Category: Uncategorized

Framed by a purple and blue quilt, we see three cabbage patch dolls dressed in handmade doll clothes. This looks like it is a photo from the front of a commercial pattern. There's a "Goodwill" sticker on the front as well, indicating that the pattern was purchased from a second-hand store. The ChellyWood.com logo also appears on the image to the side of the pattern photo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

I’m feeling inspired to design some dolly overalls… #DollClothesPatterns #SewingProjects

How cute are those little overalls? I’ve been feeling inspired to design a sewing pattern for making a pair of doll-sized overalls, but I’m not sure which doll(s) I want to make them for. Lately I’ve been sewing a lot of teeny-tiny stuff for my niece’s 6 inch Elsa and 5 inch Anna dolls. That’s one option, but they seem awfully tiny for the project. … Continue reading I’m feeling inspired to design some dolly overalls… #DollClothesPatterns #SewingProjects

Chelly Wood4 Comments
The drawings of a Donny Osmond doll and a Marie Osmond doll from the cover of a simplicity doll clothes pattern are framed by a quilted blue and purple fabric border and beside the photo of the cover art from this Simplicity pattern, we also see the words "ChellyWood" from the ChellyWood.com website and its subsequent logos.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Donny and Marie Osmond Doll Clothes Patterns #RetroSewing #DollClothesPatterns

Last Monday I wrote a blog post about the Dusty and Skye dolls from the 1970’s. Today I’m taking another look at Simplicity doll clothes pattern 7737, but let’s have a closer look at the Donny and Marie Osmond dolls that are displayed on the cover of this vintage pattern. Yep, I had the Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond dolls, back in the 1970’s, and … Continue reading Donny and Marie Osmond Doll Clothes Patterns #RetroSewing #DollClothesPatterns

Chelly Wood2 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, Uncategorized

Whatever happened to Kenner’s Dusty dolls and Skye dolls? #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

Are you old enough to remember Kenner’s Dusty and Skye dolls? Want to know why nobody seems to collect them these days? The Simplicity 7737 doll clothes pattern shown at the top of this blog post 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 a doll with an … Continue reading Whatever happened to Kenner’s Dusty dolls and Skye dolls? #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

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

You’ll notice, that in the image of Simplicity 8466 above, there’s an adorable cape pattern for fashion dolls. A cape is a super easy design, for even the newest beginners to sew. The cape above is short (hip-length), made of bright blue fabric, and appears to have a red ribbon for its trim. But if you’re looking for more of a floor-length medieval-style cape, I … Continue reading What are the best patterns for Fashion Doll capes? #DollClothesPatterns #ToyCollectors

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Surrounded by a blue and purple quilted frame, we see Simplicity doll clothes pattern number 4702, which offers several outfits for Barbie sized dolls.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Drawstring and Elastic #SewingChat #DollClothes

Today I’m showing off my Simplicity 4702 fashion doll clothing pattern because it’s an ideal pattern for chatting about the subtle differences between elastic and drawstrings. Both can use a casing, which is when you fold the fabric and sew along the edge of the fold, sort of like making a hem, but creating more of a tunnel. To learn more about casings, I recommend … Continue reading Drawstring and Elastic #SewingChat #DollClothes

Chelly Wood2 Comments
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.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Advice for Making a Doll Quilt

In my inbox this past week, 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 … Continue reading Advice for Making a Doll Quilt

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On a purple background of fabric we see the words "which dolls will Chelly design patterns for in 2022?" and below this is an image of a doll silhouette with a question mark superimposed over it.
2 Enchanting 2B True -- Doll Pics, Fan Mail, Interviews With Crafters, Lottie dolls, Rainbow High, Uncategorized

It’s time for a doll-clothes-designer’s New Year’s resolution!

I’m actually pretty good at following through with my New Year’s resolutions. As my most faithful followers may recall, in 2019 and 2020 I resolved to a.) re-design my website with galleries and b.) switch all JPG patterns to PDFs for easier downloads. I’m still working on the resolution from 2020 (which carried over into 2021 and still goes on to this day) — that’s … Continue reading It’s time for a doll-clothes-designer’s New Year’s resolution!

Chelly Wood5 Comments
A quilted frame surrounds Simplicity Tressy Doll Clothes Pattern 5731 (Copyright 1964) along with the Chelly Wood dot com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

What ever happened to Tressy dolls? #ToyCollector #DollClothes

In the image above, I’m holding up a Tressy doll wardrobe pattern, published by Simplicity in 1964. As you can see in the list offered on the back of the pattern (see below), these patterns will also fit Barbie: But my gosh! Look at the list of dolls that can swap clothes with Tressy! So today I’m asking, not only what ever happened to Tressy … Continue reading What ever happened to Tressy dolls? #ToyCollector #DollClothes

Chelly Wood9 Comments
The image shows Simplicity teen fashion pattern number 5390 from 1981 surrounded by a quilted frame and the ChellyWood.com logo.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

What “people clothes” have inspired your doll clothes? #SewingPatterns #DollClothes

The image above shows Simplicity pattern number 5390, which was published in 1981. I would have been 14 years old when I bought this. The Simplicity 5390 pattern brings to mind my earliest memories of sewing “people clothes” for myself. I believe I made every single outfit shown on the cover of the pattern… except maybe the pants — and I may have made them … Continue reading What “people clothes” have inspired your doll clothes? #SewingPatterns #DollClothes

Chelly Wood2 Comments
This image shows a photo of the Simplicity doll clothes sewing pattern 7600 which will fit Skipper dolls from the 1980's. The photo is framed by a turquoise blue and purple quilted frame and the logo for Chelly Wood dot com. This image accompanies a discussion about hard to find skipper patterns, like a panties pattern for Skipper dolls, a swimsuit pattern for Skipper dolls, and a hoodie pattern for Skipper dolls. There's even a Cheerleader costume for Skipper in this set of doll clothes patterns. Please visit ChellyWood.com to join the discussion about rare and hard to find patterns for your Skipper dolls, and to find free printable PDF sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

A Versatile Old Pattern for Skipper Underpants and Swimsuits! @ ChellyWood.com #SewingChat #DollClothes

Just looking at the image above, you would realize that this Simplicity doll clothes pattern number 7600 comes with a lot of great stuff: it’s got a cheerleader costume, a formal gown, shorts, pants, shirts, and a swimsuit. What a versatile pattern! But what you don’t see is that it also includes a pair of bloomers, which are meant to go under the cheer outfit, … Continue reading A Versatile Old Pattern for Skipper Underpants and Swimsuits! @ ChellyWood.com #SewingChat #DollClothes

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A quilted frame surrounds the Chelly Wood website logo and Simplicity doll clothes craft pattern number 9144, published in 1989.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

How to choose ribbons for doll clothes #OffrayRibbon #DollClothes

Today I’m using a 1989 Simplicity Craft doll clothes pattern (number 9144) to discuss the many uses of ribbons when making doll clothes. If you take a closer look at the outfits offered in Simplicity Craft Pattern 9144, you’ll see that 5 of the 7 outfits suggested on the cover include ribbon, and these patterns are for large baby dolls: I love that the pattern … Continue reading How to choose ribbons for doll clothes #OffrayRibbon #DollClothes

Chelly Wood2 Comments
This image is a quilt-like square with the Chelly Wood logo turned on its side. Beside the logo, we see a photo of Simplicity doll clothes pattern 8466 from the late 1960's or early 1970's. The dolls on the cover of this pattern are dressed in various fashions including one long dress pattern that uses an empire waist.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Vintage Barbie pattern for dress with an “empire waist” #SewVintage #DollClothes

Every now and then, I have people request that I design “Jane Austen character dresses.” What I suspect they want is a dress with an “empire waist.” As you can see in the image below, the vintage Simplicity doll clothes pattern number 8466 actually offers a ball gown with an empire waist (see View 4): However the empire waist style of dress that women actually … Continue reading Vintage Barbie pattern for dress with an “empire waist” #SewVintage #DollClothes

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows a doll that looks like Chelly Wood (doll clothes designer at chellyWood.com) sitting at her desk, staring at her computer screen which offers the URL for her website.
Fan Mail, Uncategorized

Yes, my some of my links aren’t working… Here’s a Quick Fix!

It appears that WordPress (my web hosting company) has created an update that made it harder for my followers to access the links beneath my images. I’m working behind the scenes to re-create all of my galleries, but meanwhile, this video will help you navigate to any pattern links that aren’t working. Sorry for the inconvenience, but as I say in the video, “When the … Continue reading Yes, my some of my links aren’t working… Here’s a Quick Fix!

Chelly Wood2 Comments
The image shows a vintage McCall's printed sewing pattern for making a wardrobe of doll clothes for "chubby baby and toddler dolls" in the size range from 12 to 22 inches, depending upon whether you purchase the small, medium, or large doll clothes pattern set. The striking image on this pattern (published by McCall's in 1968) is the fact that a doll with brown skin and black hair appears on this pattern front, along with a variety of little blond and red headed dolls.
Baby Doll Patterns, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

Why aren’t there more multicultural dolls on sewing patterns? Join the #SewingChat @ ChellyWood.com for #MLKday

As today happens to be Martin Luther King Day in the United States, I’d like to write about the fact that images on doll clothes sewing patterns available in the US today do not accurately reflect the demographics of our nation. Before Caucasian people came to North America, only Native American people lived here. To this day, Native American people and mixed-race Native Americans live … Continue reading Why aren’t there more multicultural dolls on sewing patterns? Join the #SewingChat @ ChellyWood.com for #MLKday

Chelly Wood4 Comments
The image shows an 18-inch "Kaya" American Girl doll, wearing handmade doll clothes that were sewn using the free printable PDF sewing patterns found at ChellyWood.com. These free 18 inch doll clothes sewing patterns included a pattern for a long holiday skirt made of glittery red fabric and a long-sleeved V-neck blouse made of winter berry red and white cotton fabric. The doll's long braided hair goes all the way down her back, looking especially elegant with her long skirt. She wears white Mary Jane "patent leather" style shoes. The overlaying watermark tells you to go to ChellyWood.com for your free printable PDF sewing pattern for making doll clothes for dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.
18-inch doll clothes patterns, American Girl Doll Patterns, BFC Ink Dolls, Crissy Family of Dolls, Madame Alexander Doll Clothes Patterns, Uncategorized, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Sew this beautiful holiday outfit for your 18-inch dolls w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #DIYgifts #AmericanGirlDolls

Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. Yesterday I gave you the pattern and tutorial for making the skirt shown in the image above, but today I’m going to include both the skirt pattern and the shirt pattern, so you can make the whole outfit. If the long-sleeved shirt with V-neck for 18-inch dolls looks familiar to you, … Continue reading Sew this beautiful holiday outfit for your 18-inch dolls w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #DIYgifts #AmericanGirlDolls

Chelly Wood2 Comments