A vintage Malibu Barbie models a handmade dress. She stands beside a photo of Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns, which is labeled "Sew-easy by Advance, Barbie, Mattel teen fashion doll patterns, around-the-clock wardrobe."

How I altered the neckline of vintage Barbie pattern Advance 2896 to fit better #SewingTips #VintageSewing

Last week we took a look at the skirt pockets on my Sew-Easy Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll sewing pattern, and today I’m going to explain how I altered the neckline of the cap-sleeved shirt that is part of this View 3 pattern set. To be clear, the skirt in the image above is a separate garment from the shirt. Now quickly, let me make … Continue reading How I altered the neckline of vintage Barbie pattern Advance 2896 to fit better #SewingTips #VintageSewing

Make a pretty winter coat for Barbie’s little sister Chelsea dolls @ ChellyWood.com with today’s free patterns

Are you looking for the patterns? Scroll down to the second set of bullets. With winter closing in, right here in Idaho (where I live), it’s time to make some coats for our dolls! Before we dive into this project, though, I need to make my required disclaimer statement: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how affiliate marketing … Continue reading Make a pretty winter coat for Barbie’s little sister Chelsea dolls @ ChellyWood.com with today’s free patterns

A vintage Malibu Barbie models a handmade dress. She stands beside a photo of Advance 2896 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns, which is labeled "Sew-easy by Advance, Barbie, Mattel teen fashion doll patterns, around-the-clock wardrobe."

Sew-Easy by Advance 2896 vintage “Around the Clock” sewing patterns — Let’s talk pockets! #Pockets #VintageSewing

While making this lovely harvest-themed Advance 2896 View 3 skirt for a vintage Malibu Barbie, I read through the directions, and while the directions are quaint and a lot of fun to read, it may surprise you to learn that I don’t always follow them. Sometimes I know an easier way of piecing together a garment, and I believe that’s the case with my vintage … Continue reading Sew-Easy by Advance 2896 vintage “Around the Clock” sewing patterns — Let’s talk pockets! #Pockets #VintageSewing

The text in the dialog bubble reads "Back in style?" and the Chelly Wood doll stands in an old-fashioned 1950's style kitchen, wearing a cartoonish ruffled apron over the top of her red check shirt and black pants. She holds a cartoon-like platter with a cartoon-like pink and white layer cake on top. This thumbnail image accompanies a video about how fashion repeats itself in history.

Do you see old fashions coming back into style? #Fashion #FashionHistory #Style

On YouTube, I enjoy watching Nicole Rudolph’s videos about fashion in history, but this one about fashions that repeat themselves was particularly interesting to me. If you’ve followed my doll history articles, which I posted on Tuesdays over the past 10 weeks or so, you’ll remember that a doll’s clothing isn’t always indicative of the era in which it was made. This video gives us … Continue reading Do you see old fashions coming back into style? #Fashion #FashionHistory #Style

A woman's hand holds a long strand of white, very thin cord elastic. The ends of the elastic cross near her finger tips.

How to use cord elastic for very teeny-tiny little dolls’ elastic waistbands! #miniature #dollhouse

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The image at the top of today’s blog post shows a Mattel Barbie being measured for the usual 1/8 inch wide elastic, which is what I often use for small doll clothes. However, for tomorrow’s blog post, I’ll be recommending the use of elastic cord because when making clothes for Barbie’s little sister, Chelsea, these clothing … Continue reading How to use cord elastic for very teeny-tiny little dolls’ elastic waistbands! #miniature #dollhouse

In a quilted frame the text reads "Advance 2896" and a photo of a Bubblecut Barbie shows her wearing a Halloween candy printed black dress. An arrow points from the Barbie to the View 5 image on the envelope of a Sew-Easy Advance pattern for Barbie.

What can you do when a doll dress is too small? Here’s one idea… #LittleThings #SewingTips

Last Monday’s blog post was all about a mystery surrounding the bodice from my Sew-Easy Advance 2896 doll clothes pattern, View 5 dress. Today’s blog post will pick up where I left off, so if you didn’t read about last week’s bodice mystery, click here to go back to that mysterious story to learn more. *Please note: when you click on links to various merchants … Continue reading What can you do when a doll dress is too small? Here’s one idea… #LittleThings #SewingTips

Click on the "Website Navigation Guide" button to learn more about how to navigate on ChellyWood.com, to find the free doll clothes sewing patterns and tutorial videos you need, to make a whole wardrobe of doll clothes for your doll or dolls.

How to find free doll clothes sewing patterns online @ ChellyWood.com #Sewing #DollClothesPatterns

Navigating on ChellyWood.com You’ve reached the page that shows how to navigate ChellyWood.com, to find the free printable PDF sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit the doll you’re wanting to sew for. If you want to find just baby doll clothes sewing patterns, you may find this tutorial video helpful too. If you’re looking for Barbie doll clothes patterns, this tutorial video is … Continue reading How to find free doll clothes sewing patterns online @ ChellyWood.com #Sewing #DollClothesPatterns

This thumbnail shows harvest colors of fabric with three images of Barbie dolls in holiday or harvest or Halloween outfits. The text reads, "Halloween slash harvest holiday music for crafting."

Please consider adding today’s holiday crafting music video to your YouTube playlists for the holidays! #HolidayCrafting #MusicVideo

Okay, folks, I’ve created yet another music video to inspire your crafts! If you look back at this blog post, you’ll understand that by adding this music to your playlists on YouTube, it not only gives you music to inspire your crafting and sewing projects, but it also help the YouTube algorithm to understand that my channel is worth watching! So if you like the … Continue reading Please consider adding today’s holiday crafting music video to your YouTube playlists for the holidays! #HolidayCrafting #MusicVideo

On a turquoise blue linen background, a pair of cartoon-like pinking shears lie open, with their teeth exposed. The text reads "pinking shears" and the Chelly Wood dot com logo appears at the bottom of the image.

Are pinking shears a useful tool for beginners who are just learning how to sew doll clothes? #SewingTips #DollClothes

I recently received an interesting “fan mail” question about pinking shears from a follower named Debora. She wanted to know my thoughts on pinking shears. Debora asked, “Chelly, how do you use pinking shears, anyway? All over the Internet, you can find crafters who seem to get really excited about them and use them for everything. Especially among people who sew for dolls, because honestly, … Continue reading Are pinking shears a useful tool for beginners who are just learning how to sew doll clothes? #SewingTips #DollClothes

In a quilted frame the text reads "Advance 2896" and a photo of a Bubblecut Barbie shows her wearing a Halloween candy printed black dress. An arrow points from the Barbie to the View 5 image on the envelope of a Sew-Easy Advance pattern for Barbie.

I discovered an unexpected gem in vintage Sew-Easy by Advance Barbie patterns! #VintageClothes #VintageBarbie

If you’ve ever bought a vintage doll clothes pattern, you may have found a hidden gem inside the pattern envelope. Sometimes I’ll find an old receipt, a pre-cut outfit with its original vintage fabric still pinned onto the pattern, or a hand-written note that the previous owner left, to help them remember little nuances about the pattern (see image above for one such example). But … Continue reading I discovered an unexpected gem in vintage Sew-Easy by Advance Barbie patterns! #VintageClothes #VintageBarbie

The image shows the Chelly Wood doll holding up a McCall's Crafts sewing pattern which displays the finished projects of a Barbie sized wedding dress, various pants and shirts, a cape, and evening gowns. The article that goes with this image offers advice for buying sewing patterns for making doll clothes, using the eBay auction platform. Please visit ChellyWood.com for additional sewing ideas plus free printable sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothes

  Have you ever purchased doll clothes sewing patterns on eBay? I have. In fact, the pattern pictured above, McCall’s Crafts pattern 4400, was one I purchased about a year ago. Yes, the pattern you see in the image above is outdated, but there are some timeless patterns in this set, as well as out-of-style fashions. The wedding dress pattern can be used for a … Continue reading Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay @ ChellyWood.com #AmSewing #DollClothes

The image shows 11-inch to 11.5-inch (28 cm to 30 cm) fashion dolls wearing hand-made Halloween costumes and/or Cosplay costumes. These doll clothes include a pirate costume, an 18th century colonist costume, a medieval costume, a musketeer outfit, a cat costume, a ninja costume, and a pilgrim's dress with bonnet. All of these patterns are free to download and print at ChellyWood.com (a library of free printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes).

Free Cosplay / Halloween Costume Doll Clothes Patterns for 11 to 11.5 Inch (28 to 30 cm) Dolls (Gallery)

With Halloween right around the corner, I want to remind everyone that if you go to my page of 11 to 11.5 inch fashion dolls, and you scroll down toward the bottom, there’s a link to all of these wonderful costumes which you can make for your dolls, for Halloween! (It’s there all the time, not just on Halloween, by the way.) Please click on … Continue reading Free Cosplay / Halloween Costume Doll Clothes Patterns for 11 to 11.5 Inch (28 to 30 cm) Dolls (Gallery)

In this thumbnail framed in purple fabric with tiny white polka dots, an Arklu Lottie doll models handmade doll clothes including a dress, bolero jacket (coat) and purse. The text reads, "free patterns" and the site offers free printable A4 and American PDF sewing patterns for making these dolls' clothes.

Let’s make a bolero jacket for Lottie dolls with today’s free patterns at ChellyWood.com #Sewing #DollClothes

Scroll down to the second set of bullets to download the free printable PDF sewing pattern.* Last week I gave you the free PDF sewing patterns for making a pinafore dress to fit your 7 inch Lottie dolls. Today I’m giving you a bolero project — a tiny little jacket — that will go with last week’s pinafore. YAY! Please note: when you click on … Continue reading Let’s make a bolero jacket for Lottie dolls with today’s free patterns at ChellyWood.com #Sewing #DollClothes

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.

Reversible Garment Examples and What Can Go Wrong! #SewingTips #SewingHacks

Among all the hundreds of free sewing patterns here on ChellyWood.com, I actually do have a couple of examples of reversible garments. I recommend the reversible tank top you see above, for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a good starter project if you’re new to sewing reversible garments. Second, as a clothing item, it fits a lot of different dolls. Furthermore, if you’re up … Continue reading Reversible Garment Examples and What Can Go Wrong! #SewingTips #SewingHacks

The purple square thumbnail reads "free pattern" and shows an image of a Lottie doll in a pretty green pinafore dress.

Let’s sew a pretty pinafore dress for Lottie dolls with today’s free patterns at ChellyWood.com #Lottie #DollClothes

Scroll down to the second set of bullets to download the free printable PDF sewing pattern.* This dress turned out so pretty! I just love it, and I think you will too. Later, I have a bolero project — a tiny little jacket — that will go with it. I’m still working on the video for the bolero, but I will post it right here … Continue reading Let’s sew a pretty pinafore dress for Lottie dolls with today’s free patterns at ChellyWood.com #Lottie #DollClothes