It was a very sad occasion last night when my faithful, ailing little laptop finally succumbed to the ravages of old age and died, somewhat peacefully. After a lengthy autopsy, my two IT authorities have declared that my laptop is in no danger of becoming a zombie and returning from the dead. I’ve ordered a new laptop that will be arriving late next week. In the mean time it will take me longer to answer emails and reply to comments, as I am having to beg, borrow and steal online time from some fiercely protective computer lovers who are almost constantly connected to their keyboards. If you should need to reach me with immediate questions about a purchase or class, please call me at 860-355-5709 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
Author: paulawalton
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.
A Successful Buying Trip in Brimfield
We returned last night from the most successful buying trip we’ve had at Brimfield, MA ( a town wide flea market/antique show comprised of 21 independent venue/field owners) in years. In two days we were able to shop all of the fields, plus a great multi-dealer shop, go
to The Seraph and Angel House Designs to look for a new sofa and visit with our oldest son.
I found some wonderful fabrics and trims that I will be turning into clothing for my Izannahs in the upcoming months. During the warmer months of the year I spend several hours each week searching through estate sales, tag sales, flea markets and antique shops for the fabrics that I use to make my dolls, augmented by a few longer buying trips, in the hopes that I can stock pile enough antique textiles to last me through the winter.
This year the weather was much better on Friday and Saturday than the day we went last May. 
Even if I hadn’t bought a single item, the trip would have been worthwhile because of all the interesting things I got to see and the inspiration that they provided!
Some of our best purchases were the three full hides of glove leather (that I will be turning into many, many doll shoes) and three antique canning jars – all for $10 total. Then there were our great $1 buys, a grain painted side chair from the first quarter of the 19th century for me, a vintage Pepsi bottle for my husband, and three T-shirts for my son. My best fabric deal was undoubtedly when I scored a full bolt of very fine antique cotton sheeting, which is destined to become chemises, pantalettes and petticoats. Since I was furniture shopping for myself, it was only fair that I did the same for my dolls. I bought some very nice doll size chairs and dressers, that I will be listing for sale in the future… and of course I did find just a few purple things for my house, seven transferware plates and a cache pot for the kitchen and an early lindsey-woolsey coverlet for our bedroom 🙂
My Latest Article in Prims
I’m very pleased to announce that the Summer 2013 issue of Prims, which features an article about three of my bears, will be on sale tomorrow. If you would like to see more of my bears please visit my website, Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance, or go to my blog, Paula Walton’s 18th Century Home Journal, for photos and tips on restoring antique and vintage teddy bears.
A Visit with Anna
I’ve had a wonderful weekend. On Friday Mary and her antique Izannah Walker doll, Anna, came to visit. Mary and I had an excellent time comparing our dolls to one another, talking about Izannah Walker and her dolls, and planning a wardrobe for Anna.
All of my Izannahs were just as excited as can be when Anna got to stay for a sleep over! It was hard to get them to settle down for the night. They had so much to talk about! The girls and I hope that Mary and Anna had as much fun as we did 🙂
Taking a Walk on a Spring Day
Miss “A” tried on her new dress and apron, then went out for one last walk around the farm before she packs for her journey to her new home in Canada.
A Sweet Remembrance on facebook & Pinterest
You can now visit A Sweet Remembrance on facebook and Pinterest!
Easter & April Fool’s Day Celebration Sale!
Today at my house we are celebrating Easter. Tomorrow the festivities will continue as we party in honor of my middle son’s birthday! I’d like to share a bit of our celebrations with you by offering you 10% off on every single item I sell at Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance!!!
This includes all classes, all dolls – even new custom orders -, all bears, all reproduction clothing, all antiques – carousel horses & cooking items -, literally everything! There is free shipping within the United States on all purchases, except carousel horses & you may place any item on lay-away, with terms to fit your budget 🙂
The coupon code for the sale is ” peeps”. Enter the code when you check out today or tomorrow using the secure shopping cart at A Sweet Remembrance and 10% will automatically be subtracted from your total. Email or call me to buy the antique cooking item shown at Paula Walton’s 18th Century Home Journal, to order a custom made Izannah Walker reproduction doll, or to set up lay-away payments. Paula@asweetremembrance.com 860-355-5709. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the sale or any of my work.
Wishing you a Happy Easter and an amusing April Fools Day!
BOTH NOW SOLD – THANK YOU FOR LOOKING Two New Dolls Available ~ Dressed in their Easter Sunday Best!
Two lovely young ladies, currently available for sale. Miss “A” NOW SOLD – Thank you for looking, dressed in antique “double pink” fabrics, with two curls in front of each ear and seven more along the nape of her neck and her dearest friend Miss “B”, wearing a madder brown dress and straw colored crocheted bonnet. Both girls may be purchased directly from my main website Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance. Click here to read all about Miss “A” and click here for Miss “B’s” particulars.
A Note About the Easter Bonnets
Do you remember turning acorn caps into doll dishes and using handkerchiefs for dolly diapers and shawls when you were a child? My mother used to help me fashion doll clothes out of objects we found around the house. I’m sure that this is a long standing mother and daughter tradition since I occasionally come across antique doll clothing that children have made from little bits of this and that.
I was sitting in my studio, thinking about Easter bonnets, when my eye happened to light on a pile of crocheted doilies… Suddenly I could just see them turning into beautiful, lacy Easter sunbonnets! I loved the idea of recreating one of my childhood traditions and I hope that you are as captivated by the bonnets and the story behind them as I am.
Would You Like to Get to Know Miss “A” & “B” Better?
If you have any questions about Misses “A” or “B”, or would like to see additional photographs, I would be more than happy to accommodate you. Email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com or call me at 860-355-5709. Lay-away is available on terms to meet your budget.
Wishing you a very happy and joyous Easter!
SOLD All Dressed and Looking for a New Home & Someone to Love
NOW SOLD – THANK YOU FOR LOOKING For the past few days I’ve been sewing on clothing for this doll, that I’m affectionately calling “B”. I’ve been working on this doll for months, and for almost the entire time I’ve been thinking that she reminds me of a particular Izannah that I had seen somewhere… Yesterday I finally remembered exactly which one of Izannah’s dolls that “B” resembles. To me, she looks like the Izannah Walker doll at the South County Museum in Narragansett, Rhode Island. View the doll owned by the South County Museum here at the Izannah Walker Chronicles.
One of the magical aspects of pressed cloth heads is the way that heads made from the same mold are each unique. I am constantly filled with wonder when my dolls follow the same path that Izannah’s did. It is such a reaffirmation of the way I work to see that 170 years later I can take stockinette, cotton, and paste and turn it into faithful reproductions of Izannah’s dolls. *
Because the doll has a very time worn appearance and aged paint surfaces, I wanted to use special fabrics that would reflect and enhance the feel of this doll and help tell her story. I used antique natural colored linen for her pantalettes, chemise and petticoat. I added vintage white cotton waistbands to the pantaletts and petticoat because I wanted the color contrast that is often seen in antique wool/cotton baby petticoats. Her pantalettes have been carefully pieced and darned. It took much longer to make them this way, but it helps to preserve the illusion of a much loved family doll that has been well taken care of and preserved to be passed down through succeeding generations.
“B’s” dress is made from an amazing piece of madder brown fabric c.1850 that has never been washed. The color of the dye is so vibrant, with a crisp print and the original sizing intact. The dress has straight short sleeves and is trimmed with narrow velvet bands around the sleeves and skirt. It closes with an antique glass “china” button at the waist and a thin 1/8-th inch cotton tape drawstring at the neck. The dress skirt has been carefully darned and mended in two places and the inside of the waist band has a bit of contrasting fabric pieced in as a “make-do” detail. This is the ideal dress for a collector who loves early primitive cloth dolls and is a serious student of 19th century textiles. I’m strongly suggesting that this dress should not be washed to preserve the pristine documentary condition of the fabric dye and print.
We still have some snow on the ground here in Connecticut from Friday’s storm, so today I’m going to make “B” a pair of detachable long sleeves to help keep her warm on chilly spring days.
SOLD Sweet “B” may be purchased on my website A Sweet Remembrance. Please feel free to email or call me if you are interested in purchasing “B” and have any questions about her or would like to see additional photographs. Paula@asweetremembrance.com, 860-355-5709. Lay away is available in terms to fit your budget. All payments, including lay away, may be made through Paypal, or by personal check or money order. You may pay using your credit card through Paypal, even if you do not have a Paypal account. Free Priority Mail shipping, with full insurance and signature confirmation, to any location within the United States. 6.35% sales tax is charged on dolls shipped to a Connecticut address. Exact postage charged on dolls shipped to other countries.
Just a little braging about one of my students…
Vicki Leeke sent me these photos of dolls that she was working during my Izannah retreat last September. You may remember Vicki from one of my previous posts about her lovely leather flowers and leaves and the amazingly thoughtful Izannah pins she made for everyone who attended the retreat.
Vicki made “Charlotte” using a head and body parts that she had me pre-make for her prior to the start of the retreat. Vicki did all of the hand sewing to put Charlotte’s pieces together, painted her, and made all of her clothing. If I remember correctly, Charlotte’s dress is made from vintage fabric that Vicki came across at home in Australia… I can’t remember if she told me that she dyed the fabric or not… either way it is a luscious shade of rose.
Mr. Pospisel started out as a head that Vicki made just so that she could experiment with one of my plaster molds. She kept working on him so that she could practice hand sewing the two halves of the pressed cloth head together. After she got that far she was hooked! Before long “Mr. Pospisel” had acquired a name from an anecdote told to us by Peggy Flavin during the class, and his life history soon followed. Vicki took him back to Australia, where she finished bringing him to life. He is wearing the most wonderful suit, that really shows off Vicki’s proficiency when sewing with wool. Making all of her wonderful felt dolls has obviously paid off 🙂
Vicki is planning to enter them in a doll show in Sydney in November. Keep your fingers crossed that they win an armful of awards!
Click here to read about Vicki’s leather work and Izannah pins.
Click here to read more about the retreat.
If you can’t tell, all of my students make me feel just like a proud mom! This is the virtual equivalent of pulling a fistful of photographs out of my wallet to show you 🙂
Izannah Walker Journal 