Category: Old Patterns from Chelly’s Collection

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.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Sindy, Tammy Doll Patterns, Tips for Beginners

Can vintage Sindy dolls fit in clothes made for vintage Tammy? (Part 1 — View 1 Shift Dress) #Sewing #Patterns

If you’re a Tammy doll collector, you’ll very likely be equally familiar with Sindy, the Pedigree version of Ideal’s Tammy. Sindy, of course, became tremendously popular in the United Kingdom in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Today’s blog post asks the question, “Can vintage Sindy dolls fit in clothes made for vintage Tammy?” And before I go any further, I want to make my affiliate marketing … Continue reading Can vintage Sindy dolls fit in clothes made for vintage Tammy? (Part 1 — View 1 Shift Dress) #Sewing #Patterns

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The thumbnail's heading reads, "simplicity 4883" and shows an image from the envelope of the pattern, with a blond Ideal Tammy doll chatting on the phone; she wears a white dress that's dotted with tiny orange and yellow roses and itty bitty green leaves. The sheath dress she wears is sleeveless, belted, and has a ruffle at the bottom of the dress. Beside this close-up from the Simplicity 4883 envelope's front, a Tammy doll models a dress that's belted, sleeveless, and has a long, double-layered ruffle. There are two photos of the doll modeling the handmade dress, which has been made with pale blue denim floral fabric.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Sewing hack: what to do when you don’t have enough fabric! #SewingHack #Fabric

Recently I made a denim version of the View 1 dress from my Simplicity 4883 sewing pattern for vintage Ideal Tammy dolls. I used a lightweight denim fabric that had a soft pastel floral print pattern on it, but there was a very SMALL amount of this fabric available. It was really just three long thin strips of fabric, and that’s all. So I had … Continue reading Sewing hack: what to do when you don’t have enough fabric! #SewingHack #Fabric

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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.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Pepper Dolls (Vintage), Tammy Doll Patterns

Are there vintage patterns for Tammy’s little sister, Pepper? (AKA Sindy’s sister Patch?) #VintageToys #VintageSewing

If you’re a regular follower of this website, then you are probably already familiar with my special relationship to the Simplicity 4883 sewing pattern I’m holding up, in the image above. This was the first sewing pattern I remember ever using, and I even did a blog post on how precious this pattern is to me, back in April. You can read that blog post … Continue reading Are there vintage patterns for Tammy’s little sister, Pepper? (AKA Sindy’s sister Patch?) #VintageToys #VintageSewing

Chelly Wood4 Comments
Image of "Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance" vintage Mattel, Inc. Toymakers Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern #2895 with the ChellyWood logo, surrounded by a variety of quilting fabrics in turquoise blue and purple.
Barbie Patterns, Doll Measurements, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Paper Crafts, Tammy Doll Patterns

How to make gloves or mittens for dolls #VintageToys #Sewing

In June of 2021 and again more recently, I published a blog post about this Mattel Advance Sew Easy pattern number 2895, with a focus on the wedding dress and veil. Today I’m going to look at the Barbie gloves that appear on two of the Barbies in this pattern. After all, for my followers who live below the equator, winter is approaching quickly, so … Continue reading How to make gloves or mittens for dolls #VintageToys #Sewing

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In this image, a quilted frame surrounds a close-up of the swimsuit image from McCalls Teen doll fashion 3429 doll clothes pattern, but the swimsuit (which normally appears in blue) has been redesigned in a salmon or coral colored-shade of pink. It's very becoming on the strawberry blond haired doll drawn there as the model.
Barbie Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Vintage McCall’s “Teen Fashion Doll” swimsuit pattern Part Deux #Vintage #DollClothesPatterns

As you may recall from yesterday’s swimsuit pattern article, I’m doing some blog posts about the swimsuit/bodysuit pattern shown as View B, on the vintage McCall’s Teen Doll Fashion pattern number 3429, which appears above. On Monday, I showed you my sewing fail, with regard to this swimsuit / bodysuit pattern. Once I’d tossed my salmon-colored first attempt aside, I decided to give it another … Continue reading Vintage McCall’s “Teen Fashion Doll” swimsuit pattern Part Deux #Vintage #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood3 Comments
The image shows the bottom half of a modern Barbie wearing a purple swimsuit. She stands beside McCall's Teen Fashion Doll Pattern number 3429. This photo is surrounded by a purple cotton square frame dotted with tiny white polka dots. Over the photo and slightly to the left of the photo are the words "free pattern" under which is the Chelly Wood dot com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tall Barbie, Vintage Barbie, Vintage Francie

Which “mystery Barbie” fits best in my vintage McCall’s “Teen Fashion Doll” swimsuit pattern? Surprise! #Vintage #DollClothesPatterns

  Yesterday I showed you my sewing fail, with regard to the swimsuit / bodysuit pattern in McCall’s vintage “Teen Doll Fashion” patterns. Once I’d tossed my coral-colored first attempt aside, I decided to give it another shot with the purple fabric, which turned out much better. But the big surprise came when I tried this finished swimsuit on my dolls. I first tried it … Continue reading Which “mystery Barbie” fits best in my vintage McCall’s “Teen Fashion Doll” swimsuit pattern? Surprise! #Vintage #DollClothesPatterns

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Framed by a turquoise blue and purple quilted frame, we see the shabby envelope for McCall's teen fashion doll pattern number 3429, with a close-up of its view A (a body suit with wrap-around pants) and view B (a swimsuit) doll clothes sketches. The ChellyWood.com logo appears alongside the pattern.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Vintage Barbie

Read the directions! McCall’s “Teen Fashion Doll” pattern 3429 #SewingFail #DollClothesPatterns

  In the northern hemisphere, summer is just around the corner, so it’s time to do a blog post on swimsuits! Sorry for the terrible condition of my pattern in today’s blog post. Not only is the envelope in bad physical condition, but when I purchased it, this pattern was also missing quite a few pieces. But it had the swimsuit/bodysuit pattern (which was what … Continue reading Read the directions! McCall’s “Teen Fashion Doll” pattern 3429 #SewingFail #DollClothesPatterns

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Framed by a purple and turquoise blue quilted fabric frame, we see the Chelly Wood doll standing next to a book entitled, Little Quilts, with the subtitle "all through the house" by authors Alice Berg, Mary Ellen Von Holt, and Sylvia Johnson. In one corner of the book, it also says, "designer series." This book was published by "The Patchwork Place" in 1993.
Doll Furniture, Fan Mail, Favorite Books, Holiday Crafts, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Props and Dioramas

Advice for Making a Doll Quilt #Books #Quilting

I received an email from one of my followers, asking me for advice on doll-sized quilts. The question she asked was, “[If] you were to make a doll blanket or quilt for [a 14 inch] doll, what dimensions would you suggest?” So today’s blog post is a variation on the advice I gave her over email… There’s a fantastic book called Little Quilts : All … Continue reading Advice for Making a Doll Quilt #Books #Quilting

Chelly Wood4 Comments
Image of "Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance" vintage Mattel, Inc. Toymakers Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern #2895 with the ChellyWood logo, surrounded by a variety of quilting fabrics in turquoise blue and purple.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie

The biggest problem with Barbie doll wedding dresses is… #JuneWedding #DollClothes

The biggest problem with Barbie doll wedding dresses is making a veil that actually stays on the doll’s head! Let’s have a good look at my “Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance” vintage Mattel, Inc. Toymakers Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern #2895. This is a prime example of how the patterns for Barbie wedding dresses (if they include a veil pattern at all) never seem to make … Continue reading The biggest problem with Barbie doll wedding dresses is… #JuneWedding #DollClothes

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In a quilted frame, a grandmother hugs a granddaughter beside the photo of a Simplicity 4883 Tammy doll sewing pattern. The text reads, "Who taught you how to sew?" and under this text it says, "Simplicity 4883."
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tammy Doll Patterns

Who taught you to sew? Please share a memory… #SewingLove #Family #Friendship

The pattern you see my Chelly doll holding up in the image above was the first doll clothes pattern I can remember sewing. It was given to me by my grandmother, along with a sewing lesson. Both this pattern and my grandmother’s sewing lesson, combined with a single year of my childhood spent in solitude, transformed me into the doll clothes designer I am today. … Continue reading Who taught you to sew? Please share a memory… #SewingLove #Family #Friendship

Chelly Wood17 Comments
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.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Vintage Barbie, Vintage Ken

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

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows a close up of the McCall's 9449 small baby and toddler doll pattern published in 1968. This image was part of a vintage pattern discussion on the ChellyWood.com website on Martin Luther King Day, in January of 2023. The patterns were shown to fit modern-day baby alive dolls.
18-inch doll clothes patterns, American Girl Doll Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners

I’ve been sewing with vintage McCall’s 9449 and here’s what I’ve learned about sleeve elastic! #Sewing #Vintage

My niece has a birthday coming up, and I’ll be giving her an 18 inch American Girl doll this year. I’ve made her a few doll clothes with my own, personally-designed patterns, of course, and I’ve also been experimenting with Simplicity 5276 (a modern pattern). But for my favorite outfit I’ve made so far, I used my re-sizing formula to adapt the pattern for making … Continue reading I’ve been sewing with vintage McCall’s 9449 and here’s what I’ve learned about sleeve elastic! #Sewing #Vintage

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The text reads "making pants with Simplicity 5276" and the image shows an American Girl 18 inch Kaya doll wearing a sleeveless top and a pair of denim look pants alongside the scanned image of the Simplicity 5276 sewing pattern for 18 inch dolls.
Crafts and Hobbies, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

Sewing my 18 inch dolls some pants/jeans with Simplicity 5276… #ShowAndTell #Sewing

I’ve been making a pair of denim-look pants for my 18 inch American Girl Kaya doll, using the sewing pattern Simplicity 5276. I really like the versatility of this pattern. As you can see in the image above, it offers a lot of casual combo outfits for an 18 inch doll, and it includes options for both summer and winter wear. Before I go on, … Continue reading Sewing my 18 inch dolls some pants/jeans with Simplicity 5276… #ShowAndTell #Sewing

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On the left a real vintage Skipper from the 1960's models a handmade ball gown floor length dress decorated with red ribbons and bows on the red bodice and white skirt of the dress. On the right, a similar drawn figure of Skipper wears an identical ribbon and bow-embellished ball gown in red and white. The text reads "tricky tricky ribbons and bows! Simplicity 5861" -- between the real photo of a Skipper and the drawn Skipper in a fancy dress, we see a curly ribbon dangling from above and at the bottom, a big red bow.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Uncategorized, Vintage Skipper

How to Make Ribbon Bows Simple with Simplicity 5861 for Skipper #Ribbons #Bows

In this lengthy series of blog posts, I’m sharing what I’ve learned by sewing all of the outfits offered in Simplicity 5861, a very extensive and well-designed pattern for vintage Skipper dolls. Today’s blog post explains how I made the bows that you see on my Skipper doll’s evening dress in the images above and below. I followed the instructions for making this dress — … Continue reading How to Make Ribbon Bows Simple with Simplicity 5861 for Skipper #Ribbons #Bows

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This image shows a single music note with the words "inspirational crafting music" and it accompanies crafting or sewing inspirational music videos made by Chelly Wood, using the musicians featured on the Animoto movie making platform.
Crafts and Hobbies, Music Videos for Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection

Inspirational quiet crafting music for sewing doll clothes w/Simplicity 5861 Skipper patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Music #MusicVideos

Okay, folks, I’ve created yet another music video to inspire your crafts! This music has gentle guitar and ukulele melodies in each of the instrumental tunes. Today’s video features the video clips and photos I took while making doll clothes for Skipper, using Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes sewing patterns. If you look back at Tuesday’s blog post, you’ll understand that by adding this … Continue reading Inspirational quiet crafting music for sewing doll clothes w/Simplicity 5861 Skipper patterns @ ChellyWood.com #Music #MusicVideos

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