A turquoise blue linen fabric frames a photo of different types and colors of elastic. The text reads, "Fantastic Elastic" and this thumbnail leads to a blog post about the variety of different sizes of elastic available and which ones suit your doll clothes for sewing projects.

What size elastic should I use for my doll’s clothes?

In November, I started a series that listed my top 10 items I’d put in a sewing kit for a beginner. Of course I was working up to Christmas, and trying to make a list of items for a sewing kit you might give someone for Christmas. But then I got caught up in my Elf on the Shelf outfit series, and now I find … Continue reading What size elastic should I use for my doll’s clothes?

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.

Learning to sew with Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

To say that I adore the Skipper 5861 Simplicity pattern from 1964 would be an utter and complete understatement. It’s so awesome, I have no words to express the fun I’ve had when making each and every one of the outfits pictured on the front of the envelope! *Please note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my … Continue reading Learning to sew with Simplicity 5861 vintage Skipper doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

An Elf on the Shelf doll models a green shirt and red kilt. An arrow points from Simplicity 8281 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns to the kilt that the elf on the Shelf wears. The text reads "kilt pattern" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in the frame as well.

Stitch up a Scottish kilt for your Elf on the Shelf using this retro Barbie wrap skirt design #Scottish #NorthPole

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I think it was back in November when I showed you how to mix-and-match your doll clothes for Barbie, using vintage Simplicity pattern number 8281. Remember this outfit? Well that same skirt actually fits my little Elf on the Shelf as well! It’s the wrap skirt from View 5 in the Simplicity 8281 pattern that … Continue reading Stitch up a Scottish kilt for your Elf on the Shelf using this retro Barbie wrap skirt design #Scottish #NorthPole

In a purple thumbnail frame, the words "free pattern" overshadow the Chelly Wood dot com logo, beside a photo of a Hairmazing Fashion Forward Walmart doll modeling a 3-tier skirt and crop top.

Make a T-shirt and 3-tiered skirt for Hairmazing Fashion Forward dolls w/today’s free doll clothes patterns @ ChellyWood.com #SewingProjects #TheHolidays

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Note: as an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week I’m giving you the free printable PDF sewing patterns for making the “summer fun” outfit shown at the top of this blog post, to fit Hairmazing Fashion Forward “swimsuit” dolls. If you live in the northern hemisphere … Continue reading Make a T-shirt and 3-tiered skirt for Hairmazing Fashion Forward dolls w/today’s free doll clothes patterns @ ChellyWood.com #SewingProjects #TheHolidays

The text on this thumbnail says, "Besides just Skipper, which fashionista can rock this retro swing coat?" Beneath this text, it says, "Guess who!" A red felt arrow points at a scanned image from Simplicity 5861, which focuses on a vintage Skipper wearing a sky blue swing coat with matching scarf and little blue ballet flats.

What surprising “fashionista” can wear this Skipper retro swing coat?

*Please note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page. Yes, that’s our little buddy, Elf on the Shelf, modeling a Skipper swing coat from vintage Simplicity 5861! If you’re looking for a commercial coat pattern to fit Elf on the Shelf, vintage Simplicity 5861 will work … Continue reading What surprising “fashionista” can wear this Skipper retro swing coat?

On a purple background, a woman's hand holds up a yellow card with a blue stripe running down the left side. At the top of the bleu stripe, the Dritz logo appears as white logo image and text on top of a black background. The card holds 10 of the 12 sew-on snaps that were originally place on the card. Two of the snap locations are now vacated and holes are punched through the card where the snaps would have been.

Snaps for Sewing Projects: a Great Way for Beginners to Close their Doll Clothes! #Sewing #DollClothes

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Today’s blog post is the ninth post in my series on “What to include in a beginner’s sewing kit.” And we’ll be discussing snaps today. If it’s doll clothes you’re wanting to make, you’ll need some snaps to close the back of the shirts and dresses you’ll be sewing, and as you can see in … Continue reading Snaps for Sewing Projects: a Great Way for Beginners to Close their Doll Clothes! #Sewing #DollClothes

The text in this thumbnail says, "Instrumental Christmas Music for Crafting" and it shows music notes surrounding craft projects like a handmade pincushion, paper crafts, and sewing projects. This is the thumbnail representing a Christmas music video that's meant to inspire crafters.

New music video to inspire your crafts for the holidays… #ChristmasCrafts #ChristmasMusic

You may remember that when I was sick with West Nile virus last spring, I was confined to a reclined position, day and night. I was trying to pass the time by crafting, and I wanted to find some “crafting inspirational videos” on YouTube… But there were almost no videos like that! So I created my first “Crafting Inspiration” music video. Today’s video offers holiday … Continue reading New music video to inspire your crafts for the holidays… #ChristmasCrafts #ChristmasMusic

A purple frame encases the text, "free pattern" above the Chelly Wood dot com logo. These words accompany a photo of a Hairmazing Fashion Forward doll in a pencil skirt and tee.

Make a T-shirt and pencil skirt for Hairmazing Fashion Forward dolls w/today’s free doll clothes patterns @ ChellyWood.com #HolidayProjects #Crafting

For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets. Note: as an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week I’m giving you the free printable PDF sewing patterns for making the “business casual” style outfit shown at the top of this blog post. Granted, these patterns have been available before, but since the Hairmazing Fashion Forward … Continue reading Make a T-shirt and pencil skirt for Hairmazing Fashion Forward dolls w/today’s free doll clothes patterns @ ChellyWood.com #HolidayProjects #Crafting

A little elf peeks around the corner of this thumbnail square. She wears a red suit with a red stocking cap that has a tiny pom-pom on the end. She waves at the onlookers. Over her head it reads, "December's holiday surprise!" This image accompanies the announcement that Elf on the Shelf will receive some free doll clothes sewing patterns at Chelly Wood dot com this December.

Announcement: Guess who’s making an appearance on ChellyWood.com in December…

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Since this blog began, every December I’ve gotten requests from its followers to create a few doll clothes patterns to fit the Elf on the Shelf doll. Last year, my inbox was full of requests for Elf on the Shelf outfits! But I didn’t own an Elf on the Shelf… until last January. After the … Continue reading Announcement: Guess who’s making an appearance on ChellyWood.com in December…

The text inside the turquoise blue ribbon at the top reads "hairmazing fashioin dolls' clothes" and beneath this, within the purple background is a white arrow that reads "a whole gallery of free doll clothes sewing patterns" followed by the logo for Chelly Wood dot com. The white arrow points at four images of the Hairmazing fashion forward swimsuit doll modeling handmade fly-front high-waisted shorts with a tee shirt, a three-tier skirt with a tee shirt, a pencil skirt with a tee shirt, and a pair of jeans with a T-shirt.

Free doll clothes patterns for 11.25 inch (28.5 cm) Hairmazing Fashion Forward dolls (Gallery)

Please click on the clothes you would like to make. These patterns will fit Hairmazing Fashion Forward “swimsuit” dolls, which are made by Just Play, LLC, of Florida (USA). Not what you’re looking for? Behind the scenes, I’ve created a course called “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns.” With this course, you can take the free patterns provided here and re-design them to suit your … Continue reading Free doll clothes patterns for 11.25 inch (28.5 cm) Hairmazing Fashion Forward dolls (Gallery)

Here we see a collage of eight different Christmas or holiday fabric patterns. In the first row we see (left to right) a green sweater fabric with tiny reindeer, a white fabric with light blue swirls and holiday images, a green-on-red plaid, and a white sweater fabric with tiny red snowflakes and trees in a row. The bottom row of fabrics can be described as follows (again, left to right): Christmas gnomes, sprigs of evergreen trees with red and white dots scattered about, white fabric with red holiday candy stripes, and green leaves with red berries. In the center of the collage, the white words "holiday fabrics" appears on a green strip.

Fabric — a necessity for a beginner’s sewing kit! #LearningToSew #Sewing

Please note: As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Today’s blog post is part of a series of posts on the top 10 items I would include in a sewing kit for an absolute beginner, who is just learning to sew. Fabric is the #8 item on the list, but by no means less important than the others I’ve blogged about so far. … Continue reading Fabric — a necessity for a beginner’s sewing kit! #LearningToSew #Sewing

Within a purple frame, a holiday card reads, 'happy holidays' surrounded by botanical vines and wreaths. The text above the watercolor painted holiday card reads "DIY Holiday Card." The adjoining blog post offers a tutorial video, showing how to make a Christmas card using watercolor pencils and Sharpie markers.

Holiday Card Making with Watercolor Pencils! #HappyHolidays #ChristmasCardIdeas

  Please note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In today’s video and blog post, I’m taking a brief break from my usual video formats. I created this “artsy” video for both you, my regular followers (in case you want to pick up a new hobby with watercolor pencils) and my art students at school. (I work at a middle school for … Continue reading Holiday Card Making with Watercolor Pencils! #HappyHolidays #ChristmasCardIdeas

The image shows sewing pattern Simplicity 8281 for Barbie, Cher, and Farrah Fawcett dolls.

Learning to sew with Simplicity 8281 doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

I can’t look at Simplicity 8281 without getting a happy feeling in my heart of hearts. I have so many memories associated with this wonderful doll clothes pattern! It dates back to 1977, but I don’t think I owned the pattern until closer to 1979. I would have been about 12 years old then, and I remember making the yellow sundress a lot of different … Continue reading Learning to sew with Simplicity 8281 doll clothes patterns #VintageDolls #DollClothesPatterns

The text in this thumbnail reads "What is a seam ripper used for?" and the purple frame surrounds a red seam ripper tool with a metal pointy end and a red plastic ball on the shorter of the forked ends. The handle of the seam ripper / unpicking tool is made of shiny red plastic.

What is a seam ripper used for? How to use an unpicking tool… #ChristmasCrafts #Handmade

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Here at ChellyWood.com, I’ve been giving you my list of the top 10 items I would put in a beginner’s sewing kit. Coming in at #7 is a seam ripper (AKA an unpicking tool). A beginner may not know how to use one of these handy little items, so I’ll include in today’s blog posts some … Continue reading What is a seam ripper used for? How to use an unpicking tool… #ChristmasCrafts #Handmade

The image shows a close-up of the digital sewing planner page that was designed by Chelly Wood for setting sewing goals. The top of the image says "Editable PDF" and the edge of the planner is decorated with purple stitching on a white background with lace edging. The heading on the planner itself says "My Sewing Goals" in purple, but you can also see where someone has typed in "Date: January 1, 2023" and in one of the flag-shaped, stitching-edge bars where you are meant to type your goals, someone has typed in "Clean Sewing Room." This shows an example of how this digital planner is editable.

Set sewing goals for 2024 with my 99 cent digital, editable sewing planner @ ChellyWood.com #SewingGoals #NewYearsResolution

The purchase of this item in my Etsy store will help me pay the bills for running my free doll clothes pattern website! As the end of 2023 rolls around, I’ll be reviewing last year’s goals and updating my New Year’s Resolution planner.  Each year, I use this one-sheet planner to set goals, and I’m always surprised at the end of a year, by how … Continue reading Set sewing goals for 2024 with my 99 cent digital, editable sewing planner @ ChellyWood.com #SewingGoals #NewYearsResolution