Here we see a close-up of a Mattel Barbie's face. She's wearing a pillbox hat, made of felt, which was sewn using the Simplicity 7601 doll clothes pattern. This lovely Barbie has pale pink lipstick, what might be considered an olive complexion or perhaps a Mediterranean complexion, light brown eyes, and blond, curly hair. The pillbox hat rests gently over her curls, and the felt the hat is made from is a pale purple, almost lilac color. The hat is tipped slightly over her right eye. The coat she wears is barely seen in the image, but it too, is made of the lilac felt. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the lower left corner.

The benefits of sewing with felt when making doll clothes #SewEasy #DollClothesPatterns

As far as fabrics go, felt is relatively cheap, it’s available in most people’s stashes, and it’s easy to sew by hand or on a sewing machine. But is it okay to use for doll clothes? That’s what today’s blog post is going to address. I really love felt for making doll coats and hats, as you can see in previous blog posts I’ve written … Continue reading The benefits of sewing with felt when making doll clothes #SewEasy #DollClothesPatterns

The photo shows Sew Easy by Advance doll clothes around-the-clock wardrobe (pattern number 2896. Six different costumes are pictured on the envelope. view one is a pair of pajamas; view 2 is a basic dress with short sleeves; view 3 is a white shirt with green skirt; view 4 is a Jackie-Kennedy-esque sleeveless dress with a white collar, view 5 has a sleeveless bodice on a dress with a ruffle trim; view 6 shows ankle pants and a boat-neck shirt.

Learning to sew with Advance sewing pattern 2896 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

I love, love love this vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern, from Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance, which was published in 1962. It’s called the “Around-the-Clock” wardrobe, and it was designed to fit the original Mattel Barbie dolls. Today’s blog post gives you an opportunity to revisit those older posts right here, so you can learn more about the Sew-Easy Pattern 2896, if you’re working with that … Continue reading Learning to sew with Advance sewing pattern 2896 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

The image shows a quilted frame surrounding a photo of the McCall's doll clothes pattern number 5462 for Barbie and other 11 inch fashion dolls. An arrow points from the view G pattern for a T-shirt to a modern Barbie wearing a cropped-front tee shirt with side slits. The text above these images says, "T-shirt alteration." The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the lower right corner of the image.

How to Alter a T-shirt Pattern, to Make a Crop Top w/McCall’s Crafts 5462 Doll Clothes Patterns #DollClothes #SewingPatterns

Before I begin today’s blog post, let me say that I’m definitely feeling better. I’ve been sick with West Nile Virus, which is why my blog posts for my website had been put on “back burner” for a while. But I want to reach out to all of you who have kept me in your prayers… Thank you so much! Your comments on my website … Continue reading How to Alter a T-shirt Pattern, to Make a Crop Top w/McCall’s Crafts 5462 Doll Clothes Patterns #DollClothes #SewingPatterns

Framed by a quilt in shades of purple and red, we see a pretty Black Barbie modeling a shirt with a gathered neck line alongside a photo of McCalls pattern 5462 for Barbie and Ken dolls. A black arrow points from the View B doll modeling sportswear on the McCall's pattern to the image of the Black or African Barbie modeling a handmade shirt with a gathered front.

What can you do if you cut a neckline too large for your doll? #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

I’ve been doing a series of blog posts about  McCall’s Barbie pattern 5462, and specifically, I’ve been focused on the shirt pattern found in view B. I made all of these garments from the View B pattern, and as you can see, they are each just a little bit different: Today I’m going to focus on the one in the upper right corner of the … Continue reading What can you do if you cut a neckline too large for your doll? #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

On the left, we see a Barbie doll modeling a scoop-neck blue satin shirt. On the right, we see McCall's Crafts pattern 5462. A pink arrow connects the View B sewing project on the cover of the McCall's sewing pattern to the image of the doll in her blue satin shirt.

How to alter the neckline of a boatneck shirt pattern @ ChellyWood.com #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

Do you see that blue satin shirt on the left in this photo? It’s the boatneck shirt from my McCall’s Barbie pattern 5462, but I’ve altered the neckline. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been showing you different ways to alter a single pattern for making a Barbie doll shirt. Today I’m going to show you how simple it is to change a boatneck … Continue reading How to alter the neckline of a boatneck shirt pattern @ ChellyWood.com #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

With a tiny quilt framing it, we see an image of the McCall's 5462 doll clothes pattern on the right and an image of a Barbie doll modeling the shirt from view B in the McCall's Barbie clothes pattern on the left. An arrow points from the pattern to the doll's shirt.

How to sew a boatneck top, using McCall’s Barbie pattern 5462 #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

If you’ve only recently started to sew doll clothes, you may feel a little challenged by projects that use a boatneck. According to Webster’s online dictionary, a boatneck top has “a wide neckline that extends toward the tips of the shoulders.” Don’t be discouraged when you see this type of neckline because I’m going to give you some tips by sharing one such project, from … Continue reading How to sew a boatneck top, using McCall’s Barbie pattern 5462 #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

In this image, the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll with a Chelly Wood makeover) holds up the McCalls Crafts pattern number 5462. The image is framed by a blue and purple quilt.

Alterations on the fold line with McCall’s Crafts pattern number 5462 #Sewing #DollClothesPatterns

See that T-shirt in View B with the three-quarter-length sleeves? I’m going to focus today on how to make alterations to that shirt, which is found in the McCall’s Crafts pattern number 5462. In fact, I’ve spent much of the month of April fiddling around with that View B 3/4 sleeve length shirt pattern as well as the regular-sleeve T-shirt in View G, so I … Continue reading Alterations on the fold line with McCall’s Crafts pattern number 5462 #Sewing #DollClothesPatterns

In a turquoise blue and purple fabric quilted frame, we see the logo for the Chelly Wood dot com free doll clothes pattern website, along with an image of the McCall's Crafts doll clothes pattern number 2862, which offers six different baby doll outfits including two variations on doll pajamas or PJ's including a nightgown and a pair of footie pajamas.

Baby Doll Pajamas with McCall’s Crafts Pattern 2862 #DollClothes #DollClothesPatterns

I get requests for doll pajamas all the time, and occasionally I’ll mention McCall’s Crafts Pattern #2862 as a good option. What my fans and followers don’t realize is that pajama patterns are readily available for nearly all the dolls I’ve designed patterns for… right here on ChellyWood.com! Yep. If there’s a dress pattern, it can become a nightgown pattern. It just depends upon how … Continue reading Baby Doll Pajamas with McCall’s Crafts Pattern 2862 #DollClothes #DollClothesPatterns

This is a quilted frame surrounding an image of vintage Simplicity doll clothes pattern number 1844 along with the logo for the free doll clothes pattern website Chelly Wood dot com.

The trim makes all the difference with vintage Simplicity 1844, a #vintage 16 inch baby doll pattern for #dollclothes

When I was a little girl, any doll dress that had lace, rickrack, or ribbon trim was always a favorite of mine. My cousin and I would “do a pick” for doll clothes before we started our play time. That’s where you lay out all the doll clothes on a bed, table, or floor, and take turns picking which doll clothes were part of your … Continue reading The trim makes all the difference with vintage Simplicity 1844, a #vintage 16 inch baby doll pattern for #dollclothes

A square purple and turquoise quilt image frames the McCalls M6233 Baby doll Clothes sewing pattern. The watermark for ChellyWood.com accompanies the photograph of the doll clothes pattern.

Baby BOY doll clothes? Yup! #DollClothes #SewingPatterns

I often get “fan mail” asking, “Will you please design more doll clothes for boy dolls?” and then the email mentions the type of doll they want “male doll clothes” for. Chances are, I already have a pattern that will most likely work. That’s because boys’ clothes and girls’ clothes really aren’t that different, if you use your imagination. Take the McCall’s Craft Pattern M6233 … Continue reading Baby BOY doll clothes? Yup! #DollClothes #SewingPatterns

Framed by a blue and purple quilt, the ChellyWood.com logo accompanies a close-up image of Simplicity 4883 Ideal Tammy doll clothes patterns and a pattern for making a shoe box closet that would work for most 11 inch or 12 inch fashion dolls like Ideal Tammy, Mattel's Barbie dolls, Rainbow High dolls, and dozens of other fashion dolls in this size range.

Learning to alter doll clothes patterns with Ideal Tammy Doll patterns #CollectibleDolls #TapeMeasureTuesday #DollClothesPatterns

What we now call Ideal Toy Corporation’s vintage Tammy dolls was the original fashion doll, back when the idea of a “fashion doll” was still pretty new. She was called, “The doll you love to dress!” The image above shows my Tammy doll and the Chelly doll holding up vintage Simplicity pattern 4883 for sewing a wardrobe to fit Tammy dolls. This pattern (not this … Continue reading Learning to alter doll clothes patterns with Ideal Tammy Doll patterns #CollectibleDolls #TapeMeasureTuesday #DollClothesPatterns

Here we see the Chelly Wood doll (she's actually a Liv doll that has had a make-over so it looks like the real person, Chelly Wood) holding up McCall's vintage Barbie pattern #6420 which has images of Barbie wearing six different outfits. The pattern's container is very worn but the images are colorful and sharp. This pattern was marked with a copyright of 1962. The thumbnail is framed with a purple and turquoise blue quilted frame.

Vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns with underpants pattern — try McCall’s Pattern #6420 #VintageBarbie #VintageSewing

If you’ve been sewing for dolls for very long, you’re probably aware that doll underpants patterns are hard to come by. Of course, I have free underpants patterns on this website, and my patterns will fit lots of dolls, including the 6 inch American Girl dolls, Skipper, Barbie, and many Barbie-sized dolls, in addition to my baby doll bloomers and 18″ doll underpants pattern. (Click … Continue reading Vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns with underpants pattern — try McCall’s Pattern #6420 #VintageBarbie #VintageSewing

A quilted frame surrounds the Chelly Wood website logo and Simplicity doll clothes craft pattern number 9144, published in 1989.

How to choose ribbons for doll clothes #OffrayRibbon #DollClothes

Today I’m using a 1989 Simplicity Craft doll clothes pattern (number 9144) to discuss the many uses of ribbons when making doll clothes. If you take a closer look at the outfits offered in Simplicity Craft Pattern 9144, you’ll see that 5 of the 7 outfits suggested on the cover include ribbon, and these patterns are for large baby dolls: I love that the pattern … Continue reading How to choose ribbons for doll clothes #OffrayRibbon #DollClothes

A Judy Littlechap doll models a handmade doll dress while standing beside a vintage Tressy doll clothes sewing pattern (Simplicity 5731 Tressy Wardrobe).

The Saga of Judy Littlechap’s Wardrobe Continues #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Last Monday, I told you that I had decided to allow myself to be inspired by making my Barbie a vintage dress from Simplicity 5731, a wardrobe pattern for vintage Tressy dolls. My plan was to first make the dress in View 1 (above) for my vintage Barbie. Then, once I was comfortable with the pattern, I’d create a similar one for my Judy Littlechap doll … Continue reading The Saga of Judy Littlechap’s Wardrobe Continues #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

A quilted frame surrounds Simplicity Tressy Doll Clothes Pattern 5731 (Copyright 1964) along with the Chelly Wood dot com logo.

Update on my wardrobe for Judy Littlechap #SewingFail #DollClothesPatterns

A couple of weeks ago, I asked all of you to leave comments that would inspire me to make some new clothes for the Judy Littlechap doll that I recently discovered at a second hand store. Thank you for your helpful ideas! After pondering your comments and ordering the catalog you see at the top of this page, I decided to begin my wardrobe exploration … Continue reading Update on my wardrobe for Judy Littlechap #SewingFail #DollClothesPatterns