Category: Fabric

A background of plaid includes lines of dark green, black, Kelly green, and a very thin line of peach or tan. In the center is a large medallion in a peach or tan color. The medallion has been watercolor painted with Kelly green seahorses, their tails whipping into tight swirls. Beneath the center floral motif of the medallion, two seashells are depicted with swirling lines. This Celtic shield reminds us of the central animal and artistic figures in the Witham Shield, which is designed with swirling animals that have been interpreted as swans. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears at the bottom of the swatch of plaid fabric.
Crafts and Hobbies, Fabric, Favorite Books, For Sale in the Store, History and Research, Links, Paper Crafts, Sewing and Fashion History, Tutorials: Crafts, Yarn and Embroidery

Ancient Celtic artwork inspired my fabric designs… What do you think? #CelticArt #StPatricksDayFabric

  Did you know that Wood, my last name, is Scottish? When my aunt Bertha visited Scotland, she was surprised by how many Scottish people shared our last name. In fact, the Wood clan has its own registered plaid! (It’s a little different from the plaid I designed, which you’ll see later in this blog post.) Like many people, I’ve done my DNA analysis, and … Continue reading Ancient Celtic artwork inspired my fabric designs… What do you think? #CelticArt #StPatricksDayFabric

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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, Fabric, History and Research, Holiday Crafts, LOL Surprise Dolls

What are you working on, in terms of craft projects? Please comment! #CraftProjects #SewingProjects

Today’s blog post asks you — yes YOU — to answer the question, “What are you working on?” Please scroll down to the comments section to tell me what projects have recently inspired you. Be sure to check in with my Black History Month segment as well. You’ll find it just before you get to the cross-stitch graphic. In a nutshell, here’s what I’m busy … Continue reading What are you working on, in terms of craft projects? Please comment! #CraftProjects #SewingProjects

Chelly Wood2 Comments
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, Fabric

What are your favorite and least favorite fabrics to work with? #SewingChat #Fabrics

While writing yesterday’s blog post, I realized I had already given away both of the shirts I’d made for my little Disney Animators doll, without ever trying them on other dolls. So I didn’t have a clue which dolls could fit into yesterday’s pattern. And of course, I needed this information, in order to create the bulleted list of dolls that can fit the pattern. … Continue reading What are your favorite and least favorite fabrics to work with? #SewingChat #Fabrics

Chelly Wood8 Comments
Crafts and Hobbies, Fabric, Holiday Crafts, Interviews With Crafters, Sewing Chat

Eco-Friendly Christmas: Handmade Denim Ornaments Created by a Beloved Family Member

Today I just want to focus on someone special in my life… my mother-in-law, Anita. She’s a gifted quilter, knitter, painter, glassmaker, gardener — the list could go on and on — and this year she took the festive spirit to a new level by crafting unique, handmade Christmas ornaments and decorations for her house. Using found objects and recycling denim from old pairs of … Continue reading Eco-Friendly Christmas: Handmade Denim Ornaments Created by a Beloved Family Member

Chelly Wood4 Comments
On a bright turquoise blue background, a smattering of flowers have been painted in gouache with leaves behind each of the largest of the flowers. Blossoms represented include pink and orange mums, white apple blossoms with a touch of pink on their petals, and pink peach blossoms. There's a smattering of very tiny child-like flowers peppered between each of the larger blossoms. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears at the bottom, along with three doll clothes outfits designed by Chelly Wood.
Fabric, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

Here’s how I made “Grandma’s Flower Garden, Summer of 1975” #ArtJournal #Spoonflower

As you may have noticed, I have a few glitchy problems on my website. I’m busy behind the scenes, trying to fix all the broken links that have recently happened on ChellyWood.com, so today’s blog post will be short. In the video, though, I mention the new fabric I’ve designed, which you can purchase in my Spoonflower store if you’re interested. And if you want … Continue reading Here’s how I made “Grandma’s Flower Garden, Summer of 1975” #ArtJournal #Spoonflower

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Fabric. Click the "Fabric" button to see all the fabrics designed by Chelly Wood. This link will take you to Chelly's Spoonflower store.
Fabric, For Sale in the Store, Selling Your Crafts

Let’s talk fabric! #Fabric #Spoonflower

In 2025, those of us who live in the US lost our beloved JoAnn Fabrics stores, and in the little farm town where I live, that was really my only source for buying fabrics in person. So I got creative! I started to design my own fabrics with Spoonflower. Yes, they are more expensive, but Spoonflower is committed to an eco-friendly manufacturing process. And… If … Continue reading Let’s talk fabric! #Fabric #Spoonflower

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On a purple background, the text reads "VOTE!" and it shows a person's hand dropping a ballot into a voting box.
Crafts and Hobbies, Fabric

If you want to show your support… please #Vote!

Okay everybody, I’m going to make today’s blog post short and to-the-point. I’ve designed another fabric! What do you think? I painted apple blossoms, peach blossoms, and chrysanthemums in gouache, using a realistic approach. And then for the smaller flowers, I’ve tried to make them look more child-like because this fabric is called “Grandma’s Flower Garden 1975,” as if my grandma and I painted it … Continue reading If you want to show your support… please #Vote!

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Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns (the envelope that the patterns come in) is shown with the Chelly Wood doll, framed in a quilted border. The text reads "Advance 9939 vintage Barbie patterns."
Fabric, Jem and the Holograms, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Tips and Tricks for Making Doll Underwear for Jem and the Holograms! #Jem #80sToys

If you’re already familiar with Advance 9939, you may say to yourself, “Wait, that’s a Barbie pattern, not a Jem and the Holograms pattern.” Well the underpants pattern from Advance 9939 doesn’t fit Jem, but the bloomers pattern does! Go back to read about the sewing vocabulary definition for bloomers, which I posted on October 22nd, and you will begin to understand that one person’s … Continue reading Tips and Tricks for Making Doll Underwear for Jem and the Holograms! #Jem #80sToys

Chelly Wood7 Comments
Simplicity 1242 doll clothes patterns for Barbie doll is featured beside the logo for Chelly Wood dot com. Incidentally, this pattern is a modern remake of an older pattern numbered Simplicity 6208 in its original form.
Fabric, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Learning to Sew With Simplicity 1242 (AKA Simplicity 6208) Vintage Barbie Doll Clothes Sewing Patterns #CollectivelyCreate #HomeSewing

As my regular followers know, there’s now a whole library of vintage and modern doll clothes sewing patterns on my website, and with each of these patterns, I offer my take on what I’ve learned from the patterns, what alterations may work best for these patterns, and my overall review of the pattern, as I sew with it. If you haven’t found my gallery of … Continue reading Learning to Sew With Simplicity 1242 (AKA Simplicity 6208) Vintage Barbie Doll Clothes Sewing Patterns #CollectivelyCreate #HomeSewing

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An Ida B Wells doll from Mattel's Inspiring Women collection wears a jacket from Simplicity 1242 while standing beside an image of the Simplicity 1242 doll clothes sewing pattern for Barbie dolls.
Curvy Barbie, Fabric, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Duplicating Donna’s Jacket with Simplicity 1242 and an Inspiring Woman, Ida B. Wells #Sewing #WomensHistory

As I’ve said in my earlier blog posts, I was so moved by the people I met in Chicago at the IANDS conference, that I created doll clothes to represent each of the people I met while I was there. This doll is meant to represent a woman named Donna. I worked with her in the IANDS bookstore about three times, as a volunteer, and … Continue reading Duplicating Donna’s Jacket with Simplicity 1242 and an Inspiring Woman, Ida B. Wells #Sewing #WomensHistory

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Advance 2896 with quilted frame and Tall Barbie in Halloween dress standing nearby. the doll is shown in profile. Her long hair is accentuated by this side view, and you can see that the dress has a belt that ties in the back. On the pattern envelope this dress is most like the one pictured in View 5.
Fabric, Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

When your pattern doesn’t fit on the fabric, what do you do? #SewingTips #couture

We’ve all had it happen. You’re thinking, “A fat quarter should be enough to make this little doll dress. Right?” You get home, start pinning the pattern pieces onto the fabric, and then… “Oh crap.” That fat quarter isn’t quite long enough for the skirt’s ruffle (or whatever piece still needs pinning). What can you do? Before I go on, I need to make my … Continue reading When your pattern doesn’t fit on the fabric, what do you do? #SewingTips #couture

Chelly Wood4 Comments
Thumbnail image shows the front of pattern envelope Simplicity 8281, plus a close-up of Simplicity 8281's View 6 culottes, vest, and long-sleeved tee shirt. In the middle, between the pattern envelope and the close-up of a doll wearing the View 6 gouchos (culottes) vest and t-shirt, we see a bubble cut Barbie wearing the handmade outfit. Exactly as printed on the envelope cover, the gouchos / culottes and vest are sky blue, while the long-sleeved T-shirt is made of a red and white striped jersey fabric with narrow one-eighth inch wide stripes. The dolls shoes are red classic pumps.
Fabric, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sewing and Fashion History, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Are denim vests back in style in 2025? #SewingPodcast #FashionHistory

I started my 7th grade year in the fall of 1979, and I distinctly remember owning an outfit that included a denim vest. It came with a pretty ruffled skirt made of tan denim, a white top made of lightweight cotton, and a tan denim vest with cream-colored topstitching. My aunt, Harriet, took me on a shopping spree just before school started, and she bought … Continue reading Are denim vests back in style in 2025? #SewingPodcast #FashionHistory

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Thumbnail image shows the front of pattern envelope Simplicity 8281, plus a close-up of Simplicity 8281's View 6 culottes, vest, and long-sleeved tee shirt. In the middle, between the pattern envelope and the close-up of a doll wearing the View 6 gouchos (culottes) vest and t-shirt, we see a bubble cut Barbie wearing the handmade outfit. Exactly as printed on the envelope cover, the gouchos / culottes and vest are sky blue, while the long-sleeved T-shirt is made of a red and white striped jersey fabric with narrow one-eighth inch wide stripes. The dolls shoes are red classic pumps.
Fabric, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

How to sew raglan sleeves by hand #VintageSewing #HandSewing

As most of my regular followers know, when it comes to making clothes for dolls, I really like to sew by hand. If I’m using a slippery or curly fabric, like satin or jersey, I definitely prefer sewing by hand. For today’s project — a raglan-sleeved Barbie shirt–I sewed it from start to finish, using a number of different hand stitches. And this blog post … Continue reading How to sew raglan sleeves by hand #VintageSewing #HandSewing

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Inside a purple frame, talk bubbles express Q for Questions and A for Answers. The text reads, "Sewing tips for beginners." This is a thumbnail for a Q and A blog post for beginners who are learning to sew and want to "pick the brain" of an experienced doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood.
Crafts and Hobbies, Fabric, Fan Mail, For Sale in the Store, Links, Sewing Chat, Tips for Beginners

What do I need to use my sewing machine? #SewingMachine #LearningToSew

Recently I saw a Reddit post that asked, “What do I need, to use my new sewing machine?” So I thought this might be a good follow-up topic to the last two Friday posts, which answered the questions, “Which sewing machine brand is the best?” and “What brand of iron do you use?” For today’s blog post, in addition to my usual affiliate marketing links, … Continue reading What do I need to use my sewing machine? #SewingMachine #LearningToSew

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On a white background, we see an array of Celtic knots forming green and blue squares, all of which seem to be linked together by circles of red. This Celtic knot pattern has been made into a fabric, which can be purchased at Chelly Wood's shop on Spoonflower, a fabric website. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner of this Celtic knot patterned fabric swatch.
Contests, Crafts and Hobbies, Fabric, Favorite Books, Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Tutorials: Crafts

Celtic Knots and Patterns… Celebrating Celtic Heritage with Style #Scotland #Art

Some of you are already aware that I’ve begun experimenting with painting and fabric design. I now have an account on Spoonflower where you can see and (if you’re interested) purchase the fabrics I’ve designed. Of course I’m just learning how to make my own fabrics, and I’m by no means an expert at this point. However I’m particularly proud of the fabric I designed … Continue reading Celtic Knots and Patterns… Celebrating Celtic Heritage with Style #Scotland #Art

Chelly Wood4 Comments