Chelly's sewing room while she recovers from West Nile Virus.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Holiday Crafts

How messy does YOUR sewing space get during the holiday season? Please leave a comment! #HolidaySeason #SewingRoom

First, I want to apologize for yesterday’s rant about Facebook. I try not to sling my dirty laundry all over my website. It’s not cool. I guess I was having a moment. I think what inspired me was Hank Green’s recent rant about the X platform (formally known as Twitter). But you don’t want to watch his video (i.e. the link above) if you have … Continue reading How messy does YOUR sewing space get during the holiday season? Please leave a comment! #HolidaySeason #SewingRoom

Chelly Wood8 Comments
The Chelly Wood doll stands next to the Advance 9938 Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern with her cartoonish sewing room behind her.
Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie

Have you ever made a Barbie dress with panels? #HolidaySewing for #Barbie

My Advance 9938 sewing pattern for Barbie comes from the early 1960’s, and it has some really fun patterns to try. I’ve truly enjoyed making a Christmas dress, using the strapless gown in the View 3 image from this vintage doll clothes pattern. *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this … Continue reading Have you ever made a Barbie dress with panels? #HolidaySewing for #Barbie

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The text reads "simplicity 4510" followed by the words "holiday dress." The image shows the cover art for the envelope for the Simplicity 4510 Barbie doll clothes wardrobe from the 1960's, and beside this, a titian bubble cut Barbie models a red holiday dress dotted with tiny white Christmas trees.
Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

How important is the grainline with dolls’ clothes sewing projects? Simplicity 4510 from the 1960’s will show us! #Sew #Vintage

Before we start, I’d like to thank my friend Julie for giving me this lovely doll. She’s a real vintage bubble-cut Barbie! I had never owned one before — even as a kid — and one day Julie stopped by, to drop off a huge box of Barbies. This lovely lady was among the dolls she gave me. That’s a story for another day, but … Continue reading How important is the grainline with dolls’ clothes sewing projects? Simplicity 4510 from the 1960’s will show us! #Sew #Vintage

Chelly Wood5 Comments
The text atop this photo collage says, "Writing a Memoir." Then we see a string of Polaroid photos held up with clothespins. Left to right, the photos show a personal notebook with a rainbow on the cover; a series of outline notes that include an image of a Tammy doll clothes sewing pattern; two vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns.
2 Enchanting 2B True -- Doll Pics, Crafts and Hobbies, Disney Princess Dolls, Doll Makeovers, Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing Chat

What are you working on for the holidays? Please leave a comment! #ChristmasProjects #ChristmasGifts

As many of my regular followers know, in my “day job” I work as a school librarian. This year in December I will be giving my “Secret Santa” gifts to our PE teacher, who happens to have a little girl who’s three years old. So of course I’m making doll clothes for her, to give as my Secret Santa gifts! REQUIRED AFFILIATE MARKETING STATEMENT:  As … Continue reading What are you working on for the holidays? Please leave a comment! #ChristmasProjects #ChristmasGifts

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows sewing pattern Simplicity 8281 for Barbie, Cher, and Farrah Fawcett dolls.
Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

The Patterns of Christmas Past — Share a memory! #Sewing #VintageSewing

Whenever I dig up my Simplicity 8281 doll clothes sewing pattern, it always reminds me of a Christmas in about 1982  or 1983, when I used this pattern to sew a whopping 60 doll clothes outfits, and I sold them all to classmates and neighbors, to raise money for our family’s Christmas gifts. My favorite of these patterns was the View 4 dress because it … Continue reading The Patterns of Christmas Past — Share a memory! #Sewing #VintageSewing

Chelly Wood4 Comments
A vintage Malibu Barbie models a handmade dress. She stands beside a photo of Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns, which is labeled "Sew-easy by Advance, Barbie, Mattel teen fashion doll patterns, around-the-clock wardrobe."
Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Vintage Barbie

How I altered the neckline of vintage Barbie pattern Advance 2896 to fit better #SewingTips #VintageSewing

Last week we took a look at the skirt pockets on my Sew-Easy Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll sewing pattern, and today I’m going to explain how I altered the neckline of the cap-sleeved shirt that is part of this View 3 pattern set. To be clear, the skirt in the image above is a separate garment from the shirt. Now quickly, let me make … Continue reading How I altered the neckline of vintage Barbie pattern Advance 2896 to fit better #SewingTips #VintageSewing

Chelly Wood2 Comments
A black Barbie models an orange raglan-sleeved cotton shirt and an orange gingham check cotton pencil skirt. The text reads "free pattern!"
11-inch doll clothes patterns, Barbie Patterns, Daily Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

Easy Barbie clothes to sew with FREE patterns! #ChristmasGiftIdeas #EasyCrafts

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. On Halloween, I gave you a pattern for and a tutorial showing how to make the cotton shirt shown at the top of this blog post, but what about the skirt? It’s super easy to make too, so today I’m going to post the whole ensemble. That way, if … Continue reading Easy Barbie clothes to sew with FREE patterns! #ChristmasGiftIdeas #EasyCrafts

Chelly Wood2 Comments
Thumbnail reads "free pattern" and shows an image of a 9 inch Tinkerbell doll modeling a handmade Christmas dress.
9-inch Dolls, Daily Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Tinkerbell fairy dolls, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Whole Costumes for Dolls

How to sew Tinkerbell fairy doll dresses for the holidays with free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Please scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free printable PDF sewing patterns and links to any additional relevant tutorial videos. This week we’re sewing a pretty red plaid dress for the little Disney Tinkerbell fairy 9 inch dolls.  We’re getting closer and closer to Christmas, so I made my little dress for Tinkerbell out of a lightweight cotton/polyester blend red and … Continue reading How to sew Tinkerbell fairy doll dresses for the holidays with free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
In a turquoise blue thumbnail, a black Barbie with long straight black hair and silver hoop earrings models a handmade cotton shirt with raglan sleeves. The text reads "free pattern" and this blog post is on Halloween, so it makes sense that the shirt is orange.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, Barbie Patterns, Daily Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

Sew a super simple raglan-sleeved cotton shirt using today’s free Barbie shirt patterns @ ChellyWood.com #CasualStyle #BarbieClothes

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Happy Halloween! This week I’m giving you the free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial video for making the super simple cotton shirt shown in the video at the top of this blog post. I’ve had this pattern on my website before, but we always used jersey fabric with … Continue reading Sew a super simple raglan-sleeved cotton shirt using today’s free Barbie shirt patterns @ ChellyWood.com #CasualStyle #BarbieClothes

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A woman's hand holds a long strand of white, very thin cord elastic. The ends of the elastic cross near her finger tips.
4-inch doll clothes patterns, 5-inch doll clothes patterns, Holiday Crafts, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

How to use cord elastic for very teeny-tiny little dolls’ elastic waistbands! #miniature #dollhouse

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The image at the top of today’s blog post shows a Mattel Barbie being measured for the usual 1/8 inch wide elastic, which is what I often use for small doll clothes. However, for tomorrow’s blog post, I’ll be recommending the use of elastic cord because when making clothes for Barbie’s little sister, Chelsea, these clothing … Continue reading How to use cord elastic for very teeny-tiny little dolls’ elastic waistbands! #miniature #dollhouse

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
In a quilted frame the text reads "Advance 2896" and a photo of a Bubblecut Barbie shows her wearing a Halloween candy printed black dress. An arrow points from the Barbie to the View 5 image on the envelope of a Sew-Easy Advance pattern for Barbie.
Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie

I discovered an unexpected gem in vintage Sew-Easy by Advance Barbie patterns! #VintageClothes #VintageBarbie

If you’ve ever bought a vintage doll clothes pattern, you may have found a hidden gem inside the pattern envelope. Sometimes I’ll find an old receipt, a pre-cut outfit with its original vintage fabric still pinned onto the pattern, or a hand-written note that the previous owner left, to help them remember little nuances about the pattern (see image above for one such example). But … Continue reading I discovered an unexpected gem in vintage Sew-Easy by Advance Barbie patterns! #VintageClothes #VintageBarbie

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
Set in a purple cotton background with tiny white polka dots, the text "free pattern" overlaps a photo of a very tiny doll's hand holding the green ribbon strap for an orange jack-o-lantern shaped pumpkin candy bucket for carrying Halloween candy when a child goes trick or treating.
5-inch doll clothes patterns, 6-inch doll clothes patterns, Chelsea, Holiday Crafts

Sew a miniature pumpkin (jack-o’-lantern) trick-or-treat Halloween candy bucket with today’s free patterns!

Please scroll to the very bottom of this page for today’s free pumpkin candy bucket pattern. Every Halloween people visit my website in search of this popular pumpkin-shaped candy bucket pattern, which is just the right size for nearly all fashion dolls! So today’s pattern and tutorial are a repeat, but they’re too popular to pass them by! Before I go any further, I need … Continue reading Sew a miniature pumpkin (jack-o’-lantern) trick-or-treat Halloween candy bucket with today’s free patterns!

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
Within this purple thumbnail, we see a 10 inch Disney Moana doll with her hair back in many little braids, wearing a bright orange pair of pants with a bright orange swingy crop top. The text reads, "free pattern!"
10-inch doll clothes patterns, 9-inch Dolls, Daily Patterns, Disney Princess Dolls, Holiday Crafts, Moana dolls, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Let’s make a Halloween orange outfit for Moana dolls w/today’s free PDF sewing patterns! #HalloweenDIY #Moana

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Doesn’t my Moana doll look adorable in this swingy crop top and matching pants? She’s such a sweet little doll to sew for! Before we dive into this project, I need to make my required disclaimer statement: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more … Continue reading Let’s make a Halloween orange outfit for Moana dolls w/today’s free PDF sewing patterns! #HalloweenDIY #Moana

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
Here we see the African American Ken doll next to the Lammily Traveler doll with her beautiful natural hair Afro. They are dressed in traditional African clothing, including a fez, a shawl/poncho, and other garments made of African print fabrics. This image was part of a Kwanzaa celebration at ChellyWood.com and is being revisited today to celebrate Black Business Month (August). It's a great image of any African heritage holiday celebrations.
12-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Ken Patterns, Lammily Doll Patterns, Whole Costumes for Dolls

August is Black Business Month! Let’s make some African-style doll clothes patterns today! #BlackBusinessMonth #Sewing

Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. Yes, as it says in the title of today’s blog post, August is Black Business month. What better way to celebrate this month’s theme, than to re-post these patterns with an African American theme? This set of patterns was first posted here on chellyWood.com to celebrate Kwanzaa, but that was a … Continue reading August is Black Business Month! Let’s make some African-style doll clothes patterns today! #BlackBusinessMonth #Sewing

Chelly WoodLeave a comment