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 thumbnail image shows a purple patch sewn onto a turquoise cloth. The words "doll clothes sewing chat" are written in the center of the purple patch. Floating in a circle around the patch are graphics of various sewing notions, from scissors, to a tape measure, to bobbins, to thread, and more. This feature on Chelly Wood dot com, is an open discussion about a sewing concept. The article will begin with a definition of the sewing concept, and then a discussion question will follow. This is a great place for people to ask questions about and/or give advice on sewing concepts related to making doll clothes.
Crafts and Hobbies, Creative Spark Online Learning, Fan Mail, For Sale in the Store, Interviews With Crafters, Tips for Beginners

How can I improve my sewing game? #SewWithMe #QandA

In my inbox, from time to time, I get questions about how to sew an item of doll clothing that I’ve designed, how to design a specific item of doll clothes, or generally how to improve one’s sewing game. Back in the middle of December, I received the following question from someone named Kim: “Since I’m a beginner… you know how a mother bird teaches … Continue reading How can I improve my sewing game? #SewWithMe #QandA

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The thumbnail shows a woman's hand holding up a tiny little doll with question marks coming away from the tiny doll. The doll's eyes look left, toward the woman (who is out of sight). The text reads, "Can you help me identify this little cutie pie?"
3-inch doll clothes patterns, Baby Doll Patterns, Contests, Disney Princess Dolls, Doll Collecting, Doll Makeovers, Doll Measurements, Doll Shoes, Polly Pocket

Can you help me identify this MGA 2021 Made in China African American doll? #LittleMermaid #Toys

I’m starting the New Year with some dolly clean-up projects… Recently I found some doll shoes wrapped up in a plastic bag full of various toys (including dollar store trinkets and Happy Meal gadget toys), and I bought it for $2.50 at the Goodwill, just because it had the two pairs of shoes, which were a heck of a find! — A pair of turquoise … Continue reading Can you help me identify this MGA 2021 Made in China African American doll? #LittleMermaid #Toys

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As part of a celebration of the new year, Chelly Wood dot com did a top ten sewing patterns of 2024. This is the thumbnail for that blog post, showing patterns over the top of fireworks.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, 12-inch doll clothes patterns, American Girl Doll Patterns, Baby Doll Patterns, Barbie Patterns, Contests, Crafts and Hobbies, Crissy Family of Dolls, Elf on the Shelf, Holiday Crafts, Made to Move Barbie, Tall Barbie

Here are my Top 10 most popular free doll clothes patterns — a look back at 2024! #NewYearsDay #Top10

Today is the first day of 2025 — Hooray! In August of 2025, I’ll be retiring from my full-time job as a school librarian, so that will free up my time to do more with dolls and doll clothing designs. Watch for more news about my plans for 2025 in a later blog post in January. With today’s blog post, I want to reflect on … Continue reading Here are my Top 10 most popular free doll clothes patterns — a look back at 2024! #NewYearsDay #Top10

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This thumbnail shows a Black Barbie doll modeling an easy Barbie doll outfit to make. The shirt is a T-shirt style shirt, but made of orange cotton. The skirt is an orange gingham pencil skirt. Click on the thumbnail to find the free printable PDF sewing patterns and easy-to-follow tutorial videos showing you how to make easy barbie clothes for your child or grandchild.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, Barbie Patterns, Daily Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Made to Move Barbie, Petite Barbie Patterns, Tall Barbie, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Vintage Barbie, Vintage Francie, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Let’s make a simple pencil skirt for Barbie w/today’s free patterns! #Barbie #Sewing

  For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Yes, this project has appeared on my website before. I’m working on a small size project, where I’m remastering my oldest video tutorials with voiceover. That way people who don’t speak English can translate my verbal instructions by using YouTube’s Closed Captioning feature. And also, when there’s voiceover, … Continue reading Let’s make a simple pencil skirt for Barbie w/today’s free patterns! #Barbie #Sewing

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A purple frame enhances the words "who's the doll of the day" as they surround a photo of doll clothes all piled up next to the bare foot of a random doll.
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Collecting, Holiday Crafts

Help me set my sewing goals for 2025! I’m taking requests! #SewingGoals #NewYearsResolutions

I’m going to keep this blog post short and sweet. I have recently been given or discovered (usually at second-hand stores) a number of new dolls to design clothing for. Yesterday was all about the goals I set for myself in 2024, but now it’s time to look ahead. Who should I design doll clothes for in 2025? Please vote by leaving a comment below! … Continue reading Help me set my sewing goals for 2025! I’m taking requests! #SewingGoals #NewYearsResolutions

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This image shows Chelly Wood's sewing goals printable digital sewing planner sheet, filled out with Chelly's goals for 2023. Beside the image of the goal sheet is a hot pink text that says hashtag goals!
Chelly's Books, Crafts and Hobbies, Holiday Crafts, Sewing Chat

Did you achieve your sewing goals this year? Please comment! #SewingChat #BusinessGoals

The graphic at the top of the page is actually my sewing planner, which is currently for sale in my Etsy store. You can go check it out with this link, if you’d like a tool to help you plan your sewing goals for 2025. But today I want to look back at 2024, to see what I did and didn’t accomplish, and why. I’d … Continue reading Did you achieve your sewing goals this year? Please comment! #SewingChat #BusinessGoals

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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 text reads, "The History of Dolls" and the image shows a brown history book with cover art that shows paper dolls, a rag doll, a voodoo doll, a nutcracker, a Japanese peg doll, and a row of Russian stacking dolls. The ChellyWood.com logo appears in the lower right-hand corner. This thumbnail will be used during the month of July, 2024,to show that we're learning about the history of dolls this month. Be advised that the same thumbnail will be used throughout this series study of the history of dolls from around the world.
2 Enchanting 2B True -- Doll Pics, Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Collecting, History and Research, Links

History of Dolls in America (Facts, a Timeline, and Family-friendly Fun!) #Collectibles

  Today’s blog post is the wrap up for the history challenge that I did earlier this year. Click here to read about the challenge and download the free PDF to join the history challenge. Today’s images and much of the information provided come from the DAR Museum online. Please click on the links provided to learn more about the DAR Museum. The address of … Continue reading History of Dolls in America (Facts, a Timeline, and Family-friendly Fun!) #Collectibles

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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

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Seated in her sewing room, we see the Chelly Wood doll holding up a sign that shows a page from Facebook, but over the top of the Facebook page, someone has a giant red X through the text and the word "NO!" has been written beside the big X.
Chelly's Books, Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Collecting, Fan Mail, For Sale in the Store, Links, Selling Your Crafts, Sewing Chat

Here’s why I haven’t been on Facebook lately… #Disgruntled #Censorship

Do you recognize the header at the top of today’s blog post? If so, you’ve probably navigated over to my Facebook page at some point in the past. The last time I posted something on my Facebook page was February 25th. In fact, I haven’t even opened my Facebook account since then. Not even once. Until today, that is, when I went in to take … Continue reading Here’s why I haven’t been on Facebook lately… #Disgruntled #Censorship

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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

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The text reads "Holiday Sewing Inspiration Music" and it shows Christmas tree ornaments hanging from the top of the thumbnail in purple and pink colors, with a snowy turquoise and white colored background. On top of this background are vintage sewing patterns Advance 9938 for vintage Barbie dolls and Simplicity 4510 sewing patterns for vintage Barbie dolls, both from the early 1960's. When you go to the ChellyWood.com website to watch this video, it shows a woman's hands sewing the doll clothes from these two patterns, using some vintage fabrics from the 1960's and 1970's, along with final images of the dolls dressed in their holiday dresses. This video is supposed to inspire your own holiday Barbie doll sewing projects! The YouTube channel, ChellyWood1 offers more inspirational videos for making doll clothes, both for the holiday season and any time of the year...
Crafts and Hobbies, Music Videos for Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

Vintage holiday Barbie sewing inspiration music! Get inspired to sew! #SewingInspiration #Sewing

Okay, folks, I’ve created yet another music video to inspire your crafts! Want to make doll clothes with these vintage Barbie sewing patterns? Here are the links to purchase them on eBay: Simplicity 4510 for Vintage Barbie Vintage Advance 9938 Barbie If you look back at this blog post, you’ll understand that by adding this music to your playlists on YouTube, it not only gives … Continue reading Vintage holiday Barbie sewing inspiration music! Get inspired to sew! #SewingInspiration #Sewing

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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

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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

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A doll's feet are shown in a pair of yellow felt shoes with a sort of Moccasin-like look to them. The text reads "Free pattern!" The felt these shoes are made from is a bright yellow polyester blend felt.
13-inch doll clothes patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, Daily Patterns, Doll Shoes, Littlechap Dolls

Let’s make a pair of easy-to-sew felt shoes for Judy Littlechap 13 inch dolls (FREE patterns)! #Collectibles #DollCollector

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. For those of you who live in the United States, let me start by wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! It has been a while since we’ve seen Judy Littlechap, the doll I found at my local Goodwill for $2.50 and decided I wanted to design a wardrobe for her. … Continue reading Let’s make a pair of easy-to-sew felt shoes for Judy Littlechap 13 inch dolls (FREE patterns)! #Collectibles #DollCollector

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