My name is Paula Walton. I’m a working craftsperson. I’ve been self-employed since 1986, when I started selling the items that I make under the name A Sweet Remembrance. Among other things, I am a doll maker, a dressmaker that specializes in reproduction women’s and children’s clothing, maker of spun cotton ornaments and holiday figures, and a freelance designer. Upon occasion I write magazine articles and am a Craftsperson in Residence. I teach and do demonstrations quite frequently, plus I was previously the director and curator of a small museum in Connecticut.
Zanna and Isabeau have asked Cloe to help them get ready for today’s party. They may have gotten a bit more “help” than they anticipated…
“I think the rug would look nice outside the kitchen.”
“Is the rug nice and flat?”
“What should we do first to get ready for the party?”
“I could help set the table.”
“Here is Izzybelle’s little cup.”
“How many spoons will we need?”
“Hmmm, the parlor looks clean and ready for company…”
“The table is almost ready.”
“We’ll need to heat the iorn so that we can press our party dresses.”
“Here Isabeau, let me help you get more comfy in your chair.”
“Salt, we’ll need salt for dinner.”
Click on any photo to see it enlarged and to read the caption.
Don’t worry! In spite of the sound effects, no dishes were harmed in the making of this video. As Isabeau always says, “there is a reason that babies only get to use the everyday china”! 🙂
Thank you for coming!!! I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into some of our party preparations. Here is the schedule for today’s celebration events, I will have additional posts at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 10:00 pm Eastern time. My 7:00 pm post will feature several dolls for sale, because what would an Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration be without at least a few new reproduction dolls for sale? 🙂 The dolls will only be posted here on my blog. If one or more of them tugs at your heart strings and you’d like to purchase her, you may email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com. If more than one person is interested in buying the same doll, the email with the earliest time will get preference. ❤
Don’t forget! Only 3 more days until it’s Izannah Walker’s 199th birthday. My dolls and I will be hosting an all day online celebration 🙂 Please come join us! We’ll be sooooooo sad if you can’t come 😦
At 10:00 a.m on Sunday September 25th stop whatever you are doing, run to your pc and come right over to http://www.izannahwalker.com for the beginning of our birthday fun!!! ❤
Attention Izannah Walker Class By Mail students and Alabama Baby Class Members, Ning just let me know that they are definitely shutting down my Spun Cotton class site on 10/1/16. I have not received notices for my Izannah class or Alabama Baby class yet, but I am sure I will. There isn’t going to be any reprieve this time around. If there is information on the class site you want to save, you should do it now! Also if you are interested in joining a private facebook group for class members only please go to the appropriate Ning class site and click on the discussion about the site closing and post your response. If you are a member of BOTH classes, please post on both sites. The posts on the class sites are how I am keeping track of who votes yes and also who is eligible for inclusion in a private facebook group. Only current class members can access http://www.izannahwalker.ning.com and http://www.alabamababy.ning.com.
Every weekend during the spring, summer and fall I search flea markets and antique sales for the antique fabrics that I use to make and dress my dolls. Today was a good day! I found a Civil War era quilt that is too far gone to restore, but still has usable fabric that I can make into wonderful dresses for my Izannahs. ❤
Lovely large c. 1840’s papier-mache doll that I brought home from New Hampshire. She has a child’s pocket tied around her waist and came with a late 18th century child’s chair with it’s original splint seat.
Last week I got to do something that I’ve been wanting to do for over 20 years! We drove up to New Hampshire for Antiques Week and a visit to Strawbery Banke museum. I’m sure you aren’t surprised that I came back a few things for the dolls, including two new friends. 🙂
Lovely library steps from NH! Now I’ll be able to reach the bedroom and attic of the doll’s house in style!
Home from NH with antique library stairs ❤
A tiny tin candle holder and silk flags from NH, along with an ironstone plate, tin spoons, a cast iron iron, and a tiny old basket from our stop in Sturbridge, MA.
A girl can never have too many spoons in her kitchen! And who could do without an ironstone plate and a gathering basket for trips out to the gardens?
Silk flags to bedeck the doll’s house for Flag Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day! Plus an iron to keep all the linens well pressed and a tin candle holder to keep the dark at bay.
Two antique braided rugs found in Sturbridge will help keep the dolls feet warm when they are running around their house this winter.
Antique petticoats, pantalettes, and stockings for the dolls.
Assorted antique thread, lace, trim, ribbons and fabric from our stop in Sturbridge at one of my favorite antique shops.
BIGGEST spools of thread in the world 🙂 OK, probably not, but still huge. The smaller spool is normal size.
Just a bit of whimsy for my new studio. A piece of zinc ridge pole from one of the NH antique shows. Just imagine having the entire crest of your rook bedecked in these hearts ❤
Another view of the antique zinc ridge pole.
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Close-up of the 1840’s papier-mache doll I bought in NH.
She has the most wonderfully detailed hairstyle.
A beautiful profile and iconic 1840’s styling.
I love this black stockinette doll, often referred to as a “Beecher-type” doll because people think it has a resemblance to the dolls made by Julia Beecher.
This doll is in amazing condition.
All of my dolls are over joyed that they have new family members! ❤
Meet Sharon’s doll! She is an 18-1/2 inch reproduction of my antique Izannah Walker doll, Isabeau, with a gently aged paint surface. Sharon requested an extensive custom wardrobe for her doll.
For her doll’s first dress, Sharon chose a long sleeved, high neck dress that is a copy of one of the antique doll dresses in my personal collection. Sharon’s fabric choice is a antique off white and black print cotton.
For chores and gardening she has an embroidered pinafore apron with a pocket, to carry around her clothes pins and flower seeds. ❤
For hot summer days, Sharon selected a short sleeved white dress made of antique cotton fabric, trimmed with tucks and lace insertion and a black and white sunbonnet.
Sharon’s doll has bare feet, stockings fashioned from antique stockings, and hand-made red leather shoes, with tiny scallops and red silk laces.
When autumn winds bring crisp, cool nights this young miss will stay warm, wrapped up in an embroidered wool paletot.
At the end of a long busy day sweet dreams await in this reproduction of an antique doll’s nightgown, sewn from antique white cotton and trimmed with mid- 19th century glass buttons and lace.
*** you may enlarge any of the smaller photos by simply clicking on the image.
Here is a photograph of sweet Emmaline when she arrived on my door step. I instantly fell in love with her beautiful eyes!
and now my tale continues… Today it is time for Emmaline’s story. It’s a rollicking adventure of coincidence, fate, and love!
In June, 2014 one of my doll club members told me that a friend of hers who lived in Wilton, CT was putting all of her dolls up for sale at the Withington August auction. She then showed me a photo of a doll that her friend called a “Nantucket Doll”. Imagine my surprise when the “Nantucket Doll” was actually an Izannah Walker doll! The doll was dressed in a pink and white calico morning dress and had been repainted, but was clearly an Izannah Walker doll. It just so happened that another Izannah Walker doll was up for sale in the same Withington auction. I didn’t go to the auction, but several of the members of my doll club did. When our club met in September, the one other Izannah collector in the club brought the doll she bought at Withington’s to show me. No it wasn’t the “Nantucket Doll”, it was the second doll, a tiny 16 inch Izannah Walker.
16 inch Izannah Walker doll purchased at Withington’s Auction August, 2016
Sometime later I happened upon the “Nantucket Doll” on eBay. The winner of the Withington auction had listed her for sale. Fast forward to the Autumn of 2015. A very good customer, and dear online penpal, contacted me. She had purchased an Izannah Walker doll. Would I take a look at photos of her and see if it was possible to do some restoration work on the doll? Low and behold, there was the “Nantucket Doll” again, now stripped of much of her repaint by a restoration professional (at the behest of the eBay seller). The little Nantucket Doll had been named Emmaline by her new mom, Anita. Anita had a wish list of restoration areas that she would like for Emmaline. Were they possible? Would the restoration be a good idea? She had conscientiously had the doll evaluated by fine art appraisers before writing to me. Together we worked out a minimalist plan for Emmaline that would help her look more like the truly beautiful doll she once was, but still show her age.
So after traveling far and wide during the intervening year, Emmaline once again returned to Connecticut. This time her destination was my studio, a mere 31 miles from Wilton where she had made her home for many years!
The first thing I did after Emmaline arrived was to ohh and ahh over her, introduce her to all of my resident Izannah Walker dolls, and then thoroughly document her condition.
Emmaline before my restoration.
Pre-restoration full length front.
Pre-restoration full length back.
Emmaline upon her arrival at my studio.
Note the seam placement down the back of the leg which is indicative of a very early Izannah Walker doll.
Front of legs.
Feet with painted boots.
This hand looks as if it was repainted at some point.
Right hand.
Emmaline was remarkably intact for a doll of her age. Her only real issues were on her face. Her body was sound, with a bit of reinforcement stitching on the toes of her painted boots and fairly well matched over painting on one arm. Even her pale pink linen second skin was still in good shape!
Wet paint! One of about 20 transparient light layers of color.
After rebuilding the tip of her nose and most intrusive cracks with a water soluable clay (that could be removed. Restoration work should be able to be undone if possible)
Starting the painting process.
Still more painting…
Finally starting to get the paint colors evened out and closer to her original paint color.
Getting close to finishing the painting…
The biggest challenge I faced with Emmaline, was getting all of the many skin toned paint colors on her face to blend into one another. During her lifetime her face was at least partially painted several times. Much of the overpaint on her face had been removed. What was left was a combination of her original paint that had faded and at least two other colors of flesh-tone paint. Fortunately the original paint on her shoulders, chest and back was intact, with areas of slightly yellowed varnish. The original non-faded paint on Emmaline’s shoulders told me what color her face should be, which was very important. When I started painting Emmaline’s face, I was very careful not to paint over any of her original paint. I did very sheer layers of paint over my reconstructed areas and the stubborn remaining overpainting. Because her original paint was chalky looking due to sun fading and cleaning I fed it several times with a very small amount of cold pressed linseed oil. The linseed oil helped bring the old paint back to life and also made it blend better with my new in painting. As my last painting step I wore away a smidgen of my newly applied lip paint. I wanted to make sure that nothing I did stood out or looked new.
Painting finished, it’s time to be fitted for new dresses!
Close-up of restoration in-painting.
Now Emmaline’s face and shoulders are closer to the same color.
The restored Emmaline retains all of the charm she attained during the past 160 or so years, the only difference is that now she looks like her life was a bit more gentle.
Once I finished painting I moved on to dressmaking. Emmaline came with many layers of underclothing, so all I needed to do was make her extra dresses to augment her wardrobe. Sewing for Emmaline was a joy! It was a lot of fun to dress her up in her new clothes and see her in more fitted dresses.
Emmaline is modeling part of the antique underwear she accumulated during her lifetime.
Emmaline looks very pleased with her dress made from madder printed polka-dots.
Emmaline after restoration. Wearing a reproduction dress made from antique fabric.
Short gathered, banded sleeves and a low gathered neckline are very becoming.
Emmaline’s second new dress is made from a very early brown print cotton.
This dress has a fitted bodice and sleeves, with a cartridge pleated skirt.
Emmaline after restoration.
Emmaline after restoration.
Emmaline after restoration.
Emmaline after restoration.
Originl paint and wear marks on her arm. Self piping and cartridge pleating at the waist of her dress.
Emmaline after restoration.
After her new clothing was complete Emmaline was thrilled to be heading back home! Who wouldn’t be with such a loving and caring mom? Clearly Emmaline was fated to find such a perfect new home. Anita was so thoughtful when it came to deciding what was right for Emmaline. There could not be a better care taker for this early example of Izannah Walker’s work. Anita was also amazingly generous to me! She kindly allowed me to tell you about Emmaline, share photographs of her and is letting me make reproductions of her, so that other people who love Izannah Walker’s dolls can add an example of this lovely early girl to their doll families and keep Izannah’s legacy alive. ❤ Thank you Anita!!!
Emmaline after restoration. She still looks like an adventuresome doll who loves to play, but now her years sit more lightly upon her shoulders. ❤
Good-bye Emmaline, we miss you little “Nantucket Doll”…
My Izannahs loved having Emmaline come stay with us! They have all declared each other to be best friends for life!!!
And they all lived happily ever after!
THE END
(*** Move your cursor over the photos to read the captions, click on photos to enlarge.)
Izannah Walker Journal 