Tag: Crafts

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.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Tutorials: Crafts

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

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
The image shows sewing pattern Simplicity 8281 for Barbie, Cher, and Farrah Fawcett dolls.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

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

Chelly Wood6 Comments
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.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Tips for Beginners

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

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
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.
Crafts and Hobbies, Holiday Crafts, Interviews With Crafters, Paper Crafts

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

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
In this thumbnail image, the text reads "mix-N-match" with two photos below the text. The photo on the left shows a standard Mattel Barbie wearing a handmade strappy summer bodice with a handmade wrap skirt that comes to just above the knee. She also wears little red plastic ankle boots. The photo on the right shows Simplicity 8281 vintage Barbie, Cher, and Farrah Fawcett doll clothes sewing patterns. Arrows connect the bodice to one outfit for the top and another outfit for the bottom. The arrow pointing at the summer top bodice points to the View 3 and view 2 outfit, while the arrow from the wrap skirt points at the wrap skirt in view 5 of Simplicity 8281 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns.
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Uncategorized

The Best Mix and Match Doll Clothes Patterns for Christmas Gift Giving #HolidayGiftIdeas #ChristmasGifts

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. When you make a set of doll clothes, it’s always nice if the child who receives them has the option to mix and match tops with skirts, pants, and jackets. I’m a member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), and this year our chapter of the DAR will be giving gifts to a … Continue reading The Best Mix and Match Doll Clothes Patterns for Christmas Gift Giving #HolidayGiftIdeas #ChristmasGifts

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Tips for Beginners

Slice Through Sewing with These Beginner-Friendly Scissors #Fiskars

Please note: As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you follow my YouTube channel, you’ve probably noticed that I love my little Fiskars Stitchers mini scissors, and yes, if you’re new to sewing, you can buy those too. However the #6 MUST-have item in my list of things to put in a beginner’s sewing kit, is a pair of actual sewing scissors. … Continue reading Slice Through Sewing with These Beginner-Friendly Scissors #Fiskars

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
On a turquoise blue square of linen fabric, we see a photograph of a small tan bear wearing a cute red hat with a turned-up brim. The overlay says "free patterns" and the watermark reminds us to go to ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns for making the stuffed animal shown here, along with his Paddington-bear-like hat.
Crafts and Hobbies, Daily Patterns, Holiday Crafts, Plushies/Stuffed Animals, Tutorials: Crafts, Yarn and Embroidery

Paddington bear plush toy free sewing patterns #PaddingtonBear #FreePatterns

Please scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free printable PDF sewing pattern and links to any additional relevant tutorial videos. Note: as an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. How cute is this little fellow? Today’s blog post is actually a re-post, which dates back to when my best friend’s daughter was pregnant, and she wanted books for her baby … Continue reading Paddington bear plush toy free sewing patterns #PaddingtonBear #FreePatterns

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
The Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll with her face repainted and her hair dyed grey to look more like the real Chelly Wood) stands beside the original pattern for Simplicity 5861, a set of Skipper doll clothes including a blue coat. Beside this photo, we see a picture of the doll coat that Chelly made for Skipper, and it's blue, exactly like the one in the artwork on the front of the pattern, but Chelly's has a pinwheel printed lining. The text reads, "doll coat"
Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Uncategorized

Does a doll’s coat need a lining, and if so, how do I choose the lining fabric?

Simplicity 5861 is an amazing ensemble of sewing patterns for Skipper, including two coats: a bolero and a winter coat. When I found this pattern on eBay last summer, I’d been searching for a high-quality version of it for years, so I snatched this up as soon as I saw that it was an uncut pattern — and let me tell you, this adorable pattern … Continue reading Does a doll’s coat need a lining, and if so, how do I choose the lining fabric?

Chelly Wood2 Comments
Six green stocking caps (two with red pom poms) and six red stocking caps (three with black pom poms, two with white pom poms, and one with no pom pom on top) appear on a pink cutting board that shows they are quite tiny, being about an inch tall or so each.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Holiday Crafts, Palitoy's Pippa Dolls, Remco I Dream of Jeannie Dolls, Selling Your Crafts, Topper Dawn Dolls, Vintage Skipper, Yarn and Embroidery

The Story of the Miniature Stocking Caps: Part 3

My regular followers will remember a story that I shared last summer about Evelyn, who hand-knitted a plethora of itty-bitty stocking caps before she passed away. I bought them at a church rummage sale, from a woman who seemed very disrespectful toward Evelyn. I opened my online store last summer, and attempted to sell these very tiny handmade stocking caps in a way that would … Continue reading The Story of the Miniature Stocking Caps: Part 3

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
On a blue background, there's a photo of a red tomato pincushion with tiny pins in it. A red strawberry dangles from the center of the tomato by an embroidery thread. The text above reads, "pincushions! Please add to the discussion."
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Tips for Beginners

Please describe your favorite pin cushion and why you like it…

I’ve been doing a series of blog posts on all the items a beginning sewist needs to have in his/her first sewing kit. Today’s blog post is about pincushions, the #5 item on my list. Please note: As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Do you see in the image above, how a crafty lady has made her own pincushion? Etsy has plenty … Continue reading Please describe your favorite pin cushion and why you like it…

Chelly Wood8 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.
Creative Spark Online Learning, Old Patterns from Chelly's Collection, Tips for Beginners, Tutorials: Sewing Basics, Vintage Skipper

Is there an easy way to sew sleeves? Yes! And it begins with your choice of patterns…

Over the summer, I purchased Simplicity 5861, a vintage pattern for the earliest version of Skipper dolls. This pattern offers pattern pieces for a coat and three different shirt styles, plus a bolero. These garments’ sleeves were remarkably easy to make! You might wonder why that is. Well take a look at the skipper T-shirt that I designed, displayed on a more modern skipper below: … Continue reading Is there an easy way to sew sleeves? Yes! And it begins with your choice of patterns…

Chelly Wood2 Comments
In a purple square frame, a photo of spilled straight pins appears under the words "straight pins".
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Tips for Beginners

Straight pins with colored heads and other “pointers” for people learning to sew…

Lately I’ve been building a list of the top 10 items every beginning sewist/seamstress/tailor needs to have in his/her sewing kit. Coming in at #3 is the all-important collection of straight pins. You may think your grandmother’s hand-me-down straight pins will work fine for a beginner, but they do not. Second-hand pins are not sharp, so they’re likely to create runs in the fabric. There’s … Continue reading Straight pins with colored heads and other “pointers” for people learning to sew…

Chelly Wood3 Comments
Sewing machine image on a turquoise blue background with sewing accoutrements.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Tips for Beginners

What brand of thread do you prefer to use? Please leave a comment!

So far, on my list of 10 items every doll clothes sewing enthusiast should have, I’ve mentioned hand-stitching needles and a needle threader. But now, coming in at #3 on my list, I can’t go any further without mentioning the thread. But what brand is best? There are so many! When my girls started sewing, I bought them each one of these boxes of a … Continue reading What brand of thread do you prefer to use? Please leave a comment!

Chelly Wood12 Comments
A Mattel Ken or Ryan doll stands in a whitewashed room wearing a tux. To his right is a white pillar with climbing vines curling their way around it. To his left is the bust of a famous composer, and above that, a window with a purple painted frame. The Ken dolls wedding attire consists of a white cotton shirt with collar and tie, a black felt jacket, and a pair of black cotton trousers. He wears black plastic dress shoes as well.
12-inch doll clothes patterns, Ken Patterns, Tutorials: Sewing for Dolls, Whole Costumes for Dolls

Free Ken doll jacket patterns, shirt pattern, and pants patterns, to make a full suit!

I’m re-posting this ken suit pattern page because I’ve updated all these patterns from JPG images to easy-to-download PDF’s! But I need to apologize… On more than one occasion, people have complained that it’s really hard to see my black thread stitches on the black felt of this dinner jacket. So I’ve got “re-do Ken jacket tutorial” on my Editable Sewing Planner, which, by the … Continue reading Free Ken doll jacket patterns, shirt pattern, and pants patterns, to make a full suit!

Chelly WoodLeave a comment
On a turquoise blue cotton background, we read the words "how to use a needle threader" and beneath these are images of a needle and a traditional tin threader. In the lower left corner is the ChellyWood.com logo.
Crafts and Hobbies, For Sale in the Store, Tips for Beginners

Unlock the Magic: a Guide to Mastering the Needle Threader!

  Last Wednesday, I talked about hand-stitching with sewing needles. These unbelievably important items for your sewing kit came in at #1 on my list of “must-have” tools for beginners who are just learning to sew. While reading last Wednesday’s blog post, you may have been thinking, “But I hate threading needles! It’s hard!” Don’t worry; I’ve gotcha covered with my second necessity for those … Continue reading Unlock the Magic: a Guide to Mastering the Needle Threader!

Chelly Wood2 Comments