Category: Tutorials: Sewing Basics

These are primarily non-doll-related sewing tutorials. For example: how to backstitch; how to sew snaps; etc…

Inside a purple cotton fabric with tiny white polka dots, we read the white text "free pattern" and below this, we see the Chelly Wood dot com logo. These texts are next to a photo of a Monster High Draculaura doll modeling a handmade A-line dress with a flared skirt and darts for the bodice. It's a sleeveless dress made of burgundy cotton decorated in swirling vines of a lighter shade of burgundy or maroon. The doll wears velvet boots.
10-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Ever After High Doll Clothes Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Monster High Doll Clothes Patterns, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to use old quilt squares for tiny doll clothes @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothesPatterns

For your free pattern and tutorial video, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Yesterday we talked about how I was able to use a weirdly-shaped scrap of fabric to create a lining for the holiday holly dress that my Ever After High doll was wearing. Along the same lines, today I’m going to share how I used an unwanted quilt square to … Continue reading How to use old quilt squares for tiny doll clothes @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothesPatterns

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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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Surrounded by turquoise blue fabric, we read the words "free pattern" angled near a photo of an Everafter High doll wearing a handmade Christmas dress with red rick rack trim. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears under the words "free pattern."
10-inch doll clothes patterns, Daily Patterns, Ever After High Doll Clothes Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Monster High Doll Clothes Patterns, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to use misshapen fabric scraps for tiny doll clothes @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

For your free pattern and tutorial video, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Last week we saw the little A-line dress shown above on a Ginny Weasley doll from the Harry Potter doll line that Mattel put out in 2018. Today I’ve used the same dress pattern to make this little holiday dress for my Ever After High doll. And of course, … Continue reading How to use misshapen fabric scraps for tiny doll clothes @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #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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The image shows a woman who is bent over a cutting mat with large doll clothes patterns laid out on the cutting mat. Above her it says, "how to cut doll clothes sewing patterns". There's also a small pink stamp overlaid on top of the image, which says, "pin and cut" and the texts on either side of the woman say, "special thanks to the mom who reached out to me for help" (left of the image) and "I hope you get to read today's blog post" (to the right of the image).
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Uncategorized

How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern Part 4 (How do you pin it to the fabric?) #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns #Sewing

In the image at the very top of this blog post, we see that a garment pattern piece has been laid on one side of a swatch of felt fabric, but the image below that one, shows a garment pattern piece has been actually pinned onto the fabric swatch. How do we get from point A to point B? In other words, how is the … Continue reading How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern Part 4 (How do you pin it to the fabric?) #SewingTips #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 photo, we see two pairs of scissors lying next to an uncut pattern for a doll hat's brim. One pair of scissors has a grey handle; the other pair of scissors has a purple handle.
Crafts and Hobbies, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Paper Crafts, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern PART 2 (How do you cut out the tissue paper pattern?) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns #ChristmasCrafts

This week’s series of blog posts will break the process of pinning and cutting a doll clothes pattern, into several carefully explained steps. For this series of blog posts, I’ll be using Simplicity 7601, a Barbie pattern that was published in 1991, for all of my examples and visuals. When you first buy a commercial pattern, your pattern pieces will usually come on a big … Continue reading How to cut out a Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern PART 2 (How do you cut out the tissue paper pattern?) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns #ChristmasCrafts

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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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This image shows four different fabrics that remind us of knitted sweaters. The top fabric is ivory colored, the next fabric down is a rich burgundy color, the third fabric down is off-white, and the bottom fabric is sort of a peach color. The words above this say, "sweater fabric" and the whole thumbnail image is framed by a turquoise blue linen fabric.
Holiday Crafts, Interviews With Crafters, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

Tips for Sewing Sweater Fabric for #SewingTip Tuesday #DollClothesPatterns

This 28″ doll’s sweater uses “sweater fabric” that I purchased on the sale tables at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts. As winter approaches here in the northern hemisphere, you may find sweater fabric becomes available at your local fabric stores, so the time to buy it is drawing near. With a little bit of sweater fabric in your stash, you can try making different doll shirt … Continue reading Tips for Sewing Sweater Fabric for #SewingTip Tuesday #DollClothesPatterns

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Here we see the Chelly Wood doll displaying three new computer buttons: a shopping button, a blog button, and a sewing basics button.
Buyer's Guide, Crafts and Hobbies, Daily Patterns, Doll Measurements, Doll Shoes, Fan Mail, Links, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tape Measure Tuesday, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Yarn and Embroidery

New additions to ChellyWood.com #Blogging #DollClothesPatterns

  I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my home page has a few new additions. One day, on my Facebook page, I mentioned that I’d been doing blog posts on “How to Sew Doll Shirt Collars,” and someone said, “Wait, there’s a blog on your website? How do I get to that?” I guess she only accessed my website from her phone, and for … Continue reading New additions to ChellyWood.com #Blogging #DollClothesPatterns

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An apron is a simple Christmas gift to make. You can usually whip one up in a couple of hours. On ChellyWood.com, the doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood, offers advice for making aprons for the whole family for Christmas. This image shows a quilted background with the photo of Simplicity Apron pattern 2691, showing an apron with a pocket and contrasting colors of fabric, along with a quilt-look table runner and a placemat pattern. Visit ChellyWood.com to join the chat.
Crafts and Hobbies, Holiday Crafts, Links, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

How to Sew Apron Ties — Aprons make great gifts for the whole family! #HolidaySewing #ChristmasGiftIdeas

Maybe you’ve been thinking about sewing an apron for each of your family members as Christmas gifts, or even to use at Thanksgiving, when the whole family is visiting. They don’t take long to make. Simplicity apron pattern number 2691 is a simple pattern to follow. It comes with a table runner and placemats, and although it was published in 2009, it’s a timeless shape … Continue reading How to Sew Apron Ties — Aprons make great gifts for the whole family! #HolidaySewing #ChristmasGiftIdeas

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Within a quilted frame, we see a stitched-style title that says "Doll Clothes Collars" and three different images of dolls wearing doll clothes with collars. On the far left is a baby doll in a plaid suit with his little white shirt having a pressed collar; in the middle is an 18 inch doll wearing a dress with a jacket that has a pretty pink collar, and on the right is a Ken doll wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a collar. In the lower left is the ChellyWood.com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

5 tips for making doll clothes collars — all in one place @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

For the whole month of August, we’ve been learning my five tips for making doll clothes collars that really work well. But I thought it would be nice to have a single blog post that I can link to, whenever people need to find these tips all in one place. So here we go again with the tips and tricks about sewing doll clothes collars… … Continue reading 5 tips for making doll clothes collars — all in one place @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

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This image is part of a series of blog posts about how to sew doll clothes collars. This image is part of a series of blog posts about how to sew doll clothes collars. A purple and blue frame surrounds a vintage doll clothes pattern, with the words above stating "Doll Clothes Collars Part 5". In this photo, a sweet little Baby doll wears a yellow gingham handkerchief in his/her hair, along with a typical white collared shirt over which he/she seems to be wearing overalls or a vest with a jacket (also made of yellow gingham). The ChellyWood.com logo appears at the bottom of the image.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

5 Ways to Make Doll Clothes Collars that WORK (Tip #5) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

Collar Tip #5: Use Bias Tape This is my final segment offering my five tips for creating doll clothes collars that really work, and it’s the one I truly use most. I’ve been using bias tape for collars since I was in high school. It’s such an easy solution to the collar conundrum, and most sewists have a plethora of bias tape in their collection, … Continue reading 5 Ways to Make Doll Clothes Collars that WORK (Tip #5) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

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This image is part of a series of blog posts about how to sew doll clothes collars. This image is part of a series of blog posts about how to sew doll clothes collars. A purple and blue frame surrounds a vintage doll clothes pattern, with the words above stating "Doll Clothes Collars Part 4". In the photo we see the cover of a doll clothes pattern for Skipper dolls from the 1980's or 1990's, and her shirt has a ruffled collar. The ChellyWood.com logo appears at the bottom of the image.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

5 Ways to Make Doll Clothes Collars that WORK (Tip #4) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

Collar Tip #4: Use Felt Making a doll’s dress, shirt, coat, or jacket out of felt does double duty to make a doll’s collar easier to sew. First, you can avoid hemming everything, including the sleeves and the outer edges of the garment itself. Second, you won’t have as much trouble getting that collar to lay like you want it to. However, you may have … Continue reading 5 Ways to Make Doll Clothes Collars that WORK (Tip #4) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

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This image is part of a series of blog posts about how to sew doll clothes collars. This image is part of a series of blog posts about how to sew doll clothes collars. A purple and blue frame surrounds a vintage doll clothes pattern, with the words above stating "Doll Clothes Collars Part 3". In the photo, we see an 18 inch doll like the American Girl doll sporting a pink "sunday best" style jacket with a collar. The ChellyWood.com logo appears at the bottom of the image.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics

5 Ways to Make Doll Clothes Collars that WORK (Tip #3) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

Look closely at the collar that my Ken doll is wearing in the image above. Do you notice anything strange about the collar? Zoom in. Do you see that little white circle under his collar? That’s actually the head of a straight pin. Uh-huh. His collar wouldn’t stay down for the photo shoot, so what did I do? I pinned it down! What works better … Continue reading 5 Ways to Make Doll Clothes Collars that WORK (Tip #3) @ ChellyWood.com #SewingTips #DollClothesPatterns

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