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.
On this twelfth day of Christmas I am looking back at some of my favorite Christmas moments during the past 39 years of A Sweet Remembrance, from St. Nicholas Eve right through to the last bite of Twelfth Night Cake. Thank you all for enthusiastically welcoming my hand made creations into your home and lives. You have made owning my own business and being a working artist a joy!
Each year brings it’s own share of obstacles, and difficulties because that is simply the way life is, but it also brings so many amazing moments… I am very much looking forward to a year that is filled with more! More dolls, more days working in my studio, more spun cotton figures, making more tiny dresses, more gardening, more time to paint, more days full of everyday things on my remnants of an 18th century farm, more family, more baking, more creating, more everything! I hope you are looking forward to more too ❤
All of the little cloth girls, spun cotton characters, mohair animals, bears and I wish you a wonderful 2025 filled with peace, love, joy & all good things!
” I’m nervous, are you nervous too Isadora?” whispers Emma Blue. “Yes!” sighs Isadora. “Do you think that they will like us?” “Shhh, it’s starting, people are arriving!”
Welcome! I’m so glad you could come this evening to meet my newest Emma Blue and Isadora. Both of them are 20 inches tall, and come with an armful of belongings. ❤ I made them extra special, with large wardrobes, and lots of detailed touches because they were originally scheduled to be the dolls released last month on Izannah Walker’s birthday. Life, in the form of a sudden water leak, had other plans, so here they are making their debut about a month late with even more accessories than I had previously envisioned.
Buying either doll is really simple to do. Here is what you need to know: All of my dolls are sold on a “first come” basis. To purchase either doll email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com after this evenings sale starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Be sure to specify which one of the dolls you want to purchase. (Please be aware of how much the doll costs BEFORE you send your request to buy.) You are welcome to ask questions, but please note that asking a question is not the same as making a commitment to buy and will not “hold your place in line” if someone else asks to buy the doll. Checks or money orders are preferred, Paypal is also accepted for payment. Free priority mail shipping & full insurance to any U.S. address. International orders ~ exact postage + $40 handling fee to help offset the extra time required for international shipping and the currency conversion fees ~ check with me to make sure your international address is one I ship to. No shipping to Russia.
EMMA BLUE ~ $2679SOLD
Emma Blue 20 inches tall ~ $2697 SOLD
❤ Sweet Emma Blue is the very first reproduction of my own antique Emma Blue that I added to my Izannah family in 2021. The Blue in her name is for the lovely blue body covering that she has, which is sometimes referred to as a “second skin”. Both the antique Emma Blue and her much younger sister are 20 inches tall. The original Emma Blue very kindly agreed to sit for me as my artist’s model while I painted this new doll.
Today’s Emma Blue also has the same lovely blue body covering, as well as bare feet which naturally require stockings and handmade leather shoes. Her undergarments consist of a chemise, pantalettes, and a very full petticoat. Emma’s wardrobe includes three different dresses made of antique and vintage fabrics. Each dress is different with their own unique details such as growth tucks in the skirt, extra fullness in some of the dresses, and different sleeves. The antique fabric of the navy blue dress had never been washed before. I carefully washed it using conservation techniques, and it still retains almost all of it’s original sizing. Emma loves to bake and sew, so her wardrobe includes a pinner apron with a very large pocket that is just perfect for holding her scissors or favorite recipe cards. I’m sure that you have noticed that both sisters also have little heart shaped pin keeps, made using the instructions from The American Girl’s Book (read more about them here) . Emma Blue and Isadora made them for each other as tokens of their affection, so that they will always have a keepsake to remember their sister.
ISADORA ~$2494 SOLD
Isadora 20 inches tall ~ $2494 SOLD
❤ This Isadora is a very special 20 inch version. As with all of my reproduction dolls there is a story behind her creation. I made the very first Isadora in July of 2014. Since that time I have only made a few others, not because I don’t love her, I do, but because her head felt just a trifle out of proportion to me. If you have studied Izannah Walker’s dolls for some time you may have noticed that the very same head mold was occasionally used to make different height dolls. Last summer I was doing restoration work on a 20 inch antique Walker doll. She had been the unfortunate recipient of some seriously misguided over painting. As I oh so carefully teased away the over paint her true self began to emerge. Working on her, for short periods of time daily, slowly brought me to the realization that she reminded me of Isadora!!! So I brought out Isadora’s mold and compared the two heads and faces. Other that the differences that wear, and over painting had wrought on the two heads, they were the same! So consequently right then and there I decide to make a 20 inch version of Isadora. I love how she turned out and I feel like those extra two inches just makes her even better.
Today’s Isadora has a deep chocolate brown body covering. Just like Emma Blue she has bare feet, stockings, and handmade leather shoes. Her undergarments consist of a chemise, pantalettes, and a very full petticoat. Isadora’s wardrobe includes three different dresses made of antique and vintage fabrics. Each dress is different with their own unique details such as growth tucks in the skirt, extra fullness in some of the dresses, and different sleeves. The antique acorn fabric is a particular favorite of mine that came from the backing of an antique quilt that I found in Sturbridge, MA. Both sisters also have little heart shaped pin keeps, made using the instructions from The American Girl’s Book (read more about them here) . Isadora and Emma Blue made them for each other as tokens of their affection, so that they will always have a keepsake to remember their sister.
Sisters ~ Emma Blue & Isadora
“Are we done yet?” “Yes, no more photographs…” “Finding a new home is exhausting!”
Thank you for dropping by to see the complete sneak peeks of the two dolls that I will be offering for sale tomorrow night, November 1st at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, 7 p.m. Central, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, and 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
Many thanks to all of you who have been patiently waiting for the release of my two latest reproduction Izannah Walker dolls ❤ Both dolls and their extensive wardrobes are finally complete! I will be offering them for sale on Friday evening, November 1st at 8 p.m. Eastern time (7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain and 5 p.m. Pacific).
Many of you may have seen the series of “sneak peeks” of both dolls that I have been posting on Facebook and Instagram . Tomorrow I’ll be putting up a comprehensive post here on my Izannah Walker Journal of all the “sneak peeks”, as well as adding the latest ones to my Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts.
Isabeau and Sarah Alice always insist on fresh from the garden berries, especially for special occasions ❤
Isabeau spread homemade violet jelly in between the glazed layers of vanilla bean and bergamot flavored yellow cake. Violet jelly??? Why is it green? The doll’s homemade violet jelly is green because they don’t add the lemon juice that most violet jelly recipes call for. The lemon juice causes and lovely chemical reaction between the steeped violet flowers and the acid in the lemon juice which turns the color from pale green to lavender. All of the little cloth sisters have most discerning taste buds and feel that the lemon juice overpowers the lovely delicate taste of the violets, so they choose to omit the lemon juice and have spring green jelly instead.
It’s always fun to use fresh herbs and flowers to decorate a special cake. This year the girls chose fresh sprigs of thyme, autumn pansies, and catnip.
The tiny three tiered cakes are a nod back to the 2nd Izannah Walker birthday celebration here at http://www.izannahwalker.com in 2011. The original cake shown above in the far left image was decorated with borage flowers, so using herbs & flowers is one of our long running traditions.
If you are suddenly curious about what type of cake Isabeau baked for the 2011 birthday cake it was a very old receipt (yes, so old that it was called a receipt rather than a recipe) for Pound Cake.
Pound Cake
Beat one Cup of Butter to a Cream, slowly beat in one and one third Cups of Sugar. Add one Teaspoonful of Mace and beat in five whole Eggs, adding them one at a time. Sift in two Cups of Flour, turn at once into a greased and floured Pan or Mould and bake slowly for one Hour.*
*Isabeau baked her cakes in a 300 degree oven, 30 minutes for the doll size cakes and two hours for the larger people size version.
All of this looking back at the 2011 birthday cake has convinced Sarah Alice that now you are going to be dying of curiosity and want to know the receipt/recipe for the very 1st birthday dessert that the dolls baked in 2010. P.S. Please pretend that you are, even if you aren’t, just to make her happy.
Birth-day Pudding
Butter a deep dish, and lay in slices of bread and butter, wet with milk, and upon these sliced tart apples, sweetened and spiced. Then lay on another layer of bread and butter and apples, and continue thus till the dish is filled. Let the top layer be bread and butter, and dip it in milk, turning the buttered side down. Any other kind of fruit will answer as well. Put a plate on the top, and bake two hours, then take it off and bake another hour.
This receipt (aka recipe) is from Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt-Book by Catherine E. Beecher. Catherine Esther Beecher was born in 1800 in East Hampton, Long Island. She founded the Hartford Female Seminary in 1823 as well as other schools for young women in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. She wrote A Treatise on Domestic Economy (1841) and Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt-Book (1846).
Notes:
After buttering my dishes I dusted them with sugar, before layering in the bread and butter.
I cut the crusts off my bread, as the pudding was for a special occasion, but you certainly don’t have to. I saved the crusts as a treat for the wild birds in my yard. You may also save them to make stuffings, bread crumbs, or croutons.
I chose cinnamon, mace and nutmeg as my spices.
I baked my doll sized pudding in a custard cup, which would also be nice if you want to bake yours in individual portions.
I preheated my oven to 350 degrees and baked my puddings for 15 minutes, then I reduced the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continued baking for the remaining 2 hours and 45 minutes. I removed my doll size pudding from the oven after 30 minutes of total baking time. Your baking time is going to depend a lot on the size of your dishes and the thickness of your pudding, so check your oven fairly frequently. It’s also a good idea to put a cookie sheet under your dish, because my pudding bubbled over as it was baking.
“What are those little green crumbs that are showing up everywhere in the photos?” The green cake crumbs are supposed to represent moss, and were made by adding green food coloring to just enough cake batter to fill a single cupcake in a cupcake pan. After the cupcake baked and cooled Sarah Alice crumbled it to bits! Which she laughingly admits is one of her favorite baking chores.
shhhh… Both Sarah Alice and Isabeau sometimes help me post stories from here at the doll’s house on Facebook and Instagram. Afterwards they have been known to do a little late night scrolling for baking ideas… They found the idea for cake crumb moss from mustloveherbs . (and obviously the internet is their most well guarded secret tip!)
mmm ~ there are delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen, where Sarah Alice and Isabeau have taken over all of this year’s birthday party baking… ❤
“Ohhhhhhh Isabeau! I think we baked too many cakes!!!” wailed Sarah Alice. “I told you that I didn’t think we needed to triple the recipe.” calmly replied Isabeau. “Don’t worry, it will be alright. If nothing else we will all have cake for breakfast in the morning, and declare it to be a special treat!”
“Oops! I think I dropped a crumb.” “Are you sure?” “I don’t see one.” “I wonder where it went?”
“Everyone will be arriving soon, so we really need to get some of the cakes decorated” said Isabeau. “I’ll start layering the violet jelly in between the layers of this cake Sarah Alice, if you will tuck some of these pansies around the littler cakes.”
“The cakes look beautiful!” pronounced Sarah Alice. “Maybe I was worried for nothing.” “They are going to make the tea table look so festive!” “No one will be able to resist seconds, and maybe even thirds…”
“We’d better hurry, we still need to put the trifle together.” “Now where did I put that trifle bowl???” “The last time I saw it Izzybelle and the little boy next door were taking it back towards the brook.” “Izzybelle, will you come down the the kitchen for a moment?” “Izzybelle, hurry up!” “We’re running late, and it’s almost time for our guests to arrive!”
“Izzybelle do you know where our glass trifle bowl is?” asked Sarah Alice in what she hoped was a reasonable tone. Poor Sarah Alice is having a difficult day and trying so hard not to panic. She’s quite nervous because this is the very first time that she and Isabeau have done all of the birthday baking by themselves. “Didn’t I see you and James carrying it down towards the brook the other day? asks Isabeau. “Well…. we did, but…” replied Izzybelle quite slowly. “But what?” prompted Isabeau. Nervously Izzybelle admitted that she and James just “might” have borrowed it to use as a temporary home for a poor injured frog that James is nursing back to health. “That’s all well and good,” said Isabeau “but we need to put together the trifle, and I am not just going to toss the cake and raspberries into the cream crock and stir it together! This is a special occasion. It’s our dearest Izannah’s 207th birthday and I for one want everything to be perfect.” “Izzybelle, quickly run over to the big house and see if you can borrow some kind of pretty bowl to put the trifle in.” orders Sarah Alice in her “must be obeyed big sister voice”.
Izzybelle ran back and forth across the farmyard as quickly as she could, especially considering that she had both of her arms full of borrowed dishes. “This is all I could find!” gasped Izzybelle, who was trying to catch her breath. “An egg cup and a tea cup???” asked Isabeau. “They’ll have to do.” decided Sarah Alice. “At least they are both very pretty…” and without anymore talking Isabeau and Sarah Alice set to work layering fresh, moist cake cubes, rich whipped cream and fresh garden raspberries into their borrowed make-do trifle bowls. But what about Izzybelle you ask? She very quietly tiptoed upstairs to the parlor before anyone asked her anymore questions, or sent her on another errand.
Then before you could even stop to take a deep breath the sisters all gathered in their parlor to welcome their guests to the party…
Everyone agreed that it was a wonderful party, and that Sarah Alice and Isabeau’s foresight in providing prodigious quantities of cake was very much appreciated. They also admired the wonderful present of a new book for their library that was written and illustrated by two of their dearest friends, and read out loud to all the guests by Izzybelle (who needs to practice her reading). All of the little frustrations and business of the day melted away, as the dolls celebrated the amazing dollmaker who brought them to life so many years ago… ❤
You are cordially invitedTo visit http://www.izannahwalker.comon Wednesday, September 25th, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern timeto attend my virtual celebration of Izannah Walker’s 207th Birthday!
My little antique cloth girls and I hope that you will come visit us for tea as we throw our annual birthday party in honor of the amazing dollmaker that created them.
So get out your prettiest teacup and prepare to brew your favorite tea (or coffee) to enjoy as you follow along while they bake and decorate… then all come together in their parlor for a grand birthday party!
Following the grand birthday celebration…
Tentatively (due to a sudden leak somewhere in my upstairs bathroom that is flooding my kitchen at this moment) I will be offering at least two, and possibly three, of my handmade, historically accurate, reproduction Izannah Walker dolls for sale on Saturday September 26th at 8:30p.m. Eastern time (7:30 p.m. Central, 6:30 p.m. Mountain, and 5:30 p.m. Pacific time).I will post updates and send out emails to the New Dolls mailing list if I have to change the date.
9/25/24 11:00 a.m. UPDATE ~ As of this morning’s meeting with my plumber and excellent “jack of all trades” carpenter my upstairs shower has to be torn out. The water to the upstairs bathroom is shut off & the rest of the house has only cold water. Demolition starts in the morning! I just spent an hour or so stripping almost everything out of the bathroom. Since I haven’t been able to take a single stitch in 3 days I am very reluctantly postponing the date that I will have my current new dolls available… I’d really like to be able to say Monday evening, but at the moment I just don’t know for sure. As soon as I know exactly when the dolls will be ready to look for their new homes I will post the date & time. Thank you for sticking we me through this little bump in the road in my continuing old house adventure!
This afternoon’s tea party will be held as scheduled. After all the commotion the little Izzies and I need a nice comforting cup of tea!
All of my dolls are sold on a “first come” basis. To purchase any of my dolls email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com after the dolls are posted for sale with the name of the doll you wish to buy. Please be aware of how much the doll costs BEFORE you send your request to purchase. You are welcome to ask questions, but please note that asking a question is not the same as making a commitment to buy and will not “hold your place in line” if someone else asks to buy the doll. Checks or money orders are preferred, Paypal is also accepted for payment. Free priority mail shipping & full insurance to any U.S. address. International orders ~ exact postage + $40 handling fee to help offset the extra time required for international shipping and the currency conversion fees ~ check with me to make sure your international address is one I ship to. No shipping to Russia.
Oh my goodness, half of September has already passed, and it is just slightly over one week until my annual Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration on September 25th! Has your summer felt as if it has simply flown by the same way mine has?
As always spring and summer have been incredibly busy here. There are more warm weather projects that cry out for attention in and around my 18th century home, barns, and surrounding land (that I affectionately refer to as Thyme Forgotten Farm) than I can ever fit into a single year. Currently there is wood repair taking place on the lower level of the tack barn, and much needed window work in my office, to replace the rotting 20th century windows there with antique window sashes and reconstruct appropriate window surrounds. Most of the repair work to multiple garden gates and garden structures has been completed, as have almost half of the new stands for my herd of antique carousel horses. My weekends have mostly been spent being a grandma, and fitting in all of the must do summer traditions. Childhood is so fleeting that it’s important to make time for special moments…
Studio News
A lot has been going on in both of my studios too! I’m very pleased to tell you that I have been named one of America’s top traditional craftsmen by Early American Life for 2024 in the category of Toys and Dolls. This is the 45th time in the course of 24 years that I have been in their directory. I’ve been listed in the categories of Clothing and Accessories, Textiles or Needlework, Miscellaneous, Toys and Dolls, Miniatures, Santas, Other Holidays and General Christmas. I’ve been juried into the Directory annually from 2004-2024 plus 1996-1998, many years in more than one category. Thank you Early American Life!
Out in the studios I’ve been doing much needed cleaning and sorting, plus working on exciting new things, some of which involved my carpenter. Obviously I have also been making dolls too, because I always try to have some for sale as part of my Izannah Birthday Celebration. Plus I have been designing a few new spun cotton ornaments! I dearly love making spun cotton figures, but haven’t been able to fit them in between everything else for a long time.
All in all it’s been a really wonderful summer. I hope yours has been too!
My Online Celebration of Izannah Walker’s Birthday 207th Birthday
On Wednesday September 25th I will be hosting an online celebration of Izannah Walker’s Birthday featuring my collection of antique Izannah Walker dolls. Come visit www.izannahwalker.com to see how my little cloth girls celebrate their maker’s birthday.
Now that you’ve read a bit about what is going on in my world you probably won’t be surprised that I don’t have the exact time decided yet for when the birthday celebration post will be live, and when the dolls that are going to be available for purchase will be posted. I will be prominently posting information about both times, closer to the 25th, on www.izannahwalker.com , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ASweetRemembrance , and on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/asweetremembrance/ . I’ll also send out an email to everyone who has signed up for my “New Dolls” email mailing list with times and other details.
This year’s celebration is going to be a little bit less involved than past years, yet still a very enjoyable event, so I’m apologizing for that in advance. Between all the construction interruptions, and a highly possible case of Lyme disease, I’m not working quite as quickly as I usually do. The good news is that the dolls and I have some other fun celebrations and doll releases planned for October, November, & December! We hope you’ll join us as we fill the remainder of 2024 with Izannah parties.
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P.p.s. I hope you all got to see the wonderful original Izannah Walker doll that Withington Auction sold online through auctionninja.com on Friday 9/13. She sold for $43,500.00 plus an 18% Buyers Premium. In case you are wondering, that isn’t the record price paid for an Izannah Walker doll. If you haven’t seen her, go take a peak https://www.auctionninja.com/withington-auction-inc/product/18-izannah-walker-cloth-doll-1180990.html She is an amazingly sweet doll!
Thank you for coming to meet my newest reproduction of my antique Izannah Walker doll Tillie Lamb.
TILLY LAMB ~ $2445SOLD. Tilly Lamb has a somewhat unique body with larger, plumper arms and painted boots that are fashioned differently than other Izannah Walker dolls. I’ve really only seen these features on the one other doll that I know of that is made like Tillie Lamb. I truly love the endearing slightly bolder folk art quality that this gives her ❤ She is 20 inches tall, from the back of her heels to the top of her head. Her toes point downward another 2 inches.
CLOTHING
I’ve chosen some amazing fabrics for this very special doll. Her dark brown figured dress is made from a sheer madder dyed cotton with a window pane check weave. This fabric came from a remanent of a c. 1860’s skirt that I am sure must have had a matching bodice. Even though someone had previously cut into the garment, I could tell that it had once been a very wide full skirt, tightly gathered at the waist and meant to be worn over layers of petticoats and a caged crinoline (which people now often refer to as a hooped skirt). I fashioned this lovely fabric into a very classic mid 19th century girl’s dress, with very full banded sleeves and a generously full skirt. Next I paired this fantastic madder fabric dress, with a fugitive purple print fabric for her that the sun has turned into a matching shade. The apron I made from this fugitive purple is a copy of the apron that my antique Tillie Lamb often wears. The original apron is one I found in Brimfield many years ago.
Because every girl needs more that one dress, Tilly has a second dress made from a vintage brown gingham check, with short straight, tucked sleeves. Did you know that gingham was original made in Asia, possibly Malaysia, and first appeared in England during the 17th century, when it was introduced by Dutch traders? Originally it began as more of a striped fabric, before becoming the classic woven checks that we are more familiar with.
Tilly’s second skin body covering is a coffee brown glazed cotton that coordinates perfectly with her madder dyed dress and fugitive purple apron. I made her chemise, split pantalettes, and petticoat from antique cotton sheeting and lace.
ACCESSORIES
Around her neck Tilly wears a necklace that I made from vintage bone beads. She has a heart shaped pincushion, made of another wonderful piece of mid 19th century fabric, suspended from a woven brown gingham ribbon. Instructions for this type of pincushion appeared in Eliza Leslie’s book The American Girl’s Book; or Occupation For Play Hours first published in 1831. https://paulawalton.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/two-heart-pincushions-from-the-american-girls-book/
Additionally Tilly comes with a length of fabric tape measure, like the one my original Tilly Lamb often carries in her apron pocket.
This Tilly Lamb reproduction Izannah Walker doll is $2445.00SOLD
All of my dolls are sold on a “first come” basis. To purchase Hannah email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com . Please be aware of how much the doll costs BEFORE you send your request to buy. You are welcome to ask questions, but please note that asking a question is not the same as making a commitment to buy and will not “hold your place in line” if someone else asks to buy the doll. Checks or money orders are preferred, Paypal is also accepted for payment. Free priority mail shipping & full insurance to any U.S. address. International orders ~ exact postage + $40 handling fee to help offset the extra time required for international shipping and the currency conversion fees ~ check with me to make sure your international address is one I ship to. No shipping to Russia.
Tilly is a wonderful size to display in antique children’s chairs. Here she is in one of my antique highchairs. Note ~ Her newly painted face does appear a bit glossy in some lights, but as the paint continues to dry and oxidize the sheen will lessen and go away.
This post has information about my original antique Tillie Lamb as she appeared in Your Dolls and Mine A Collector’s Handbook 1952 & The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Dolls 1968
Izannah Walker Journal 