Slice Through Sewing with These Beginner-Friendly Scissors #Fiskars

Please note: As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you follow my YouTube channel, you’ve probably noticed that I love my little Fiskars Stitchers mini scissors, and yes, if you’re new to sewing, you can buy those too. However the #6 MUST-have item in my list of things to put in a beginner’s sewing kit, is a pair of actual sewing scissors. … Continue reading Slice Through Sewing with These Beginner-Friendly Scissors #Fiskars

Six green stocking caps (two with red pom poms) and six red stocking caps (three with black pom poms, two with white pom poms, and one with no pom pom on top) appear on a pink cutting board that shows they are quite tiny, being about an inch tall or so each.

The Story of the Miniature Stocking Caps: Part 3

My regular followers will remember a story that I shared last summer about Evelyn, who hand-knitted a plethora of itty-bitty stocking caps before she passed away. I bought them at a church rummage sale, from a woman who seemed very disrespectful toward Evelyn. I opened my online store last summer, and attempted to sell these very tiny handmade stocking caps in a way that would … Continue reading The Story of the Miniature Stocking Caps: Part 3

On a blue background, there's a photo of a red tomato pincushion with tiny pins in it. A red strawberry dangles from the center of the tomato by an embroidery thread. The text above reads, "pincushions! Please add to the discussion."

Please describe your favorite pin cushion and why you like it…

I’ve been doing a series of blog posts on all the items a beginning sewist needs to have in his/her first sewing kit. Today’s blog post is about pincushions, the #5 item on my list. Please note: As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Do you see in the image above, how a crafty lady has made her own pincushion? Etsy has plenty … Continue reading Please describe your favorite pin cushion and why you like it…

In a purple square frame, a photo of spilled straight pins appears under the words "straight pins".

Straight pins with colored heads and other “pointers” for people learning to sew…

Lately I’ve been building a list of the top 10 items every beginning sewist/seamstress/tailor needs to have in his/her sewing kit. Coming in at #3 is the all-important collection of straight pins. You may think your grandmother’s hand-me-down straight pins will work fine for a beginner, but they do not. Second-hand pins are not sharp, so they’re likely to create runs in the fabric. There’s … Continue reading Straight pins with colored heads and other “pointers” for people learning to sew…

Sewing machine image on a turquoise blue background with sewing accoutrements.

What brand of thread do you prefer to use? Please leave a comment!

So far, on my list of 10 items every doll clothes sewing enthusiast should have, I’ve mentioned hand-stitching needles and a needle threader. But now, coming in at #3 on my list, I can’t go any further without mentioning the thread. But what brand is best? There are so many! When my girls started sewing, I bought them each one of these boxes of a … Continue reading What brand of thread do you prefer to use? Please leave a comment!

On a turquoise blue cotton background, we read the words "how to use a needle threader" and beneath these are images of a needle and a traditional tin threader. In the lower left corner is the ChellyWood.com logo.

Unlock the Magic: a Guide to Mastering the Needle Threader!

  Last Wednesday, I talked about hand-stitching with sewing needles. These unbelievably important items for your sewing kit came in at #1 on my list of “must-have” tools for beginners who are just learning to sew. While reading last Wednesday’s blog post, you may have been thinking, “But I hate threading needles! It’s hard!” Don’t worry; I’ve gotcha covered with my second necessity for those … Continue reading Unlock the Magic: a Guide to Mastering the Needle Threader!

The image shows examples of doll clothes using bias tape, rickrack trim, and a braided trim, but the text above these images says, "Trims: ribbons, rick rack, and more." This store item includes affiliate marketing links to ribbon, braided trim, fringe, embroidered trim, lace trim, eyelet ruffle trim, rickrack trim, and others will be added over time.

New product in the Chelly Wood store: Trims… including ribbon, rickrack, and more!

This  past week, I’ve had a lot of fun writing blog posts on “10 Ways to Use Ribbons” and “5 Commonly Used Trims” for your doll clothes sewing projects. Now I’m going to make a quick announcement that such items as rickrack trim, ribbons, bias tape, and braided fringe — those items can now be found in the “Trims” section of my online store. This … Continue reading New product in the Chelly Wood store: Trims… including ribbon, rickrack, and more!

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.

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!

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!

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…

On a purple background, a woman's hand holds up a yellow card with a blue stripe running down the left side. At the top of the bleu stripe, the Dritz logo appears as white logo image and text on top of a black background. The card holds 10 of the 12 sew-on snaps that were originally place on the card. Two of the snap locations are now vacated and holes are punched through the card where the snaps would have been.

What’s new in my store? Snaps! Elastic! And more fabric!

Over the weekend, you may have noticed that Evelyn’s teeny-tiny hats have disappeared from my store. I didn’t sell all 100 or so of the hats. So why aren’t they listed in the store anymore? I ran out of tiny mailers! I ordered 50 more tiny mailers on Amazon, but they won’t arrive until the end of the month. As I’ve said in previous blog … Continue reading What’s new in my store? Snaps! Elastic! And more fabric!

The image shows three rolled cylinders of pink satin, each tied with a pink satin ribbon. The text reads "for sale: satin remnants!" The ChellyWood.com logo appears in one corner of the image.

New in my store: pink satin fabric remnants! Make a dress for 13-inch My First Barbie with this lovely fabric!

Yesterday I posted a brand new pattern and tutorial video, showing you how to make a beautiful, 1960’s style, pink satin dress, which will fit Judy Littlechap. But did you happen to see the list of dolls which will fit in this lovely dress? Let’s have a look at that list again: Yesterday’s free dress pattern will fit these dolls: Lammily First Edition dolls (from … Continue reading New in my store: pink satin fabric remnants! Make a dress for 13-inch My First Barbie with this lovely fabric!

A woman sits knitting tiny stocking caps in a plush chair. The text over her head reads "the mini stocking caps, part 2."

The Story of the Miniature Stocking Caps: Part 2 (PLEASE Comment!)

Yesterday, I told you the story of Evelyn, who hand-knitted a multitude of tiny stocking caps before she passed away. I bought them at a church rummage sale, from a woman who seemed very disrespectful toward Evelyn. And now I’m trying to sell these very tiny handmade stocking caps in a way that honors Evelyn’s hard work. When I say “very tiny,” this is what … Continue reading The Story of the Miniature Stocking Caps: Part 2 (PLEASE Comment!)

This thumbnail image shows a plethora of tiny, miniature stocking caps, some of which have pom-poms on top and some do not. The text reads, "the story of the mini stocking caps." The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the upper right hand corner.

The Story of the Tiny Stocking Caps and Poor Evelyn Who Made Them…

You might have seen these little stocking caps for sale in my store. Well there’s a story behind these hand-knitted miniature stocking caps. I don’t knit, but I can tell you a little about the woman who did make them. Today I want to share what I can of her sad story. I was driving around Twin Falls, Idaho (a town near where I live) … Continue reading The Story of the Tiny Stocking Caps and Poor Evelyn Who Made Them…

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.

Chelly’s online store is now open! And a little walk through the history of this website…

While I was sick with West Nile virus, I had a lot of time on my hands. I thought about what’s going to happen to this website when I retire from my full-time job as a school librarian. I worried that retirement would bring everything to a dead stop because I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for things like the software I use … Continue reading Chelly’s online store is now open! And a little walk through the history of this website…