What is rickrack trim? And how do you use it? @ChellyWood.com #dollclothes #sewingproject

  Today’s tutorial video shows you how to use rickrack trim, like the trim shown at the bottom of the dress below: Today’s tutorial video is actually a re-post. To learn why I’m doing so many re-posts on my website, revisit the blog post called, “There’s a CAT in my Sewing Room!” While I’m gone, feel free to look over some of the basic sewing … Continue reading What is rickrack trim? And how do you use it? @ChellyWood.com #dollclothes #sewingproject

The image shows the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll that has been repainted to look like the real doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood) standing on the set of the Chelly Wood doll clothes sewing tutorial videos, with lights and the background of her stage. The text reads, "Chelly's Sewing Room" and "Behind the Scenes." There's a laugh-until-you-cry emoji over the image of the Chelly doll in her sewing room.

A look at my miniature doll sewing room “behind the scenes” (with bloopers) @ ChellyWood.com #BehindTheScenes #Miniatures

  Have you ever wondered how I made the tiny sewing room that appears at the start of my sewing tutorials? Today I’m going to show you how I made my original sewing room, some of the problems I’ve had with it, changes I’ve made to it, and a few tips/tricks for building your own dioramas. I threw in a quick look at bloopers and … Continue reading A look at my miniature doll sewing room “behind the scenes” (with bloopers) @ ChellyWood.com #BehindTheScenes #Miniatures

Framed by turquoise blue, we see a Disney Princess Elsa toddler doll modeling a shirt and skirt that are handmade. The text over her head reads "free pattern" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner.

Sew this precious outfit for Disney Princess Toddler dolls with free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #CraftyMoms #DollClothesPatterns

Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns. I like to call this my “mermaid skirt” for 14 to 15 inch dolls like Wellie Wishers, Hearts for Hearts girls, Disney Princess 13-14 inch dolls, and similar-sized dolls. I call it that because, if you look closely, the fabric of the skirt is decorated with sea creatures, including cute little … Continue reading Sew this precious outfit for Disney Princess Toddler dolls with free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #CraftyMoms #DollClothesPatterns

The image shows the Difficulty Scale for Chelly's flowers. These are purple flowers with turquoise blue center. Lowest on the difficulty scale is a single flower. The most difficult projects have five flowers.

Helpful Tips and FAQ’s for People Who Love to Sew for Dolls #DollClothes #SewingTips

The following information is also found on my “Frequently Asked Questions” page (i.e. FAQ’s). You may have noticed that my difficulty scale’s flowers have changed colors over time. You can tell how old my patterns are by the colors of the flowers on them. Now this doesn’t seem related, but actually it is… My oldest daughter graduated from Idaho State University recently with a college … Continue reading Helpful Tips and FAQ’s for People Who Love to Sew for Dolls #DollClothes #SewingTips

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.

Learning to alter doll clothes patterns with Ideal Tammy Doll patterns #CollectibleDolls #TapeMeasureTuesday #DollClothesPatterns

What we now call Ideal Toy Corporation’s vintage Tammy dolls was the original fashion doll, back when the idea of a “fashion doll” was still pretty new. She was called, “The doll you love to dress!” The image above shows my Tammy doll and the Chelly doll holding up vintage Simplicity pattern 4883 for sewing a wardrobe to fit Tammy dolls. This pattern (not this … Continue reading Learning to alter doll clothes patterns with Ideal Tammy Doll patterns #CollectibleDolls #TapeMeasureTuesday #DollClothesPatterns

This image shows Chelly Wood's sewing goals printable digital sewing planner sheet, filled out with Chelly's goals for 2023. Beside the image of the goal sheet is a hot pink text that says hashtag goals!

My goals for 2023! #SewingGoals #DigitalPlanner

The goal sheet shown in the image at the top of this page is easy to download and available as a PDF document that you can purchase in color or in greyscale, in my Etsy store for a whoppin’ 99 cents (American)! Please consider supporting the Chelly Wood library of free, printable PDF sewing patterns, by purchasing your own printable goal sheet from my Etsy … Continue reading My goals for 2023! #SewingGoals #DigitalPlanner

This thumbnail shows a Dora Explorer doll wearing a pair of overalls and a tiny handmade shirt. The words "free pattern" overlap the image slightly. The frame is a turquoise blue linen fabric. The ChellyWood.com logo appears in the lower left corner.

Let’s sew springtime overalls and a shirt for a Dora and Friends 8″ doll w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #springtime #DollClothesPatterns

Please scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free printable PDF sewing patterns and links to any additional relevant tutorial videos. I actually designed today’s overalls in my latest Creative Spark class, “How to Design Doll Pants Patterns from Scratch.” This class only costs $19.99, and you get a free pattern for the 18″ doll (American Girl-sized) version of the overalls with … Continue reading Let’s sew springtime overalls and a shirt for a Dora and Friends 8″ doll w/free patterns @ ChellyWood.com #springtime #DollClothesPatterns

A quilted frame surrounds the Chelly Wood website logo and Simplicity doll clothes craft pattern number 9144, published in 1989.

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

The image shows a photo of a Breyer Rider doll called Veterinarian Laura, who is modeling a pair of wide legged blue pants or denim jeans, for riding model horses. She also wears a red and white striped long sleeved top. The text reads "free pattern."

Sew a pair of wide-leg pants or jeans for Breyer Riders and other 8 inch dolls w/today’s #FreePatterns @ ChellyWood.com #DollClothesPatterns

Please scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free printable PDF sewing patterns and links to any additional relevant tutorial videos. Today’s video shows you how to make a pair of elastic-waist, wide-legged jeans or pants, which will fit many 8 inch dolls, including, but not limited to, the Breyer Riders (dolls suited to ride Breyer Model Horses). There’s a list of … Continue reading Sew a pair of wide-leg pants or jeans for Breyer Riders and other 8 inch dolls w/today’s #FreePatterns @ ChellyWood.com #DollClothesPatterns

On a purple cotton fabric with tiny white polka dots (the backdrop color) we see an orange cat wearing spectacles, seated at a sewing machine. Pink fabric is in the machine, and the cat's facial expression clearly shows her frustration, even though she carries her white-tipped tail high as she sits at the sewing machine with grumpy whiskers.

There’s a CAT in my Sewing Room! #CharityProject #FeralCat

It has always been my goal to build a sustainable business income that will help me endure any hardships my family and I may face, once I retire from my day job as a school librarian (my retirement is scheduled for 2026 — three years away). However, as I said in my March 15th blog post, the income for this website actually dropped by about … Continue reading There’s a CAT in my Sewing Room! #CharityProject #FeralCat

A Judy Littlechap doll models a handmade doll dress while standing beside a vintage Tressy doll clothes sewing pattern (Simplicity 5731 Tressy Wardrobe).

The Saga of Judy Littlechap’s Wardrobe Continues #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Last Monday, I told you that I had decided to allow myself to be inspired by making my Barbie a vintage dress from Simplicity 5731, a wardrobe pattern for vintage Tressy dolls. My plan was to first make the dress in View 1 (above) for my vintage Barbie. Then, once I was comfortable with the pattern, I’d create a similar one for my Judy Littlechap doll … Continue reading The Saga of Judy Littlechap’s Wardrobe Continues #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

Surrounded by a purple fabric with white polka dots, is an image of the Chelly Wood doll holding up her business ledger, while seated in her sewing room/office. Beside this photo is a green circle with a white dollar symbol in the middle, and above both of these images are the words, "twenty twenty-two income full disclosure". This is the thumbnail for a blog post on the Chelly Wood dot com website, about the amount of income ChellyWood LLC earned in the year 2022.

How much money does Chelly Wood make? Here’s a quick look at the $$$ I made in 2022… #TaxTime #DollClothesPatterns

Every year, since this website began to earn money, I’ve been divulging how much money I make on this website and what charities I have given to. You can see sums of income and charitable donations of the past when you click on “About the Designer” in the main menu. The scribbly-scrawls in today’s blog post are from the actual pages of my business ledger … Continue reading How much money does Chelly Wood make? Here’s a quick look at the $$$ I made in 2022… #TaxTime #DollClothesPatterns

A quilted frame surrounds Simplicity Tressy Doll Clothes Pattern 5731 (Copyright 1964) along with the Chelly Wood dot com logo.

Update on my wardrobe for Judy Littlechap #SewingFail #DollClothesPatterns

A couple of weeks ago, I asked all of you to leave comments that would inspire me to make some new clothes for the Judy Littlechap doll that I recently discovered at a second hand store. Thank you for your helpful ideas! After pondering your comments and ordering the catalog you see at the top of this page, I decided to begin my wardrobe exploration … Continue reading Update on my wardrobe for Judy Littlechap #SewingFail #DollClothesPatterns

In this thumbnail image of the 1980's Skipper doll clothes pattern gallery, we see a platinum blonde Skipper from the 1980s wearing four different outfits: a green skirt with white top and a green plaid scarf. Then there's a short yellow sun dress. Then we have a brown check sundress that's rather long with a ruffle. Next we see vintage Skipper from the 1980's wearing jeans and a striped T-shirt.

FREE 10 inch (25.4 cm) Vintage 1980’s Skipper Doll Clothes Patterns (Gallery)

Please click on the doll clothes you would like to make. Not what you’re looking for? Behind the scenes, I’m creating a series of classes in doll clothing design techniques, so you can design your own doll clothes patterns for your dolls, using simple techniques, household tools, and your amazing imagination! Click on this link to learn more about my paid courses on the Creative Spark Online Learning platform. If you would … Continue reading FREE 10 inch (25.4 cm) Vintage 1980’s Skipper Doll Clothes Patterns (Gallery)

In this very close shot of Judy Littlechap's face, we see that she has light blue eyes, her eyebrows are in tact, and her lips are a deep grapefruit color. Her nose is sligly dirty, and there's a single spot of dirt on her left cheek, but her cheeks' blush is rosy and natural looking.

Meet Judy Littlechap — a rare find at Goodwill! #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns

I had never heard of Judy Littlechap, when I stumbled across her at my local Goodwill (a second-hand store). She was nude in a plastic bag, marked $2.99, but the date on her backside said she was from 1963. At first I was hesitant to buy her. We’ve all seen a date on the behind of a doll and went “Ooh la-la, a vintage doll” … Continue reading Meet Judy Littlechap — a rare find at Goodwill! #DollCollector #DollClothesPatterns