Category: Old Patterns from Chelly’s Collection

On the far left, we see the drawing from the cover of the envelope for vintage Skipper sewing pattern Simplicity 5861; in the center, a modern Mattel Stacie doll models a handmade version of the swing coat from view 5 of this vintage Skipper pattern, along with a scarf that looks slightly different from the one on the package / envelope drawing. In the far right photo, a vintage Skipper doll wears the exact same scarf and swing coat as we see pictured on the envelope for Simplicity 5861's vintage Skipper patterns. The text reads simply, "Simplicity 5861."
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Stacie Patterns, Tips for Beginners, Uncategorized, Vintage Skipper

Scarf sewing secrets from Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns! #SewingTips #Dolls

As my regular followers know, I’ve recently created all the doll clothes in Simplicity 5861 vintage doll clothes sewing patterns for vintage Skipper dolls. And I like to tell you what I’ve learned, once I’ve finished making a classic pattern like this one. Today I’ll give you a few simple pointers for making the scarf that goes with the View 5 pattern in the Simplicity … Continue reading Scarf sewing secrets from Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns! #SewingTips #Dolls

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The text reads "lessons learned form sewing wedding dresses." Below this text is an image of the wedding dress from Simplicity 8281 Barbie doll fashions beside a handmade Barbie wedding dress with a three-tier skirt.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

How to make your Barbie wedding dress VINTAGE style! #SimplicityPatterns #Sewing

Last summer my best friend’s grandmother made a special request. She brought me some eyelet from her daughter’s original wedding dress and shared a photo of her daughter on her wedding day. Then she asked if I could create a similar dress for a doll. I gladly accepted the challenge, because dolly wedding dresses are just so much fun to make! YAY! I was already … Continue reading How to make your Barbie wedding dress VINTAGE style! #SimplicityPatterns #Sewing

Chelly Wood8 Comments
We see side-by-side images of vintage Simplicity 5861 sewing patterns. One has the original images of a blond vintage Skipper doll wearing each outfit in the ensemble. The other image shows a modern Stacie doll wearing the exact same outfits -- even the fabrics match! -- on the cover of the Simplicity 5861 original pattern envelope. This Stacie doll is Black with an African American natural hair look. She even wears the exact same socks and shoes and headbands/hair ribbons that Skipper wears on the original cover art for this Simplicity Skipper pattern ensemble! At the top of this pair of patterns, it says, "Who knew?"
Links, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Stacie Patterns, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Skipper

Who knew modern Stacie dolls and vintage Skipper dolls were an exact match? #SewVintage #Barbie

Check this out! Can you believe it? I made the whole ensemble of doll clothes with my Simplicity 5861 pattern for vintage Skipper, and every single item in the ensemble fits not only vintage Skipper, but also modern Stacie dolls! I loved sewing this set. It was pure joy! Of course there were challenges along the way. I started with the View 2 gingham dress … Continue reading Who knew modern Stacie dolls and vintage Skipper dolls were an exact match? #SewVintage #Barbie

Chelly Wood2 Comments
Thumbnail shows a woman's hand preparing a swatch of fabric for making knife pleats. The two dolls shown are the modern Stacie in African American rendition of the doll, plus the drawing on the front of the Simplicity 5861 pattern envelope, showing a vintage Skipper doll modeling the handmade skirt.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Stacie Patterns, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Vintage Skipper

Making Pleats for a Skipper Skirt with Simplicity 5861 #VintageToys #Sewing

Do you see the folds in that little green skirt, in View 3 of my Simplicity 5861 doll clothes sewing pattern for Skipper dolls? Those are called pleats. Sometimes they’re referred to as “knife pleats.” And for a doll that’s tiny, like vintage Skipper and modern Stacie (shown below), it can be especially tricky to get the pleats just right. Yes, as the text says … Continue reading Making Pleats for a Skipper Skirt with Simplicity 5861 #VintageToys #Sewing

Chelly Wood2 Comments
Surrounded by a quilted frame, we see the ChellyWood.com logo and images of dolls modeling doll clothes from the 1970's. This image comes from Simplicity doll clothes pattern 7737, dated with a copyright of 1976.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Whatever happened to Kenner’s Dusty dolls and Skye dolls? #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

Are you old enough to remember Kenner’s Dusty and Skye dolls? Want to know why nobody seems to collect them these days? The Simplicity 7737 doll clothes pattern shown at the top of this blog post was one I owned back in the 1970’s and ’80’s. The patterns loosely fit Barbie, but they fit Dusty and Skye really well. Dusty was a doll with an … Continue reading Whatever happened to Kenner’s Dusty dolls and Skye dolls? #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The image shows a vintage McCall's printed sewing pattern for making a wardrobe of doll clothes for "chubby baby and toddler dolls" in the size range from 12 to 22 inches, depending upon whether you purchase the small, medium, or large doll clothes pattern set. The striking image on this pattern (published by McCall's in 1968) is the fact that a doll with brown skin and black hair appears on this pattern front, along with a variety of little blond and red headed dolls.
Baby Doll Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Why aren’t there more multicultural dolls on sewing patterns? #SewingChat #BlackHistoryMonth

As we’re celebrating Black History Month in February, in the United States, I’d like to write about the fact that images on doll clothes sewing patterns available in the US today do not accurately reflect the demographics of our nation. Before Caucasian people came to North America, only Native American people lived here. To this day, Native American people and mixed-race Native Americans live in the … Continue reading Why aren’t there more multicultural dolls on sewing patterns? #SewingChat #BlackHistoryMonth

Chelly Wood6 Comments
A vintage Skipper wears a handmade yellow shirt and green pleated skirt with matching green knee-high socks and little black ballet flats. The skipper doll is dressed exactly like the image in view 3 on the envelope for Simplicity 5861, a wardrobe designed and published in the 1960's for a vintage Skipper doll. There's also a close-up of her hand-stitched green knee-high socks. This thumbnail's text reads "vintage Simplicity 5861" and it's framed by turquoise blue and purple quilted fabrics.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized, Vintage Skipper

Nancy Drew, the mystery girl, makes a magical appearance with my Simplicity Skipper pattern 5861 #NancyDrew #SewVintage

Last summer I got my hands on an uncut version of this wonderful Skipper doll clothes pattern, vintage Simplicity 5861, an original pattern from 1964. Holy hand-stitching, Batman! I have REALLY enjoyed sewing this whole ensemble! My goal, last summer, was to make each item in the wardrobe to match the image on the envelope cover exactly. And guess what… I’ve gotten the whole thing … Continue reading Nancy Drew, the mystery girl, makes a magical appearance with my Simplicity Skipper pattern 5861 #NancyDrew #SewVintage

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows a woman's fingers holding a tiny doll pants pocket, the cover art of Simplicity 8466 doll clothes sewing patterns from the 1960's, and a text that reads "vintage Simplicity 8466. All of this is framed by a turquoise blue and purple quilt.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners

Transforming regular doll pants into pocketed cargo pants with vintage Simplicity 8466 #BarbiePatterns

I love my Simplicity 8466 Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern from 1969, but of course the outfits offered in this set of patterns (while vintage-adorable) are a little outdated for today’s children. But pants are pants, right? Wrong. The pair of pants in View 7 are sort of short with a bell bottom feature, that just doesn’t appeal to todays kids… UNLESS… Unless you add … Continue reading Transforming regular doll pants into pocketed cargo pants with vintage Simplicity 8466 #BarbiePatterns

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
Surrounded by a quilted purple and blue frame, we see the logo for Chelly Wood dot com beside a close-up photo of a vintage bubble-cut Barbie wearing a white short sleeved blouse and a puffy green skirt with a waistband. The photo is somewhat pixelated, indicating that it's a vintage photo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

I’m making a blouse from the enchanting Sew-Easy Advance Barbie Pattern #2896, with a touch of whimsy… #Vintage #SewVintage

Disclaimer: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. A colleague of mine has two little girls who love Barbie, so of course, I’m sewing them a wardrobe of Barbie clothes because, well… that’s what I do. The first project I decided to tackle was the shirt shown in View 3 of the Sew-Easy Advance Barbie Pattern #2896. When I started the project, I … Continue reading I’m making a blouse from the enchanting Sew-Easy Advance Barbie Pattern #2896, with a touch of whimsy… #Vintage #SewVintage

Chelly Wood4 Comments
A vintage skipper doll models a red cotton bolero over a black and white gingham sleeveless dress with a circle skirt that's knee-height. Beside this doll, a vintage Skipper models a pink felt bolero with green rickrack trim over a similar dress, but this dress is made of green cotton with tiny white and pink roses, and it's a calf-length circle skirt. The text for this thumbnail says "same pattern -- two looks!"
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Skipper

Stitching up a retro-style dress for Skipper that’s versatile enough for two amazing looks! #SewingAlterations #SewingInspiration

*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, JoAnn Fabric, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy … Continue reading Stitching up a retro-style dress for Skipper that’s versatile enough for two amazing looks! #SewingAlterations #SewingInspiration

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
The thumbnail, framed by a turquoise blue and purple quilt, shows the front of the envelope for Simplicity 5861, a vintage doll clothes pattern for Skipper, from 1964. The text in this thumbnail reads, "Vintage Skipper Simplicity 5861" and under this, we see the Chelly Wood dot com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Skipper

Learning to sew with Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

To say that I adore the Skipper 5861 Simplicity pattern from 1964 would be an utter and complete understatement. It’s so awesome, I have no words to express the fun I’ve had when making each and every one of the outfits pictured on the front of the envelope! *Please note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my … Continue reading Learning to sew with Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood4 Comments
An Elf on the Shelf doll models a green shirt and red kilt. An arrow points from Simplicity 8281 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns to the kilt that the elf on the Shelf wears. The text reads "kilt pattern" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the frame as well.
Doll Makeovers, Doll Shoes, Elf on the Shelf, Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Stitch up a Scottish kilt for your Elf on the Shelf using this retro Barbie wrap skirt design #Scottish #NorthPole

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I think it was back in November when I showed you how to mix-and-match your doll clothes for Barbie, using vintage Simplicity pattern number 8281. Remember this outfit? Well that same skirt actually fits my little Elf on the Shelf as well! It’s the wrap skirt from View 5 in the Simplicity 8281 pattern that … Continue reading Stitch up a Scottish kilt for your Elf on the Shelf using this retro Barbie wrap skirt design #Scottish #NorthPole

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
The text on this thumbnail says, "Besides just Skipper, which fashionista can rock this retro swing coat?" Beneath this text, it says, "Guess who!" A red felt arrow points at a scanned image from Simplicity 5861, which focuses on a vintage Skipper wearing a sky blue swing coat with matching scarf and little blue ballet flats.
Elf on the Shelf, Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Skipper

What surprising “fashionista” can wear this Skipper retro swing coat?

*Please note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page. Yes, that’s our little buddy, Elf on the Shelf, modeling a Skipper swing coat from vintage Simplicity 5861! If you’re looking for a commercial coat pattern to fit Elf on the Shelf, vintage Simplicity 5861 will work … Continue reading What surprising “fashionista” can wear this Skipper retro swing coat?

Chelly Wood1 Comment
In this quilt-framed thumbnail image, a lineup of four Skipper-sized dolls stand next to the Chelly Wood doll (which is a Spin Master Liv doll that has been altered to look like the real doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood), and Chelly is holding up vintage Skipper Simplicity pattern 5861. Over the top of this photo, we see the text that reads, "Who can wear Skipper patterns?"
10-inch doll clothes patterns, 9-inch Dolls, Doll Measurements, Fan Mail, Favorite Books, Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Petite Barbie Patterns, Skipper Patterns, Stacie Patterns, Uncategorized, Vintage Skipper

Which dolls can wear Skipper patterns? #Sewing #SewVintage

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Last week one of my followers, Lisa, contacted me with some questions about sewing for Skipper. We had a lively exchange over email about how Skipper has changed over the years, and I answered a few of her questions about who can wear various Skipper doll clothes sewing patterns. Today’s blog post will share with … Continue reading Which dolls can wear Skipper patterns? #Sewing #SewVintage

Chelly Wood3 Comments
The image shows sewing pattern Simplicity 8281 for Barbie, Cher, and Farrah Fawcett dolls.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Learning to sew with Simplicity 8281 doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

I can’t look at Simplicity 8281 without getting a happy feeling in my heart of hearts. I have so many memories associated with this wonderful doll clothes pattern! It dates back to 1977, but I don’t think I owned the pattern until closer to 1979. I would have been about 12 years old then, and I remember making the yellow sundress a lot of different … Continue reading Learning to sew with Simplicity 8281 doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood6 Comments