Category: Interviews With Crafters

Do you sew doll clothes or doll accessories? Would you like to provide an interview for ChellyWood.com? Contact Chelly through her “Submit a Question” form, providing a link to your website. Let her know you’re interested in doing an interview.

In this image, the Chelly Wood doll holds up McCall's "teen doll" pattern #3429 which was published in 1972. In the blog post at ChellyWood.com, where this pattern is discussed, Chelly Wood (a doll clothing pattern designer) asks the question, "Do you prefer to come up with your own fabric concepts, or do you like to choose a fabric that matches the illustration on the front of the doll clothes pattern?" The Chelly Wood doll is actually a Spin Master Liv doll that has been made over to look like the actual doll clothes pattern designer, Chelly Wood.
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

Do you follow fabric suggestions on patterns? Join the discussion @ ChellyWood.com #SewingChat #Fabric

Do you prefer to come up with your own fabric concepts, or do you like to choose a fabric that matches the illustration on the front of a doll clothes pattern? When I was younger, I used to scour my small town’s tiny fabric store for fabric that sort of matched what was in the illustration on the front of a pattern. I’d make my … Continue reading Do you follow fabric suggestions on patterns? Join the discussion @ ChellyWood.com #SewingChat #Fabric

Chelly Wood4 Comments
The image shows purple polka dot fabric with patterns laying scattered across the dotted fabric. The top of the image offers the website's URL: ChellyWood.com and the following statement: free, printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes. This is a video header for ChellyWood1, Chelly Wood's YouTube channel.
Interviews With Crafters, Links, Selling Your Crafts

Chelly Wood’s YouTube channel gets a new look! #SewingBlogger #Sewing #DollClothes

For those of you who regularly follow my YouTube Channel, ChellyWood1, today’s blog post is probably going to be old news: I’ve changed my branding to an updated purple-and-turquoise theme with a whole new style. The starting segment of my videos is shorter, too, with the Chelly Doll speaking more rapidly. The same is true for the closing segment of my videos. I decided the … Continue reading Chelly Wood’s YouTube channel gets a new look! #SewingBlogger #Sewing #DollClothes

Chelly Wood1 Comment
The image shows the back of Butterick Cabbage Patch Kids dress pattern 6934 with a focus on the shapes of the three dresses and the original cost of the pattern, which was $3.00 US.
Cabbage Patch doll clothes patterns, Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Selling Your Crafts

What’s a fair price for a sewing pattern? Join the discussion @ ChellyWood.com #SewingPatterns #DollCothesPatterns

A few weeks ago I uploaded my first set of three patterns for purchase, in my Teachers-Pay-Teachers store. It’s a series of 3 different pincushion patterns. Now don’t panic! I’m still making plenty of free patterns for this website and posting those here. But some of my older free patterns on ChellyWood.com are only available as a JPG image. My TPT Store offers an opportunity … Continue reading What’s a fair price for a sewing pattern? Join the discussion @ ChellyWood.com #SewingPatterns #DollCothesPatterns

Chelly Wood8 Comments
The image shows the Chelly Wood doll (it's really a Spin Master Liv doll that has had its face repainted and its hair dyed white-ish-grey) holding up a Simplicity doll clothes pattern #4883 for sewing a wardrobe to fit vintage Tammy dolls from Ideal Toy Corp. The article associated with this image asks blog followers to leave comments describing the first doll clothes pattern they learned to sew from as a child. Visit ChellyWood.com to join the discussion!
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners

What was the first doll clothes pattern you remember sewing? Join the discussion on ChellyWood.com! #SewingChat #SewFun!

The pattern you see my Chelly doll holding up in the image above was the first doll clothes pattern I can remember sewing. It’s a pattern for a vintage Tammy doll, but at the time, I didn’t own one. So I actually had to alter the pattern to fit my Barbie dolls. Thus began my long love of pattern making and alterations for doll clothes! … Continue reading What was the first doll clothes pattern you remember sewing? Join the discussion on ChellyWood.com! #SewingChat #SewFun!

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The image shows the OOAK Liv Doll "Chelly Wood" at her computer in her tiny dolly diorama office. Behind her is a painting of ballerinas by Degas. The overlay says, Fan Mail and offers the at symbol followed by the URL ChellyWood.com, a website where there are hundreds of free, printable sewing patterns for doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and sizes. This is the featured image for a blog post that answers a fan mail letter asking about copyrights on sewing patterns.
Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Tips for Beginners

When is it okay to use someone’s patterns to make and sell doll clothes? — “Fan Mail” Question Answered @ ChellyWood.com #CopyrightLaws #Sewing

I often get questions from people regarding the “Creative Commons Attribution” mark that I place on my free printable doll clothes sewing patterns. The following question was submitted to me last month, so I decided to share my answer in today’s blog post: Question: “Hi. As a copyright issue, am I right in thinking that it is only unacceptable to reproduce and sell patterns from … Continue reading When is it okay to use someone’s patterns to make and sell doll clothes? — “Fan Mail” Question Answered @ ChellyWood.com #CopyrightLaws #Sewing

Chelly Wood3 Comments
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes. This is a text box with a purple and turquoise quilted look to it. The text states, "Sewing tips for beginners: clothing items to avoid." This is the fourth installment in a four part blog article series which reviews the topics, terms, and items to watch out for on a pattern's instructions if you're just starting to learn sewing. Visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns and to read the other blog articles in this series for beginners just learning how to sew.
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 4: Difficult Garments) #SewEasy #SewingFun

This is the last installment of a four-week journey to discover what makes a pattern difficult for beginners who are just starting out with their very first sewing projects. By “beginners,” I’m referring to adults learning to sew as well as children of all ages who are learning to sew. We’ve been studying a single pattern, Simplicity doll clothes pattern #4654, which is a fun … Continue reading How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 4: Difficult Garments) #SewEasy #SewingFun

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
The image shows Mattel's Curvy Barbie modeling a hand-made shirt with cloth-covered tiny buttons. Each button is encompassed by a floss loop, all hand-made by the seamstress who blogs here, at ChellyWood.com.
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 3: Know Your Notions) #SewMuchFun #SewingNotions

  For the past two Mondays, we’ve been looking at Simplicity doll clothes pattern #4654, which is a super fun pattern for those of us who have been sewing for a while. However, in the image below, I’ve underlined some key terms that tell us this isn’t the ideal pattern for the absolute beginner. Today I’m going to talk about why certain sewing notions (those … Continue reading How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 3: Know Your Notions) #SewMuchFun #SewingNotions

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 2: Know Your Fabrics) #LearningToSew #Fabrics

  Last week we took a look at this pattern from Simplicity (doll clothes pattern #4654) which is a fantastic pattern for those of us who have been sewing for a while. However, in the image below, I’ve underlined some key terms that tell us this isn’t the ideal pattern for the absolute beginner. I’ve underlined some of the recommended fabrics on the pattern, and … Continue reading How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 2: Know Your Fabrics) #LearningToSew #Fabrics

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
Here we see the Chelly Wood doll from the ChellyWood.com website and the ChellyWood1 YouTube channel. She holds up a sewing pattern for 18 inch doll clothes. The pattern's cover image shows Simplicity 18" doll clothes pattern #4654 which includes patterns for making a lined hooded raincoat or coverup, a tank top and skort, a short-sleeved everyday dress, a sunny sleeveless top with capri pants, a T-shirt with cargo pants, and a crop top with skort or shorts. There's also an 18-inch doll pictured on the pattern wearing a denim jumper with overall straps. The doll wears a striped tee shirt under the overall-style jumper. (This is "jumper" in the US sense of the word -- not a "sweater" as we'd say in the US, but more of a dress with the style of overalls). The watermark on this photo reminds us to visit ChellyWood.com for free, printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes. This image also has a header that says, "Today's topic of discussion: what makes a pattern difficult for beginners?" And in fact, if you navigate to the link to the article that accompanies this image, doll clothing designer, YouTuber, and writer Chelly Wood discusses all the features that make this particular pattern difficult for a beginner who is just learning to sew. This article is designed to help anyone who teaches sewing classes, is teaching another person how to sew, or people who are, themselves, just learning to sew, what to avoid when purchasing store-bought patterns.
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 1) #SewingForDolls #Handmade

I started sewing doll clothes when I was very young, back in the early 1970’s, but I didn’t really learn how to read patterns and pattern instructions until I was about 15 or 16. Reading the instructions on the back of a pattern can seem daunting to a child who is learning to sew, and therefore I don’t advise it for kids under age 12. … Continue reading How to Tell When a Sewing Pattern Is NOT for Beginners (Part 1) #SewingForDolls #Handmade

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows a Made to Move Barbie modeling a handmade 1950's style poodle skirt in pink with a black silhouetted poodle sewn to the fabric. In this photo, the camera seems to be above the doll, and she's looking up at it. She leans back as if laughing. She also wears a handmade T-shirt and flat white shoes. This Barbie has a dark complexion with blond curly hair. The website in the background is ChellyWood.com, a site that offers free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.
Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Selling Your Crafts

I made a poodle skirt with this old pattern, but I had a few problems… #SewingFail #SewingProjects

Last Monday I shared an old vintage Barbie pattern that I thought would be ideal for sewing a poodle skirt. But I mentioned that these older patterns are designed for vintage Barbie, and those older Barbies have a narrower waist than today’s Barbies. So what pattern would be better for a modern Barbie? Well before giving you my answer to that question, I wanted to … Continue reading I made a poodle skirt with this old pattern, but I had a few problems… #SewingFail #SewingProjects

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
The image shows the Chelly Wood doll holding up Mattel Sew-Easy pattern #2896, which offers a series of patterns for vintage Barbies including a shirt-like dress, a circle skirt with waistband, a T-shirt like top, a Jackie-Kennedy style of dress, a pair of pajamas with top and bottom, a pair of capri pants with boat neck shirt, and a pretty sleeveless dress with ruffle. These patterns are not for sale on ChellyWood.com, but you can find similar patterns that can be downloaded for free on ChellyWood.com (a website best known for its free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes).
Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

What pattern would be best for a Barbie Poodle Skirt? — fan mail answers @ ChellyWood.com #Sewing #DollClothes

People use my Contact Form to ask me all kinds of questions about sewing doll clothes. One question I’ve seen a few times in the past couple of years is… What pattern would you recommend for sewing a Barbie-sized poodle skirt? A classic poodle skirt is usually made using a circular pattern with a waistband. Traditionally, the skirt will be embellished with a felt image … Continue reading What pattern would be best for a Barbie Poodle Skirt? — fan mail answers @ ChellyWood.com #Sewing #DollClothes

Chelly Wood4 Comments
The image shows the Chelly Wood doll holding up a McCall's Crafts sewing pattern which displays the finished projects of a Barbie sized wedding dress, various pants and shirts, a cape, and evening gowns. The article that goes with this image offers advice for buying sewing patterns for making doll clothes, using the eBay auction platform. Please visit ChellyWood.com for additional sewing ideas plus free printable sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Selling Your Crafts

Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothes

  Have you ever purchased doll clothes sewing patterns on eBay? I have. In fact, the pattern pictured above was one I purchased about a year ago. Yes, the pattern you see in the image above is outdated, but there are some timeless patterns in this set, as well as out-of-style fashions. The wedding dress pattern can be used for a Disney princess character dress, … Continue reading Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothes

Chelly Wood4 Comments