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.

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

Frog and Toadstool cube shaped or pillow shaped pincushion for sale, for four dollars and ninety nine cents plus shipping at Chelly Wood dot com. The little yellow frog sits on top of a toadstool. His back is dotted with tiny yellow straight pins with ball heads. The toadstool and frog are batiked onto a purple background. The toadstool is streaked with a rainbow of colors, but it’s largely covered by the two-toned yellow and brown frog. The frog’s shape is outlined with black embroidery.

I have another frog pincushion for sale! (My last one sold instantly!) #Handmade #Frog

Yes, the first frog pincushion that I posted for sale in my online store was sold within minutes of posting it… Wow! Thank you to my regular follower (and friend) who kindly purchased it! But I have been busily making more of these, in the hope that I can find them each a new home. Here’s the story behind my froggy pincushions… I ran across … Continue reading I have another frog pincushion for sale! (My last one sold instantly!) #Handmade #Frog

Here we see a photo of the Marie Osmond 6664 "Butterick's Personality Doll Wardrobe" envelope and its photo of an actual Marie Osmond doll modeling a red western shirt with white front yokes and a pair of shiny black pants. The pattern options to the doll's right are showing a yellow jumper (in the USA sense of "jumper" -- a sleeveless dress which is sometimes worn over a shirt): a floor length caftan dress with ribbon ties at the sleeve and a waistband; a blue, V-neck long-sleeved shirt with cuffs and a waistband; a long-sleeved white shirt with a collar and cuffs; a purple evening dance dress with a zig-zag-cut skirt and a bodice with straps that tie at the shoulders; a short camel-colored caftan blouse with a waistband and ribbon ties at the sleeves' ends; a green flared ice skater's skirt; a green body suit with long sleeves and a turtle neck. The Chelly Wood doll stands to the left of the envelope. The Marie Osmond doll is on the pattern envelope itself because Butterick 6664 is designed to fit the Marie Osmond Barbie doll.

Can vintage Ideal Tammy dolls wear Marie Osmond Barbie doll clothes (Butterick 6664)? #MarieOsmond #Sewing

All of my regular blog followers know that I love Ideal Tammy dolls, but did you know that I’m also a fan of Marie Osmond? Yup! I had the Donny and Marie Osmond dolls as a kid, and for many years, my Marie Osmond Barbie-sized doll was my go-to plaything. Marie Osmond was beautiful! She was talented! And she had her own variety TV show! … Continue reading Can vintage Ideal Tammy dolls wear Marie Osmond Barbie doll clothes (Butterick 6664)? #MarieOsmond #Sewing

The turquoise blue frame surrounds two different photos: one of a 12 inch baby doll wearing a halter dress with bloomers and the other showing a 12 inch baby doll wearing a halter top with shorts. The watermark reminds us to visit Chelly Wood dot com for free printable PDF sewing patterns for making these doll clothes for baby dolls.

Where to find free printable PDF sewing patterns for making BABY doll clothes! #FreeStuff #SewingPatterns

Yes, my website also offers free patterns for making baby doll clothes! Even though ChellyWood.com has existed for more than ten years, there are still lots of people in the sewing world who’ve never heard of my website. When they do come to explore my site, a lot of times they leave a comment or message me saying that they don’t understand how to find … Continue reading Where to find free printable PDF sewing patterns for making BABY doll clothes! #FreeStuff #SewingPatterns

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.

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

Frog and Toadstool cube shaped or pillow shaped pincushion for sale for four dollars and ninety nine cents plus shipping at Chelly Wood dot com. The little green frog sits under a toadstool. His back is dotted with tiny green straight pins with ball heads. The toadstool and frog are batiked onto a pink background with a blue below-the-horizon rock or pool of water. The toadstool is bright yellow on top, purple underneath, and has a black stem that's mostly hidden behind the two-toned green frog.

Frog and Toadstool pincushion… Can you give me some online sales advice? #Handmade #Frog

It has been a while since I’ve added a handmade product of my own to my store, so today I’m announcing a cute little froggy pincushion, which is for sale in my store. And at the end of today’s blog post, I’m also asking for a little advice on how best to sell these. Here’s the story behind my froggy pincushions… I ran across a … Continue reading Frog and Toadstool pincushion… Can you give me some online sales advice? #Handmade #Frog

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.

Can modern Ken wear 1960s Ken’s doll clothes? I have results to share! #Memorabilia #VintageKen

I really enjoyed making my 1960’s Ken doll a wonderful ensemble, using this vintage Advance 2899 sewing pattern for male fashion dolls. While I shared my sewing and learning process with you, some of you sent me questions about this particular pattern. For example, some people were curious about whether or not this pattern would fit a modern Ken doll. So I tried my Advance … Continue reading Can modern Ken wear 1960s Ken’s doll clothes? I have results to share! #Memorabilia #VintageKen

Text reads "ORT holder or thread catcher" and the image shows a fabric basket that collapses and pops out, for holding "old ratty threads" and other miscellaneous sewing accoutrements.

What is an ORT holder? #Sewing #Handmade

Also known as a “thread catcher,” the item you see above is sometimes referred to as an ORT holder. The letters O-R-T stand for “old ratty threads” or sometimes “odd random threads.” My mother-in-law, Anita, has made me half a dozen of these, and I absolutely love them! So when she asked if she could sell one of her lovely creations in my online shop, … Continue reading What is an ORT holder? #Sewing #Handmade

The purple thumbnail says "free patterns" and shows a Gwen Stefani G doll from the Kuu Kuu Harajuku animated show, and the doll is modeling a lime green and white halter-top-style summer sundress.

Let’s sew a summer halter-style dress for 9 and 1/2 inch (24 cm) Kuu Kuu Harajuku dolls with today’s free patterns! #Sewing #DIY

Scroll down to the second set of bullets to download the free printable PDF sewing pattern.* Summer is upon us, here in the northern hemisphere of the earth, so it’s time to make some easy-to-sew sun dresses for our dolls! Today’s free pattern is for a halter-top-style sundress that has a bias tape choker for a back closure at the top. And today’s pattern (although … Continue reading Let’s sew a summer halter-style dress for 9 and 1/2 inch (24 cm) Kuu Kuu Harajuku dolls with today’s free patterns! #Sewing #DIY

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.

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

A kitten is shown playing in a sewing room, in a basket full of sewing notions, like thread, ribbon, and tape measures.

Now that JoAnn’s is closed, where am I going to buy sewing notions? #JoAnn #DIY

Look, my online store has been here, on ChellyWood.com, since I opened it on June 21, 2023. Some of the items I sell in my store are my own creations; others are part of my stash that I’m trying to sell to make room for other stuff; and some of my “store” items are really just affiliate marketing links. But those affiliate marketing links can … Continue reading Now that JoAnn’s is closed, where am I going to buy sewing notions? #JoAnn #DIY

The image shows three rolled cylinders of pink satin, each tied with a pink satin ribbon. The text reads "for sale: satin remnants!" The ChellyWood.com logo appears in one corner of the image.

Still for sale in my store: pink satin fabric remnants! Make me an offer… #JoannFabric #FabricForSale

Two years ago I posted a pattern and tutorial video, showing you how to make a beautiful, 1960’s style, pink satin dress, which will fit Judy Littlechap. But did you happen to see the list of dolls which will fit in this lovely dress? Let’s have a look at that list again: Okay, now you’re going to want to know more about the satin remnants … Continue reading Still for sale in my store: pink satin fabric remnants! Make me an offer… #JoannFabric #FabricForSale

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.

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

A purple and blue quilted frame encompasses the edges of a photo of Butterick's 6664 doll clothes sewing pattern which is standing upright next to a Black Barbie who models one of the dresses shown on the pattern's packaging. This dress is a long 1980's style of caftan. It should be noted that a photograph of celebrity Marie Osmond appears on the envelope of the Butterick 6664 doll clothes pattern. The Chelly Wood dot com logo is also shown at the side of the frame.

Doll clothes sewing patterns with errors… UGH! #VintageSewing #EpicFail!

When I think of doll clothes sewing patterns that are just flat WRONG, I always think of the shirt pattern from View 3 of Advance 2896. The pink shirt on the left (above) was made using the Advance 2896 shirt pattern exactly as the directions indicate on the pattern instructions. The brown floral version on  the right (above) was made with my own alterations to … Continue reading Doll clothes sewing patterns with errors… UGH! #VintageSewing #EpicFail!

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).

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