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.
This is one of the two soft sculpture dolls that I made in 1984. This photo is from a year or two ago, when I washed it before packing it away in the attic. It’s still in very good condition, considering how much it has been drug around and played with and all the times it has gone through the washing machine!
Do you remember the first doll you ever made? My first doll was actually twins! Two identical dolls made for my oldest two son’s first and third birthdays. I made them in February and March of 1984, from a pattern that my mother gave me. She had purchased the pattern ten years or so earlier, when my little sister was small, but had never gotten around to actually making a doll from it.
Almost life size and able to wear 6 month size baby clothes.
At the time I made the dolls we had just moved 6 weeks earlier, from Nebraska to Minnesota. My husband was traveling a lot, and after I got everything unpacked I worked on the dolls during nap times and at night, after the boys were in bed. Since the dolls were the same, Blair got to open his two weeks early, on Ian’s birthday in mid-March.
Unwrapping the birthday dolls 🙂See the doll in the back corner of the crib? Even early in it’s life it was having hair raising adventures!Made from polyester knit fabric, with fake fur hair, soft sculpture details and painted eyes. My doll making skills have improved a bit in 31 years, but I hope that the dolls I make now bring their owner as much joy, delight and fun as this doll did!!!
Later that same year I made my very first teddy bear, as a Christmas gift for my then 20 month old son. I remember frantically sewing away, trying to get the bear done around midnight on Christmas Eve… Somethings never change! 🙂
This is what my first teddy bear looks like today, 31 Christmases after I made him. Still looking out at the world with his embroidered, baby safe eyes, ready to play or snuggle up close for a nap ❤
Yesterday my friend Joy and I decided that we could squeeze in an impromptu trip to Pamela Dalton’s Christmas Open House. So we piled into the car and ventured north to the village of Harlemville. The drive flew by as we talked and admired all of the small towns we passed through!
Our destination, Pamela Dalton’s house!
I love this tin version of her logo!
We had a wonderful time looking at all of the amazing fine crafts that Pamela and her group of friends created. Then surprise!!! Who was there? My friend Peggy!!!
I had no idea Peggy would be at the Open House! It was such a treat to see her again and have a chance to catch up on everything she has been doing 🙂
Peggy is a talented, creative doll maker, who lives in a charming old house by the sea. She has an enchanting blog that I love to read.
The afternoon came to a close with strolling carolers. It was a story book ending to a lovely Open House! Afterwards, Peggy and her dear friend Sandy invited us back to Sandy’s house for supper. It was so nice to finally meet Sandy in person! Peggy has told me so much about her and Pam had told me last month that she had a friend (Sandy) who loved dolls and that she was sure would like to meet me. Sandy is every bit as nice, creative, and charming as they both told me she is. 🙂 She is also another old house owner and the creative force behind Sandy Connors’ Honey Bee Press – old fashioned wood engraving and printing.
We gathered around a cozy fire to chat, eat and sip wine, and reveled in the company of friends both old and new…
Sandy was the perfect hostess, welcoming us into her home, introducing us to her sweet pets, feeding us and showing us through her lovely c. 1830’s home.
Naturally I was quite delighted to make the acquaintance of the doll family that lives in Sandy’s home.
What an unexpected delight and a welcome interlude in the midst of a busy holiday season!!!
My little wooden girls were beside themselves when they found out they had missed a chance to meet Sandy’s dolls too. I have promised them a future play date… and perhaps they will be properly dressed to entertain visitors by then!
Today I had the fun of reliving yesterdays adventure, when I unpacked the treasures that I purchased at the Open House.
Tin sconces, icicles and heart & hand by Walter Fleming The 19th Century Tinsmith tinprinter@verizon.net
This tiny Father Christmas in his salmon coat is the perfect decoration for my dining room!
Look at the intricate detail that Peggy embroidered on his coat. I believe that there may have been a handful of these charming fellows left at the end of the show… If he makes your heart go pitter-pat you could contact Peggy and ask http://peggyflavin.blogspot.com/p/contact.html
It is my very great pleasure to introduce you to “Lily Two”. She is a special commission doll, that is the very first doll made from a mold of the original Lily. This little reproduction Lily is going to be living with her older sister, the real Lily, and will no doubt acquire a new name of her very own when she goes home. 🙂
Lily 2 has a second skin made from an amazing piece of dark red glazed cotton. The red fabric once graced the back of an intricate silk crazy quilt. The front side of the quilt has deteriorated over time, and most of the silk has shattered and crumbled. The never washed backing is as bright, crisp and vibrant as when it was new, Because the dark red fabric was originally sewn with a brighter red thread I have chosen to recreate that pairing in Lily’s 2nd skin.
The fabric for Lily’s undergarments all came from a pair of antique split pantalettes. The antique Lily is going to have waved braid (rick rack) trimmed unmentionables, and so will have a strong zig zag theme. Lily Two’s white underpinnings all have a circular theme, on both the embroidered petticoat ruffle and the tatted chemise and pantalette trim. I liked echoing the geometric design, with the substitution of circles for triangular points. 🙂
Lily’s dress is made from a fabulous piece antique wool challis. Lily is a small 17 inch tall doll, and this challis has a fairly large size print. This is something you will find in many extant dresses belonging to antique Izannah Walker dolls. I absolutely adore larger scale prints on Izzys ❤ The look is so perfectly evocative of the clothing worn by many antique Izannah Walker dolls. People often feel that they need a small scale print for doll clothing and fail to take into account the reality of the way antique dolls were actually dressed.I cut the waistband and neck band of Lily’s dress from a matching border print challis. Notice that the green flower is centered in the middle of her waistband. I cartridge pleated the skirt of the dress onto the bodice using a brown thread. My thread color choices stay true the the original stitching on this piece of fabric, which was also the back of a silk crazy quilt. The seams of the backing were sewn with off white thread, but all of the quilting stitches (which I had to remove one by one) were sewn with a medium brown thread. I have a vast collection of antique and vintage thread that I use to make all of my dolls and their clothing.
Lily and Lily Two. Now that I have had a chance to do a “practice run” on Lily Two I can move forward with Lily’s restoration. I am in the midst of removing a very ill considered layer of fabric that someone decided to glue on to her shoulders at some point in her life…The Lilys! Sisters, best friends and bosom companions through thick and thin ❤ You can see how the red in Lily 2’s second skin and dress print compliments the red in Lily’s antique dress.
Thank you so much for dropping by to meet Lily. We enjoyed having you come visit! Please come back to see us soon ❤
❤ ❤ ❤ I have been searching for months for thin antique black velvet ribbon to use on the original Lily’s dress. If anyone should happen to have any that they are selling or know where some can be found, will you please send me a note at paula@asweetremembrance.com ? Thank you!!!
When last we saw our heroines they were bidding each other a tearful farewell and promising to correspond…“Look Izzybelle, Dimity has written to us!” “Be a good girl and I’ll read you her letter.”
Delivery day back in September, 2010 for my first studio building.
Five years ago I finally got my own stand alone studio. It took me two more years to get the interior finished. I was ecstatic when it was completed! It has been a daily joy and has made working so much easier and more pleasurable 🙂 My studio is just 12′ x 20′, not a huge space, but a cozy little cottage tucked in between four giant maple trees that grew up at the corners of the chicken coop, which originally occupied the space in our farm yard.
My current studio nestled in between the trees.The interior of my first studio. Admittedly it is not usually this tidy, as there are piles of antique quilts and drifts of frothy white petticoats on most of the surfaces… all waiting to have their best bits cleaned, restored, salvaged and turned into tiny clothing for the dolls.
My long range plan has always been to have a second studio for painting and sculpting, which would allow me to use my snug little cottage strictly for sewing and textiles. That dream is finally coming true! My second studio was recently delivered and I am looking forward, to the not too distant future, when it too will be finished and I will be able to move into it ❤ There is still a lot of work to do before that can happen, but I am one giant step closer to finally having ample space to paint, not only dolls, but lager projects like canvases, floor cloths and carousel horses!
Waiting up the street to pull into our field.Snaking the truck in between the quince trees.
Headed across the field…Backing the new studio into place…The roof is going up!
Almost finished…
The new painting studio and the new garage are up! Now imagine a garden with brick paths, flowers in raised beds, a white picket fence and espaliered apple trees along the back wall of the garage.Windows!Sunshine 🙂I love this space!This is going to be a wonderful place to create 🙂
If you’d like to see a bit more about my original studio click on these previous posts:
Looking back through these posts gave me the chance to relive my 2012 Izannah retreat and remember all the fun I had with a great group of wonderful ladies, who I am happy to say started as students but have become very good friends ❤
The gang’s all here for Part 2! We lost Peggy , but we gained Mary 🙂 Mary, Susie, Vicki, me, and Charlotte.The end of day three meant saying good-bye to Peggy and one of her lovely Izannahs that she brought along to class. We all hated to see her go!!!One last hug at the end of day three! Vicki, Peggy, Susie and Charlotte the world’s most wonderful quartet of doll makers!!!Susie and two of my dolls, the one on the left came back to visit during the retreat and to welcome her new sister, on the right, to the family.
*** More changes are happening…
In addition to my painting studio and the garage, we have also acquired a screen porch/game room.
“It’s time to get ready for trick or treating!” “What are you going to dress up as?”“Sadie wants to go trick or treating too!”“I’m going to be a cat, just like Sadie!”
“Emeline we are so happy you are going trick or treating with us!”
“Poor Sadie! She’s sad because she doesn’t have a costume too !”“We’ll share our treats with her!” “Hurry and get dressed”
The dolls and I hope you all have an enchanting All Hallows Eve ❤
I thought you might like a glimpse at the details that go into my custom made dolls…
Now that Billie’s doll is dressed and ready to go, it is time for Sharon’s doll to decide what pieces she wants in her wardrobe. She is very excited about choosing her clothing! After all what girl doesn’t love to shop ❤
When we last left off, Sharon’s doll was gaily joining in all of the party games!
A few details of her trousseau have already been decided:
Shoes:
Underwear: Like Anna #3
Dress #1: A long sleeve dress in this style in fabric #14
sunbonnet: This style in the black background print fabric.
Apron: Like the one Isane is wearing in this photo… possibly in the red, black and white fabric…
And now it is time to pick out a few more things!
Winter Cape or Coat: What about the winter white wool with the embroidered scallops above???
Cape Ideas:
Coat Ideas:
A Frilly White Party Dress:
In this style???
and maybe one of these fabrics???
Made from all white fabric perhaps with tucks and lace???
I hope that you have all enjoyed dress shopping along with Sharon’s doll. Please come back to visit so that you can see her modelling all of her new frocks and accessories.
When we last saw our heroine she was thanking her hostesses for the lovely party and telling them how much she would miss them when she journeyed off to her new home…
Now the time has come for Billie’s Doll to pack her bags and begin her travels westward to the heart-land. I will miss her! The lovely thing about dolls that are on lay-away is that they get to stay here and keep me company 🙂 This sweet young lady has been my faithful companion for more than a year. Overseeing my studio and offering snippets of helpful advice while I work. ❤
You may click on any of the smaller photographs to enlarge them.
The best place to start is the beginning… Her she is in her “altogether”.
Little hidden bits of blue… Blue crocheted trim on the bottom of her chemise, a blue rimmed glass button at it’s neckline and a thin outline of blue at the tops of her boots echo the blue of her dress.
Showing off her new dress, made from antique blue cotton with a “Persian pickle” print (aka paisley). The dress has a growth tuck in the skirt, gathered split flutter sleeves, and closes with an antique drawstring at the neckline and an antique blue and white glass button at the waist.
Learning about her new family… “So this is what Hitty looks like!”No Hittys live at my house, but fortunately I happened to have a post card from my visit to see the real Hitty that is part of the Stockbridge, MA library collection.Today was such a nice day that she decided to take one more walk in the woods, to gather a few autumn leaves for her scapebook…
It is my very great pleasure to introduce you to “Lily Two”. She is a special commission doll, that is the very first doll made from a mold of the original Lily. This little reproduction Lily is going to be living with her older sister, the real Lily, and will no doubt acquire a new name of her very own when she goes home. 🙂
Izannah Walker Journal 