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The thumbnail, framed by a turquoise blue and purple quilt, shows the front of the envelope for Simplicity 5861, a vintage doll clothes pattern for Skipper, from 1964. The text in this thumbnail reads, "Vintage Skipper Simplicity 5861" and under this, we see the Chelly Wood dot com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Uncategorized, Vintage Skipper

What is a hook and eye closure, and how do you sew one? #SewingHacks #SewWithMe

Today I’m going to explain how to sew a hook and eye onto the back of a doll’s garment. Specifically, I’ll be working with the bodice for Dress View 6 in the Simplicity doll clothes wardrobe pattern 5861 for vintage Skipper dolls. Let’s stat with a quick explanation of the notion referred to as a “Hook and eye” or “Hook and loop.” The pink arrow … Continue reading What is a hook and eye closure, and how do you sew one? #SewingHacks #SewWithMe

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The thumbnail image shows a purple patch sewn onto a turquoise cloth. The words "doll clothes sewing chat" are written in the center of the purple patch. Floating in a circle around the patch are graphics of various sewing notions, from scissors, to a tape measure, to bobbins, to thread, and more. This feature on Chelly Wood dot com, is an open discussion about a sewing concept. The article will begin with a definition of the sewing concept, and then a discussion question will follow. This is a great place for people to ask questions about and/or give advice on sewing concepts related to making doll clothes.
Fabric, Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Sewing Chat, Uncategorized

What are you working on? #SewingProjects #SewingChat

Today’s blog post is short and sweet. (At least, I hope you think it’s sweet!) I haven’t had many comments on my website lately, and frankly, I miss you guys! So I’m reaching out with a simple question: What are you working on right now? Or maybe your summer is filled with family gatherings, and you just haven’t had time for sewing. That’s okay. Tell … Continue reading What are you working on? #SewingProjects #SewingChat

Chelly Wood19 Comments
The Chelly Wood doll (AKA Spin Master Liv doll) stands next to the vintage Barbie sewing pattern Advance 2896. This thumbnail image is surrounded by a purple and turquoise blue quilted frame.
Fabric, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized, Vintage Barbie

How to use 2 small squares of fabric to make a #Barbie shirt! #SewingFun

What can you do with small squares of leftover fabric? You can make a Barbie shirt, of course! And in today’s blog post, I’m going to show you exactly how I took two squares of leftover fabric and turned them into a simple Barbie shirt with a pocket. *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, … Continue reading How to use 2 small squares of fabric to make a #Barbie shirt! #SewingFun

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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, Uncategorized

Changing the fabric can make a BIG difference! #Sewing #Fabrics

I often have people contact me to request pajamas for the doll of their choice. Even if I’ve never made a specifically labeled “pajama” pattern for a doll, it’s likely that I’ve made patterns you can use for pajamas. What do I mean by this? The fabric makes all the difference! *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and … Continue reading Changing the fabric can make a BIG difference! #Sewing #Fabrics

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The Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll that has been repainted and re-wigged) stands beside the Advance 2899 vintage doll clothes patterns for a 1960's Ken doll. This pattern was published in 1962.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

How to sew a facing on a neckline: Ken doll dinner jacket! #Sewing #Troubleshooting

I’ve been working with the vintage Ken doll clothing pattern, Sew Easy Advance 2899, and this time, specifically, I’ve been sewing the jacket from the View 1 image on the envelope. Like many Ken-sized coat patterns, this dinner jacket comes with a facing piece, which must be attached around the front inside section of the jacket, to help form the lapels. When I saw that … Continue reading How to sew a facing on a neckline: Ken doll dinner jacket! #Sewing #Troubleshooting

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The Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll that has been repainted and re-wigged) stands beside the Advance 2899 vintage doll clothes patterns for a 1960's Ken doll. This pattern was published in 1962.
Ken Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Uncategorized, Vintage Ken

How to Sew a Patch Pocket on a Ken Doll’s Shirt (Advance 2899) #SewingTips #VintageSewing

Last week I gave you a few tips and pointers on sewing a collar for Ken’s View 2 long-sleeved shirt, in the Advance 2899 doll clothes sewing pattern. This is a vintage sewing pattern from 1962, and I’m really enjoying sewing with it! This week, I’m going to talk about how to sew on a patch pocket, like the pocket you see on my Ken … Continue reading How to Sew a Patch Pocket on a Ken Doll’s Shirt (Advance 2899) #SewingTips #VintageSewing

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The Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll that has been repainted and re-wigged) stands beside the Advance 2899 vintage doll clothes patterns for a 1960's Ken doll. This pattern was published in 1962.
Ken Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized, Vintage Ken

How to sew Ken’s collar so it lays down flat #VintageKen #SewingTips

Recently I sewed the collared shirt shown in View 2 of this vintage 1962 Advance 2899 sewing pattern for Ken dolls. While I was working on this, I got a message from one of my followers, asking if there’s a trick to sewing Ken’s collars so they will lay flat. And yes, there are a couple of tricks. Today’s blog post will address them. *Please … Continue reading How to sew Ken’s collar so it lays down flat #VintageKen #SewingTips

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This is a thumbnail for the "Tape Measure Tuesday" Momoko Doll measurements blog post for Chelly Wood dot com. The hashtag for this feature is #TapeMeasureTuesday, and this blog post will give you specific sewing measurements for the body of a Momoko doll from Sekiguchi (Pet Works).
Momoko Doll Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

How do I know what sized doll clothes patterns to buy? #MomokoDoll #TapeMeasureTuesday

Let’s say you’ve just bought a doll that doesn’t have commercial patterns made for it because it’s sort of an unusual, rare, vintage, or foreign-made doll. How do you know what size sewing patterns to buy for your doll? That’s the topic of today’s blog post. Stick with me to the very end, please, and you’ll learn a lot about how to locate the sewing … Continue reading How do I know what sized doll clothes patterns to buy? #MomokoDoll #TapeMeasureTuesday

Chelly Wood2 Comments
A vintage Skipper doll models a red bolero jacket over a black and white gingham dress. She stands beside Simplicity vintage Skipper pattern number 5861 for sewing doll clothes. There's a quilted blue and purple frame surrounding the whole image.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

What is the best fabric for circle skirts? #SewingTips #DIY

On the back of this Simplicity 5861 vintage sewing pattern for Skipper dolls, the View 2 line drawing of the dress shows the ideal drape of a circle skirt, after the doll’s dress has been made. With dolls, though, the circle skirt doesn’t usually drape like that! Scroll down to the next image, and you’ll see that after I made the View 2 dress for … Continue reading What is the best fabric for circle skirts? #SewingTips #DIY

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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.
Interviews With Crafters, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tammy Doll Patterns, Uncategorized

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

Chelly Wood6 Comments
The thumbnail shows a woman at her desk with a laptop. Above her is a chart of some type. The text reads "tax time! How much did ChellyWood LLC earn this year?" This is followed by the logo for Chelly Wood dot com at the bottom of the image, along with a "down" arrow.
Charity Work, Crafts and Hobbies, Doll Shoes, For Sale in the Store, Interviews With Crafters, Selling Your Crafts, Uncategorized

How much money did ChellyWood.com earn in 2024? #TaxTime #FullDisclosure

Yup! It’s time once again to pay Uncle Sam! For those of you living outside the US, the character of Uncle Sam — shown as a cartoon image on the right hand side of the poster I’m holding in the image above — is a personification of our government, here in the United States. Perhaps you knew that, but I thought I’d explain, just in … Continue reading How much money did ChellyWood.com earn in 2024? #TaxTime #FullDisclosure

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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."
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized, Vintage Barbie

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!

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Beside the Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns we see a series of swatches of solid colored fabrics lying next to a harvest printed fabric. A yellow arrow points to a line of colored and numbered circles along the selvage (also spelled selvedge) edge of the harvest printed fabric. The text reads, "Advance 2896: What are these dots?"
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

How to use the selvedge (AKA selvage) circular color guide (AKA the color registration marks) when choosing matching fabrics @ ChellyWood.com #Fabric #Sewing

Over the last two weeks, I’ve been sharing with you my sewing adventures, as I made a harvest-themed outfit for vintage Barbie dolls, using Sew-Easy patterns by Advance, pattern number 2896, view three, the shirt and skirt separates set. As you can see in the image on the right (above), the outfit I’ve made uses a pretty harvest-themed cotton fabric. But what if I wanted … Continue reading How to use the selvedge (AKA selvage) circular color guide (AKA the color registration marks) when choosing matching fabrics @ ChellyWood.com #Fabric #Sewing

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In a quilted frame the text reads "Advance 2896" and a photo of a Bubblecut Barbie shows her wearing a Halloween candy printed black dress. An arrow points from the Barbie to the View 5 image on the envelope of a Sew-Easy Advance pattern for Barbie.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

What can you do when a doll dress is too small? Here’s one idea… #LittleThings #SewingTips

Last Monday’s blog post was all about a mystery surrounding the bodice from my Sew-Easy Advance 2896 doll clothes pattern, View 5 dress. Today’s blog post will pick up where I left off, so if you didn’t read about last week’s bodice mystery, click here to go back to that mysterious story to learn more. *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants … Continue reading What can you do when a doll dress is too small? Here’s one idea… #LittleThings #SewingTips

Chelly Wood2 Comments
With a quilted frame around it, we see a section of a McCall's vintage fashion doll clothes sewing pattern for making a cape that will fit a fashion doll like Barbie and similar-sized dolls.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

What are the best patterns for Fashion Doll capes? #DollClothesPatterns #ToyCollectors

Fall is right around the corner, so we’ll need to keep our little dolls warm. A coat is easy enough to make, but capes are usually even easier! Before you read on, please note that many of my links are affiliate marketing links. To learn more about this, please see my Privacy Policy page. Thank you! You’ll notice, that in the image of Simplicity 8466 … Continue reading What are the best patterns for Fashion Doll capes? #DollClothesPatterns #ToyCollectors

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