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.

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

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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

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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
The image shows the YouTube header for a video tour of Chelly Wood's doll craft room / sewing room for making doll clothes. Her "tips and tour" include tips and links to help you get your sewing room or craft room organized and to help you decorate your sewing room and/or craft room.
Crafts and Hobbies, Interviews With Crafters, Links

Doll Craft Room Tips and Tour Celebrating 5k Subscribers on YouTube! @ ChellyWood.com #DollSewing #GetOrganized!

On 3 July 2020, my YouTube channel reached a milestone: 5,000 subscribers! Hooray! To celebrate, I’m giving you a tour of my doll sewing and craft room. There are also a few tips along the way, like… Getting organized with the Boximize app Viking Sewing Machines Little Quilts All Through the House, a book by Alice Berg Fovitec Tabletop Lighting  Simplicity Vintage products Fat quarters … Continue reading Doll Craft Room Tips and Tour Celebrating 5k Subscribers on YouTube! @ ChellyWood.com #DollSewing #GetOrganized!

Chelly Wood2 Comments
This image, showing a doll's tiny criss-crossed legs and itty-bitty feet is found at ChellyWood.com, where a blog post encourages blog followers to dialog about doll shoes in the comments. In this image, the doll appears to be seated in a wicker chair and her bare feet are a bit out of focus. In the foreground, however, her shoes are sharply focused, and they are pink with a T-strap. They may only be a centimetre long with an even tinier heel. The blog post that accompanies this image is great for anyone wanting to chat with other doll collectors and doll shoe makers about collecting and making shoes for dolls.
Crafts and Hobbies, Interviews With Crafters, Links

Let’s talk doll shoes @ ChellyWood.com #dollshoes #FridayFollow

Today’s blog post is all about doll shoes! I have a favorite eBay supplier to buy doll shoes from. Do you? My favorite supplier is Dodi, who runs Dodi’s Shop of Stuff on eBay. I bought some unusual shoes from her and you see a pair of them in nearly all of my stop-motion sewing videos. They were originally designed for a flat-footed “Posable Barbie” … Continue reading Let’s talk doll shoes @ ChellyWood.com #dollshoes #FridayFollow

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows a 1:6 scale doll sofa with pillows. This image comes from https://provaciguchi.blogspot.com/ if you'd like to learn more about how to make a Barbie-sized 1:6 scale sofa of your own for your Barbie doll house / Barbie dreamhouse.
Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Furniture, Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Pillow Patterns, Props and Dioramas, Tutorials: Crafts

Thinking about making a Barbie-sized 1:6 scale sofa? I have a website to recommend! #BarbieWorld #Dollhouses #FridayFollow

It has been a while since I’ve done a #FridayFollow feature. However when this very nice lady, Claudia, contacted me, I was inspired by her blog’s creative posting of this 1:6 scale (Barbie-sized) sofa. Claudia (AKA “Try Again Guchi”) has a personal blog with an “entertainment” theme. She blogs about her learning experiences with crafting, plus her favorite books, movies, and TV shows. Those of … Continue reading Thinking about making a Barbie-sized 1:6 scale sofa? I have a website to recommend! #BarbieWorld #Dollhouses #FridayFollow

Chelly Wood4 Comments
The image shows the doll representing Chelly Wood, the doll clothes designer, YouTuber, and blogger, wearing a hand-made cloth face mask. Behind her on the wall of her sewing room is the URL where you can download her free printable PDF sewing pattern for a child's cloth face mask, an adult's cloth face mask, and a cloth face mask to fit a 14 inch, 15 inch, 16 inch, or 17 inch doll: ChellyWood.com
Crafts and Hobbies, Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Tutorials: Crafts

Why I’m jumping on the bandwagon with free #clothmask patterns #thisweek

I wasn’t gonna go there. There are so many sensationalist tutorial videos on YouTube right now, showing you how to make cloth face masks, that when I started seeing this trend on social media, I said to my husband, “I’m not going to jump on that bandwagon.” First of all, I don’t like when a crafter’s whole motivation is about going viral or making money. … Continue reading Why I’m jumping on the bandwagon with free #clothmask patterns #thisweek

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The image shows the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll which has been re-designed as an OOAK doll to look like Chelly Wood the doll clothing designer, blogger, and YouTuber) and she is holding up a clipboard in 1:6 scale. The clipboard has a tiny piece of graph paper on it, with scribbled writing and check marks. The Liv doll wears handmade doll clothes including pants with an elastic waist, a long-sleeve shirt, and an apron. The doll's dyed-grey hair is held up in a bun with an octopus clip. Behind her is a purple backdrop with the ChellyWood.com logo hanging on it.
Contests, Doll Measurements, Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters

The results of the survey are in: MORE FREE PATTERNS! for #Sewing #DollClothes

Last month I did a survey, in which I asked my regular followers this simple question and got the following answers as a result: Question: What would you like me to post on Tuesdays? 26.92% = Just give us more patterns. That’s the best! 26.92% = Tell us which additional dolls can wear that week’s sewing project. 15.38% = Continue offering body measurements for dolls. … Continue reading The results of the survey are in: MORE FREE PATTERNS! for #Sewing #DollClothes

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The image shows a framed announcement as follows: "Help me get my 'birthday wish' ... share a video!" with the words "birthday wish" in fabric banner letters shaped like hearts.
Chelly's Books, Contests, Crafts and Hobbies, Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Links

It’s my birthday! You can give me a present if you like… #birthday #freestuff

You know what my #1 birthday wish is? I want to publish a book that teaches my followers how to design their own doll clothes, using the three methods I use for my pattern designs. Want to help? Share a video from my youtube channel with someone you know — especially someone who might enjoy videos about sewing, crafts, embroidery, making doll clothes, or doll … Continue reading It’s my birthday! You can give me a present if you like… #birthday #freestuff

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Image shows a Barbie-sized bodice cut from felt. Lace is overlaid on top of the felt bodice. Watermark says: ChellyWood.com: free printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes.
Crafts and Hobbies, Interviews With Crafters, Tutorials: Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

How to design a simple doll dress bodice w/Chelly Wood @ChellyWood.com #dollclothes and #publishing

  It was about this time last year when I first posted this video here on ChellyWood.com. It demonstrates a super easy way to design a dress to fit any doll at all, regardless of her shape or size. It’s a tutorial that gives you a brief taste of the methods I use for designing simple bodices, including how I designed the patterns we’re using … Continue reading How to design a simple doll dress bodice w/Chelly Wood @ChellyWood.com #dollclothes and #publishing

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