A vintage Ideal Tammy doll stands next to the envelope for the Simplicity 4883 doll clothes pattern for Tammy. The doll wears the exact same dress pictured on the cover art from the Simplicity 4883 pattern: a ball gown with a red satin bodice and straps, a white cotton circle skirt (floor length) that's covered with tulle and dotted with tiny red satin roses. The text says "View 2 Prom Dress" under "Simplicity 4883." The chellywood.com logo appears in the image as well.

Where to buy miniature satin roses, now that JoAnn’s is closed #JoAnn #Miniatures

  Some of you may recall seeing a fun little stop-motion video short that I did, in which my “Chelly doll” is wearing a lovely gown with a red satin bodice, tulle skirting, and miniature satin roses. That short was a video I created for a contest at the school where I work. That doll dress was actually designed to fit Ideal Tammy dolls (not … Continue reading Where to buy miniature satin roses, now that JoAnn’s is closed #JoAnn #Miniatures

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.

What are the easiest Barbie doll summer clothes patterns for sewing? #Summer #Sewing

As we come to the end of March, it’s time to start sewing our summer projects. So today’s blog post answers the question, “What are the easiest Barbie doll summer clothes patterns for sewing?” Today’s post will be about the vintage patterns that I own, but if you’re looking for more modern summer clothes patterns for your Barbie dolls, I plan to do a couple … Continue reading What are the easiest Barbie doll summer clothes patterns for sewing? #Summer #Sewing

The Chelly Wood doll stands next to the Advance 9938 Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern with her cartoonish sewing room behind her.

Learning to Sew with Advance 9938 Doll Clothes Sewing Patterns from 1961 #SewVintage #Barbie

Don’t you just love the artwork on these old Barbie patterns? I could stare at this envelope all day, dreaming of the wonderful outfits I could make with it! I’ve written a few articles about the outfits offered in Advance 9938, and if you click on the links I’ve provided below, you can read all about the lessons I’ve learned by sewing these patterns. I … Continue reading Learning to Sew with Advance 9938 Doll Clothes Sewing Patterns from 1961 #SewVintage #Barbie

Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns (the envelope that the patterns come in) is shown with the Chelly Wood doll, framed in a quilted border. The text reads "Advance 9939 vintage Barbie patterns."

Sewing the View 2 Culottes for vintage Barbie from Advance 9939 doll clothes sewing patterns… #SewWithMe #VintageBarbie

In today’s blog post, I’ll explain the challenges I faced when sewing the View 2 culottes from vintage Advance 9939 Barbie wardrobe sewing pattern. You’ll find that I’ve been through two rounds with this pattern: one pair of culottes is solid blue; the other is made from soft pink gingham. *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make … Continue reading Sewing the View 2 Culottes for vintage Barbie from Advance 9939 doll clothes sewing patterns… #SewWithMe #VintageBarbie

The image shows a quilted frame around a photo of the cover of the Simplicity 4883 doll clothes pattern envelope. Above the photo, it reads, "Simplicity 4883." Beside the photo is a graphic of a giant yellow and turquoise blue question mark. Below this is the Chelly Wood dot com logo.

Can anyone help me date the year of publication on one of my all-time favorite doll clothes patterns? #Simplicity #RetroSewing

If you’ve been following my blog much at all, you’ve probably run across at least one of the many blog posts I’ve written on this particular sewing pattern, vintage Simplicity 4883 for Ideal Tammy dolls. I have a long history with this pattern, which was the very first pattern I ever sewed. In fact this pattern helped morph me into the doll clothing designer that … Continue reading Can anyone help me date the year of publication on one of my all-time favorite doll clothes patterns? #Simplicity #RetroSewing

Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns (the envelope that the patterns come in) is shown with the Chelly Wood doll, framed in a quilted border. The text reads "Advance 9939 vintage Barbie patterns."

A different way to make a pair of doll’s underpants… but is it easy? #SewingTips #VintageBarbie

Advance 9939 has a pair of bloomers that go with the View 4 ice skating outfit, but it also has a random pattern for a pair of so-called “panties” for Barbie as well. Now my regular followers know that my website, ChellyWood.com, offers free, printable PDF sewing patterns for making underpants for various dolls, from little Barbie dolls all the way up to the big … Continue reading A different way to make a pair of doll’s underpants… but is it easy? #SewingTips #VintageBarbie

The Chelly Wood doll stands beside the Simplicity 4510 vintage Barbie pattern envelope. The Chelly Wood doll looks like she's holding up the envelope. The Chelly Wood doll wears a red and white gingham shirt with matching hair scarf, and a pair of black pants with black flats. The image has a quilted frame.

The Walkaway Dress Pattern for Vintage Barbie: Simplicity 4510, View 4 #VintageSewing #WalkawayDress

You’ve probably seen the challenge on YouTube and all the love-it or hate-it sewists who’ve given their two bits about the “Walkaway Dress,” in various human sizes. It has been an internet sensation! But what about Barbie? If the “Walkaway Dress” was such a hot item in the 1950’s, did they ever design one for Barbie dolls? Have a look at the View 4 dress … Continue reading The Walkaway Dress Pattern for Vintage Barbie: Simplicity 4510, View 4 #VintageSewing #WalkawayDress

A quilted frame surrounds text and a photo of a Monster High doll wearing a Valentine's Day skirt with a sleeveless top, and the envelope for the Advance 9939 doll clothes sewing patterns for vintage Barbie dolls. The text reads "Advance 9939 fits Monster High?" The Chelly Wood doll clothes pattern website logo sits in the lower right corner of the framed image.

Pleats in this Valentine’s Day skirt made the whole thing too skinny for Barbie! Ugh! #EpicFail #SewingFail

Once again, I’ve been trying to tackle vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern Advance 9939, and today I’m writing about the struggles I’ve had with the View 1 A-line skirt. It’s the pattern in the image above that does NOT have an arrow pointing toward it. First, let me say that the instructions for making this skirt are sweet and adorable, but not particularly helpful. … Continue reading Pleats in this Valentine’s Day skirt made the whole thing too skinny for Barbie! Ugh! #EpicFail #SewingFail

Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns (the envelope that the patterns come in) is shown with the Chelly Wood doll, framed in a quilted border. The text reads "Advance 9939 vintage Barbie patterns."

I made a SUPER CUTE Valentine’s Day jacket for Barbie with vintage Advance Barbie Patterns 9939! #ValentinesDay #SewVintage

When I first got this Advance 9939 vintage pattern set for Barbie, and I took all the patterns out of the envelope, I took one look at this jacket and thought, “Oh boy. That’s not good.” The green arrow in the image above shows how weird that sleeve looks. Why on earth would someone design a sleeve like a letter M? That’s just strange. If … Continue reading I made a SUPER CUTE Valentine’s Day jacket for Barbie with vintage Advance Barbie Patterns 9939! #ValentinesDay #SewVintage

Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns (the envelope that the patterns come in) is shown with the Chelly Wood doll, framed in a quilted border. The text reads "Advance 9939 vintage Barbie patterns."

Learning to Sew with Advance 9939 Vintage Barbie Doll Clothes Patterns #VintageSewing #SewOver50

I purchased my vintage Advance 9939 sewing pattern for Barbie dolls last summer, and ever since then, I’ve been exploring these patterns with joy in my heart! Once I complete an outfit, I try it on various dolls to see which modern and collectible dolls can fit in these outfits, and I hope to share what I’ve learned in the blog posts I’ll be linking … Continue reading Learning to Sew with Advance 9939 Vintage Barbie Doll Clothes Patterns #VintageSewing #SewOver50

The image shows a quilted frame around a photo of the cover of the Simplicity 4883 doll clothes pattern envelope. Above the photo, it reads, "Simplicity 4883." Beside the photo is a graphic of a giant yellow and turquoise blue question mark. Below this is the Chelly Wood dot com logo.

Three times I made mistakes when sewing Simplicity 4883 for Ideal Tammy dolls #MLK #Oops!

If you are a regular follower of this blog, then you probably already know I’m a big fan of the Simplicity 4883 sewing pattern. I’ve been making doll clothes with Simplicity 4883 since my early childhood. In fact, it was the first pattern ever given to me, and it was from this pattern that I learned how to alter doll clothes. From there, I learned … Continue reading Three times I made mistakes when sewing Simplicity 4883 for Ideal Tammy dolls #MLK #Oops!

Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns (the envelope that the patterns come in) is shown with the Chelly Wood doll, framed in a quilted border. The text reads "Advance 9939 vintage Barbie patterns."

I jazzed up a vintage Barbie pattern, Advance 9939, by slapping on a bias tape collar!

See that cute little summer top in View 2 of this vintage Advance 9939 doll clothes pattern* package? That’s what I was working on — creating that set of culottes with the sleeveless blouse that looks so cute and sweet on Ponytail Barbie in the drawings. That’s not what I got though. Ugh! *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this … Continue reading I jazzed up a vintage Barbie pattern, Advance 9939, by slapping on a bias tape collar!

Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes patterns (the envelope that the patterns come in) is shown with the Chelly Wood doll, framed in a quilted border. The text reads "Advance 9939 vintage Barbie patterns."

Can Ideal Tammy dolls wear vintage Barbie clothes? #SewVintage #IdealToys

Today’s blog post attempts to answer the question, “Can Ideal Tammy dolls wear vintage Barbie clothes?” I’ll be focusing on one vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern in particular: the ice skating outfit from View 4 of the Advance 9939 doll clothes pattern from 1961. The two dolls–Ideal Tammy and vintage Barbie–have very different body measurements, and you can learn more about Tammy’s body measurements in … Continue reading Can Ideal Tammy dolls wear vintage Barbie clothes? #SewVintage #IdealToys

The Chelly Wood doll stands beside a close-up image of the view 3 doll dress from Simplicity 4510, a vintage Barbie pattern. This view 3 dress is red, has a one-shoulder style bodice, and a pencil skirt. there's a tulle overlay atop the pencil skirt of the dress.

How to make a tutu for a doll — super easy instructions! #isew #cosplay

I’ve already given away this lovely one-shoulder dress, which I made using the vintage Simplicity 4510 pattern, view three. And the tulle “tutu-style” overskirt is not a part of the actual dress, as you can see in the image above. Instead, the tutu (made of tulle with a bias-tape-like waistband that ties in the back) is a separate item of clothing, from the one-shoulder pencil-skirt … Continue reading How to make a tutu for a doll — super easy instructions! #isew #cosplay

The Chelly Wood doll stands beside the Simplicity 4510 vintage Barbie pattern envelope. The Chelly Wood doll looks like she's holding up the envelope. The Chelly Wood doll wears a red and white gingham shirt with matching hair scarf, and a pair of black pants with black flats. The image has a quilted frame.

Can Curvy Barbie wear vintage Barbie doll clothes? #BarbieStyle #ChristmasGifts

I was pleased to discover that Curvy Barbie was able to wear one of the garments from this vintage Simplicity 4510 doll clothes pattern from the 1960’s! But which garment do you think it is…? Which view from the envelope? Give it a guess before scrolling down to see if you’re right. *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site … Continue reading Can Curvy Barbie wear vintage Barbie doll clothes? #BarbieStyle #ChristmasGifts