Category: Tips for Beginners

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

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

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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.
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Uncategorized

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

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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.
Creative Spark Online Learning, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners

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

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In this image, the Chelly Wood doll (a spin master Liv doll in a grey wig) holds out her hand toward an open cardboard box. The words above the box say Fab Scrap unboxing and Swimsuit Fabric. Inside the box, we can see purple swimsuit fabric spilling over the edge of the box.
Charity Work, Crafts and Hobbies, Links, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Crafts

Fabric Scrap Haul from FabScrap, a fabric recycling center in New York #Sustainability #TextileWaste

Please consider sharing this video on social media, to help spread the word about FabScrap, and the good things they’re doing to help our planet. I’m not sure where I first heard about FabScrap. It could have been from my sister, who is super conscientious about being good to our beautiful planet earth. In any case, I wasn’t sure whether or not FabScrap would be … Continue reading Fabric Scrap Haul from FabScrap, a fabric recycling center in New York #Sustainability #TextileWaste

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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, Tammy Doll Patterns, Tape Measure Tuesday, Tips for Beginners

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

Chelly Wood2 Comments
A Judy Littlechap doll models a handmade doll dress while standing beside a vintage Tressy doll clothes sewing pattern (Simplicity 5731 Tressy Wardrobe).
Littlechap Dolls, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Plushies/Stuffed Animals, Tips for Beginners

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

Chelly Wood2 Comments
This thumbnail shows the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll) seated at her computer and over the top of her desk are the words "free canva course!" In the lower left corner of the thumbnail is the Chelly Wood dot com logo.
Crafts and Hobbies, Creative Spark Online Learning, Interviews With Crafters, Links, Selling Your Crafts, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Crafts

Let’s take a FREE Canva class together on March 23rd!

Have you ever wondered how I create my thumbnails, colorful blog images, and business logos? I use a type of software that’s available to everyone who has internet access, and the software is actually free: Canva! Today’s blog post is a simple announcement with a helpful tip for those of you out there who are small-business owners, making doll clothes and selling them online. Or … Continue reading Let’s take a FREE Canva class together on March 23rd!

Chelly Wood10 Comments
In this very close shot of Judy Littlechap's face, we see that she has light blue eyes, her eyebrows are in tact, and her lips are a deep grapefruit color. Her nose is sligly dirty, and there's a single spot of dirt on her left cheek, but her cheeks' blush is rosy and natural looking.
Doll Makeovers, Fan Mail, Littlechap Dolls, Selling Your Crafts, Tips for Beginners

Meet Judy Littlechap — a rare find at Goodwill! #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

I had never heard of Judy Littlechap, when I stumbled across her at my local Goodwill (a second-hand store). She was nude in a plastic bag, marked $2.99, but the date on her backside said she was from 1963. At first I was hesitant to buy her. We’ve all seen a date on the behind of a doll and went “Ooh la-la, a vintage doll” … Continue reading Meet Judy Littlechap — a rare find at Goodwill! #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood10 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.
Baby Doll Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

What is a yoke in sewing terms? #LearningToSew #DollClothesPatterns

Almost exactly one month ago, for Martin Luther King Day, I posted a blog post about this McCall’s 9449 doll clothes sewing pattern. In that blog post, I talked about how rare it is to find vintage patterns with representation of African American dolls on the envelope’s cover art. Well, it’s now February, and here in the US, we celebrate February as our Black History … Continue reading What is a yoke in sewing terms? #LearningToSew #DollClothesPatterns

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A purple and blue quilted frame encompasses the edges of a photo of Butterick's 6664 doll clothes sewing pattern which is standing upright next to a Black Barbie who models one of the dresses shown on the pattern's packaging. This dress is a long 1980's style of caftan. It should be noted that a photograph of celebrity Marie Osmond appears on the envelope of the Butterick 6664 doll clothes pattern. The Chelly Wood dot com logo is also shown at the side of the frame.
Creative Spark Online Learning, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Uncategorized

The Pattern that Taught Me How to Alter Doll Clothes — Butterick’s Marie Osmond 6664 Wardrobe #DonnyAndMarie #MarieOsmond

I learned to sew when I was very young (at age 3 I sewed a simple purse), but I credit the Butterick’s Personality Doll Wardrobe #6664 with teaching me how to alter my doll clothes patterns. I had a Marie Osmond Barbie doll, and I loved to sew for her, but for whatever reason, this particular pattern offered doll clothes that were slightly too big … Continue reading The Pattern that Taught Me How to Alter Doll Clothes — Butterick’s Marie Osmond 6664 Wardrobe #DonnyAndMarie #MarieOsmond

Chelly Wood3 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, Tips for Beginners, Uncategorized

Doll overalls and/or coveralls — how hard are they to sew? #VintagePatterns #DollClothesPatterns

Are you old enough to remember Kenner’s Dusty and Skye dolls? The Simplicity 7737 doll clothes pattern shown just below 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 awesome! Dusty had a body that looked more like a real teenage girl’s body than Barbie’s body did, and she came … Continue reading Doll overalls and/or coveralls — how hard are they to sew? #VintagePatterns #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood3 Comments
The image shows a close-up of a Barbie doll's tummy with a tie-style belt wrapped around her waist. She's wearing a pink bathrobe under the belt. The text says, "DIY Belt" and the whole image plus text is overlaid on top of a purple cotton background with tiny white polka dots. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner.
Barbie Patterns, Crafts and Hobbies, Creative Spark Online Learning, Daily Patterns, Links, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls

Instructions for Making a Doll’s Belt from Bias Tape @ ChellyWood.com #DIYprojects #DollClothesPatterns

Today’s video offers simple, easy-to-follow instructions for making a doll’s wrap-around tie-style belt to fit Mattel’s Barbie dolls and similar-sized dolls. It’s a follow-up to the pajamas and bathrobe project that you can find when you click here. Here’s an image of that project: As you can see, the bathrobe has pockets! So be sure to click here, to go back and learn how to … Continue reading Instructions for Making a Doll’s Belt from Bias Tape @ ChellyWood.com #DIYprojects #DollClothesPatterns

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In a quilted purple and blue frame, we see an image of a Barbie wearing a handmade felt hat and coat of matching purple felt. Behind the Barbie is Simplicity doll clothes sewing pattern number 7601 with an enlargement focusing on the hat and coat from the pattern. The ChellyWood dot com logo appears at the side of the image.
Crafts and Hobbies, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Uncategorized

How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern Part 5 (How do you cut it?) #SewingForBeginners #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

Last week, we were learning how to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern. I’m continuing that train of thought in today’s blog post, which reviews the cutting steps and adds a few details. When you’re getting ready to cut out your doll clothes patterns, it can be very helpful to see which garment pieces will need two identical pieces cut. For these, you … Continue reading How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern Part 5 (How do you cut it?) #SewingForBeginners #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

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Here we see blue fabric with multi-colored (yellow, turquoise, lime green, and navy) polka dots. A doll's jacket pattern has been laid on top of the blue mulit-polka-dot fabric. The obvious instructions on this jacket pattern is a giant two-headed arrow, running north-and-south along the front of the jacket.
Crafts and Hobbies, Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern Part 3 (What do the arrows mean?) #Fabric #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

Do you see that double-headed arrow, which runs north-and-south on my Barbie coat pattern from the Simplicity 7601 doll clothes sewing patterns? When people first start sewing, a lot of times they have no idea what that arrow means. Its officially called a grainline arrow, but my mom and grandma always called it the “nap arrow.” It lets you know how to align your doll … Continue reading How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern Part 3 (What do the arrows mean?) #Fabric #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

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In this thumbnail image, the Chelly Wood doll (really a Spin Master Liv doll that has been repainted and had its wig hair color altered to look like the real doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood) stands beside and points at the Simplicity 7601 doll clothes (Barbie sized doll clothes) pattern envelope. The words over the envelope say "simplicity 7601" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo appears to the left of the photo. The entire image is framed by a purple and turquoise blue quilt.
Crafts and Hobbies, Fan Mail, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Paper Crafts, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Uncategorized, Vintage Barbie

How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern PART 1 (How do you read a pattern envelope?) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns #ChristmasCrafts

First, I want to thank a woman who contacted me quite some time ago, asking me “How do you even cut out a Barbie doll dress pattern?” Her daughter wanted to learn how to sew Barbie clothes, but the mother had never learned to sew. I wrote her question in my ever-growing booklet of doll clothes pattern requests, and when the time was right (about … Continue reading How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern PART 1 (How do you read a pattern envelope?) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns #ChristmasCrafts

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