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.

This is a close-up of one of the flowers on Anita's baby Dresden quilt. The center of the flower is pink. The fabric on the flower petal at 2 o'clock is a grey and white check. The fabric at three o'clock is a bright blue-purple-yellow-orange feather patterned fabric; the petal at four o'clock is a pink floral fabric; the fabric at five o'clock is a petal made of a leafy green fabric; the petal at seven o'clock is white with very tiny red polka dots; the fabric at eight o'clock is a vintage red with tiny white flowers and leaves; at ten o'clock we see a petal made of purple mottled fabric; and the eleven o'clock or noonish petal is made of a blue and green floral fabric. The whole flower has been appliqued by hand onto a white square, which is surrounded by a barely-visible blue fabric that has an almost not-noticeable blue floral print that barely shows.
18-inch doll clothes patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Props and Dioramas

Today’s blog post is for those of you who sew for dolls, but you don’t quilt… #DollQuilt #DollCollector

Yes, today’s blog post is for all the followers, friends, and other folks who love to sew for dolls, but perhaps they don’t enjoy quilting. Why? Because I have a quilt for sale in my store today! The quilt you see below was made by my very talented mother-in-law, Anita, who has made almost all of the tiny quilts you’ve seen in my videos and … Continue reading Today’s blog post is for those of you who sew for dolls, but you don’t quilt… #DollQuilt #DollCollector

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The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

The history of the djellaba and the slave trade #BlackHistoryMonth #ModernSlavery

As part of our celebration of Black History Month, here on ChellyWood.com, we’ve studied the Nakatukok of Uganda and Central Africa, we’ve examined the boubou of Senegal and West Africa, and we’ve tried to answer questions about the gele or head-tie, which is popular all over the continent of Africa (as well as abroad). Another unique garment, found in Algeria, Morocco, and North Africa is … Continue reading The history of the djellaba and the slave trade #BlackHistoryMonth #ModernSlavery

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On a turquoise blue background, we read the words "Skates, boots, and high-tops." Below this and at a slight angle is a photo of the following (left to right): silver cowboy boots, black army boots, and white ice skates.
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Shoes, Interviews With Crafters

The Woes of Buying Doll Boots, Skates, and High-tops on eBay #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Doll boots can be a lot of fun to dress your doll in, when you’re making winter raincoats and ponchos for them to wear in your fall dioramas. But if you’ve ever tried to buy vintage Barbie boots, you’ll probably already be familiar with this little problem: Some sellers on eBay are experts at hiding the flaws in their products. Then, when you buy it … Continue reading The Woes of Buying Doll Boots, Skates, and High-tops on eBay #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

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The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

Let’s celebrate Black History Month by asking “How old is the gele or head-tie?” #BlackHistory #AfricanHistory

In our celebration of Black History Month, we’ve taken a look at the pastoral clothing of the Karamojong tribe of Uganda in Central Africa; we’ve also studied the boubou, a sort of kaftan worn in many countries of West Africa. Now it’s time to learn about the gele, a head scarf or head tie, commonly worn in Nigeria, the most populous country in modern times … Continue reading Let’s celebrate Black History Month by asking “How old is the gele or head-tie?” #BlackHistory #AfricanHistory

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Text reads "Plushies and fiber fill" and the illustration shows a sewing table with sewing machine and a pillow that's being stuffed with fiber fill. Superimposed upon this image is a plush Valentines Day heart that has been hand stitched and a little rag doll in a green outfit.
Crafts and Hobbies, Pincushions, Plushies/Stuffed Animals

Plushies and Fiber Fill — What are they and what can you make with them? #Plushies #ValentinesDay

My grandma always called it “stuffing,” like the breaded food that you fill a turkey with on Thanksgiving, but at my local fabric store, they refer to the fluffy filling we put inside plush toys as “fiber fill.” The stuffing I tend to buy is made of polyester fibers, so I suppose the words “fiber fill” adequately explain both the product and what you do … Continue reading Plushies and Fiber Fill — What are they and what can you make with them? #Plushies #ValentinesDay

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The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

Let’s celebrate Black History Month by learning about the boubou! #BlackHistory #Senegal

About ten years ago, my youngest daughter and I took a vacation trip to Paris. If you’ve never been there, you might be surprised to learn that a lot of African people and people of mixed African and French backgrounds live in Paris. So after our visit to Paris was over, we waited to board our plane to come back to the US, and in … Continue reading Let’s celebrate Black History Month by learning about the boubou! #BlackHistory #Senegal

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The text reads "for sale in the shop" and below this is an image of several items of handmade doll clothes, including a skirt, jacket, shirt, socks, and underpants. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store

New in the store this week: Chelly Wood’s own handmade doll clothes for Stacie #DollClothes #Handmade

I’m not sure everyone caught it, but last week when I posted the tutorial for making a pair of socks for Stacie, I also mentioned that the entire ensemble pictured above was being sold in my online shop. This outfit includes the underpants, socks, and sleeveless top (which are all made of the same yellow jersey fabric) plus the houndstooth cotton pleated skirt and the … Continue reading New in the store this week: Chelly Wood’s own handmade doll clothes for Stacie #DollClothes #Handmade

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The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

Let’s celebrate Black History Month by learning about the Nakatukok of the Karamojong tribe in Uganda, Africa! #BlackHistory #AfricanCulture

I first ran across the nakatukok while studying the tribal people of Uganda. However this garment seems to be an adaptation that came to Uganda after European colonization. Now, I’m not a historian; I’m just a school librarian who enjoys studying history and sewing doll clothes. So please correct me in the comments below, if you read anything here that strikes you as incorrect. So … Continue reading Let’s celebrate Black History Month by learning about the Nakatukok of the Karamojong tribe in Uganda, Africa! #BlackHistory #AfricanCulture

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The thumbnail shows four different styles of traditional African clothing. The text above says, "Celebrate Black History Month with traditional African fashions." The text below shows the at symbol followed by Chelly Wood dot com.
Links, Sewing and Fashion History

Let’s celebrate Black History Month with a look at traditional African clothing #BlackHistory #AfricanCulture

In years past, I’ve done different blog posts on various topics related to Black History Month in February,  but this is the first time I’ve begun the celebration by delving into the traditional clothing of various African nations. It was really fun to learn all about the traditional clothing of  African countries, regions, and tribes, but we only have so many blog posts in February… … Continue reading Let’s celebrate Black History Month with a look at traditional African clothing #BlackHistory #AfricanCulture

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This thumbnail image shows the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll) holding up a spreadsheet of expenses and income for 2023. The text reads, "2023 income full disclosure" and beneath this text is a turquoise blue coin-shaped circle with a dollar symbol inside it.
Charity Work, Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Clothes for Sale, Donate, For Sale in the Store, Interviews With Crafters, Selling Your Crafts, Uncategorized

How much money did ChellyWood LLC make in 2023? Full disclosure… #TaxTime #Charity

Many of you know that in my “day job,” I’m a full-time school librarian. I also teach art and library research classes for the middle school where I work. This has been a good paying job, helping me and my husband (who also works full time) to pay for our children’s college educations, and generally keeping the bills paid in our little manufactured home with … Continue reading How much money did ChellyWood LLC make in 2023? Full disclosure… #TaxTime #Charity

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This thumbnail image shows the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll) sitting at her computer, at her desk, in her office. The screen of her computer says, "YouTube" with the red and black YouTube logo (or something similar to it) on her little doll-sized computer screen. The text over Chelly's head says, "Favorite YouTube Channels! -- Please Share!"
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Makeovers, Interviews With Crafters, Links

What’s your favorite doll-collecting or sewing-related YouTube channel? Please share! #FridayFollow

  Want to be entertained while you sew? Want to laugh out loud at funny memes, but also “Ooh” and “Ahh” at someone’s vast collection of cool vintage sewing patterns? If so, then Stephanie Canada is a sewist worth following! I’m starting off today’s blog post with one of Stephanie’s latest videos: “I made a Holiday Barbie dress out of TRASH!” The Holiday Barbie video … Continue reading What’s your favorite doll-collecting or sewing-related YouTube channel? Please share! #FridayFollow

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Use the link provided in the caption to get you to the free patterns and tutorial videos for this embroidery sampler that looks like a windmill.
Crafts and Hobbies, Interviews With Crafters

History Inspires Us — a little story from Chelly’s life experiences #StoryTime #History

Here’s a little-known fact about me: I’m a member of the DAR — the Daughters of the American Revolution. That means I have an ancestor who fought in the American Revolutionary War. And today I’m sharing a little story I wrote for my local DAR chapter’s newsletter. At the very end of this tale, you’ll see how it connects to sewing, so be patient as … Continue reading History Inspires Us — a little story from Chelly’s life experiences #StoryTime #History

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Text reads "elf on the shelf clothes... free sewing patterns!" and a large white arrow points to four different doll clothes outfits modeled by the Elf on the Shelf doll. Click on this image or the highlighted title text, and this link will take you to the gallery of free printable PDF sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit your Elf on the Shelf dolls.
11-inch doll clothes patterns, 12-inch doll clothes patterns, 13-inch doll clothes patterns, 14-inch doll clothes patterns, Elf on the Shelf, Holiday Crafts, Whole Costumes for Dolls

FREE 13 and 1/2 inch (34 cm) tall Elf on the Shelf doll clothes sewing patterns (Gallery)

Please click on the doll clothes you would like to make. Please note: my 13 and 1/2 inch or 34 cm measurement for the Elf on the Shelf includes the elf’s permanently sewn-on hat. Not what you’re looking for? Behind the scenes, I’m creating a series of classes in doll clothing design techniques, so you can design your own doll clothes for your dolls, using simple techniques, household tools, … Continue reading FREE 13 and 1/2 inch (34 cm) tall Elf on the Shelf doll clothes sewing patterns (Gallery)

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This is a Canva-made purple framed image of basic sewing tools, including scissors, thread, straight pins, safety pins, buttons, and some swatches of felt. The text reads "sewing basics" under the photo, with the Chelly Wood dot com logo below the photo.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Tips for Beginners

New to Sewing — What do I need? Here are the 10 basic sewing supplies for beginners who are just learning to sew…

For those of you who are regular followers, in recent months you’ve seen a number of posts about the top ten items I would put in a sewing kit, if I were a beginner and brand new to sewing. Today’s blog post is a roundup of all ten items. On the other hand, if you just happened to stumble across my website, you may have … Continue reading New to Sewing — What do I need? Here are the 10 basic sewing supplies for beginners who are just learning to sew…

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The image shows a craft fair store with bags, bobs, bits, and T-shirts on display. The text says (at the top) "ChellyWood LLC" follwed by "sewing supplies," "handmade items," "and more." There's a sign hanging from a push pin that says "Open" as well.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store

Where to Buy Miniature Buttons, Zippers, and Buckles for Dolls #SewingProjects

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. On my “Contact” page, I often get emailed the question, “Where can I buy tiny buttons for my doll clothes?” From time to time, people also ask me for advice on zippers and buckles. I use Etsy for tiny doll buttons, extra small zippers, and similar sewing notions, but I generally buy my tiny snaps from … Continue reading Where to Buy Miniature Buttons, Zippers, and Buckles for Dolls #SewingProjects

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