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.
You are cordially invited to… Izannah Walker’s 206th Birthday Celebration Here at my Izannah Walker Journal on September 25th, 2023
Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Celebrations · Doll for Sale · Izannah Walker birthday · Izannah Walker History · Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll · Where to Shop

You are cordially invited to… Izannah Walker’s 206th Birthday Celebration Here at my Izannah Walker Journal on September 25th, 2023

paulawalton2 Comments

You are cordially invited

To visit http://www.izannahwalker.com

On Monday, September 25th, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time

to attend my virtual celebration of Izannah Walker’s 206th Birthday!

The little cloth girls and I hope that you will come visit us as we throw our annual birthday party in honor of the amazing dollmaker that created them.

Following the grand birthday celebration…

On Tuesday September 26th at 9:00p.m. Eastern time 

(8 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Mountain, and 6 p.m. Pacific time)

I will be offering a few of my handmade, historically accurate, reproduction 

Izannah Walker dolls for sale.

For the particulars about how my sales work please read below. Thank you!

How to buy one of the dolls that will be for sale on September 26th, 2023 ~ this is the IMPORTANT part, so please read this!

I’ve been trying to keep buying my dolls as straight forward and easy as possible. I started out by simply saying that the first person to email me and request the doll would be it’s new owner. Straight forward and right to the point… What could go wrong? LOL ~ As I found out quite a few things could! There have been a few “hiccups” along the way… So in order to keep it all simple and easy please read and follow these directions, which will allow me to mark the dolls that sell “sold” as quickly as possible, collect the buyer’s payment and shipping information right away, and just generally get each doll on his or her way to their new home as quickly as possible. Plus it will also let everyone else know exactly what dolls are still looking for their new home. ❤

In a perfect world I would have the time, money, and energy to completely re-do my website and have automatic inventory control that would allow me to list one of a kind items. Until that magical day happens I appreciate your patience with my current selling policies. Thank you!!!

All of my dolls are sold on a “first come” basis. To purchase a doll email me at  paula@asweetremembrance.com , in your email specify exactly which doll you wish to buy . 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 + $25 handling fee to help off set the extra time required for international shipping ~ check with me to make sure your international address is one I ship to. No shipping to Russia.

Isabeau and Sarah Alice have come up with their own personal tips as well ❤

LATER TODAY I WILL BE POSTING INFORMATION ON THIS YEAR’S IZANNAH WALKER BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION <3
Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Celebrations · Doll for Sale · Izannah Walker birthday · Izannah Walker History · Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll · See Me on Facebook · Studio News

LATER TODAY I WILL BE POSTING INFORMATION ON THIS YEAR’S IZANNAH WALKER BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION <3

paulawaltonLeave a comment

Today is the day I will be posting the schedule for my annual Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration, so be sure to check back here to my Izannah Walker Journal later today, or visit my business Facebook page Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance or asweetremembrance on Instagram

I’m Incredibly Honored to Have Been Juried into The Early American Life Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen for the 44th time.
Awards · See Me in Print

I’m Incredibly Honored to Have Been Juried into The Early American Life Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen for the 44th time.

paulawalton4 Comments

I am very honored to have been named one of America’s top traditional craftsmen by Early American Life for the 44th time in the course of 23 years, in the categories of – Clothing and Accessories, Textiles or Needlework, Miscellaneous, Toys and Dolls, Miniatures, Santas, Other Holidays and General Christmas. I have been juried into the Directory annually from 2004-2023 and 1996-1998, many years in more than one category.

Thank you Early American Life!

Wishing You a Very Happy 4th of July!
Holidays

Wishing You a Very Happy 4th of July!

paulawalton2 Comments
Pink!
Doll Clothing · Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll

Pink!

paulawaltonLeave a comment

For those of you who are familiar with the Facebook group Friends of the UFDC Doll Museum you will be aware that the theme for this week’s posts is PINK. My contribution to the challenge was a compilation of some of the many pink dresses I have made for my reproduction Izannah Walker dolls ❤ I’ve looked a little further back into my photo archive and found even more pink dresses! I hope you enjoy seeing them all again as much as I have.

… you may be able to tell that all the Izannahs and I are excessively fond of pink.

Think pink ❤

A Look Back at Some of Izannah Walker’s Boy Dolls and Their Auction Results
antique dolls · Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Auctions · Reference Materials · See Me in Print

A Look Back at Some of Izannah Walker’s Boy Dolls and Their Auction Results

paulawaltonLeave a comment

One of the extremely nice things about writing for magazines is the very interesting emails that people send me after they have read my articles. I recently received several inquiries asking me for information about how much boy Izannah Walker dolls are worth. Some of these correspondents were kind enough to share photos of their own Izannah boys with me and ask me my opinion about their dolls, which I was happy to give. If you have also been curious about what Izannah’s boy dolls have sold for, then this post is for you!

The first thing I do if I am trying to determine an approximate value for a particular doll is to look back at previous auction results where similar dolls were sold. In this case boy Izannah Walker dolls. Naturally if you are trying to compare prior prices realized at auction, with a doll you are trying to buy or sell, you will want to look for dolls with similar characteristics such as, pre-patent vs. post-patent, condition, clothing and or other accessories, etc. Because I received emails asking me about both pre-patent and post-patent boys I did get to refamiliarize myself with auction results for both. Below you will find links to the auctions I reviewed. When looking at auction results, remember that you will need to add any buyer’s premium to the hammer price to determine what the doll actually sold for. You could also try searching Ebay and Ruby Lane for past sales, though I don’t believe any of Izannah’s boys have been sold on those sites.

A close up of the very sweet faces of two later post- patent Izannah Walker dolls. I was shown these two wonderful dolls at the 2014 UFDC Convention.

If you would like to look back at my original blog post about the day I met the dolls pictured above, and their very nice owner click here https://izannahwalker.com/2014/07/25/izzybelles-travel-journal-part-3-the-2014-united-federation-of-doll-clubs-convention/

Below you will find links to auctions of Izannah Walker boy dolls:

https://www.proxibid.com/Art-Antiques-Collectibles/Toys-Hobbies/American-Patent-Model-Cloth-Doll-by-Izannah-Walker-12-000-15-000/lotInformation/44605387

https://www.theriaults.com/extremely-rare-small-size-american-cloth-folk-doll-izannah-walker

(This is the post patent doll that also sold in the same auction: https://www.theriaults.com/wonderful-american-cloth-doll-izannah-walker-original-paper-patent-label)

This is an example of an 18 inch post patent Izannah Walker boy: https://www.theriaults.com/two-rare-american-pressed-cloth-dolls-izannah-walkerpatent-models

John Thayer is the most well known and most original example of an Izannah Walker boy. He is 15 inches tall and recently sold at the Withington auction of Carol Corson’s collection. You can see some wonderful images of him here: https://www.izannahwalkerchronicles.com/2022/08/john-thayer-antique-izannah-walker-boy.html

This is the Withington’s catalog from the auction, John Thayer was item number 100. : https://withingtonauction.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/October-20-2022-Doll-Catalog.pdf

There was a 17 inch Izannah Walker boy that sold at an Apple Tree Auction for $37,500, but the auction catalog is no longer available online. I’m attaching a photo of him. 

The image above is a screen shot of the auction results for this particular Izannah Walker boy. I spent quite a long time searching for the original links to this auction, but unfortunately I could no longer find them available online, so I can’t provide a link to them.

15 inch Izannah Walker Boy Doll with paper label The Maurine Popp Collection of Dolls April 12, 2003 lot 207 $11,750:  https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/auction.php?start=2&limit=90&op=lots&view=90&sort_lot=1&saleno=2196&display=list&noredir=1

and: https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2196/lots/207

I hope you have enjoyed looking back at some of these memorable auctions!

For those of you who may be wondering, sweet James the doll who was featured in my three part article in the February, March, and April issues of Antique Doll Collector, did find an extremely wonderful new home ❤

Using My Patterns for Select Pieces of James’ Clothing, Published in the April 2023 Issue of Antique Doll Collector Magazine ~ How to Enlarge the Pattern Pieces
Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Doll Clothing · Information · Izannah Walker Project Ideas · See Me in Print

Using My Patterns for Select Pieces of James’ Clothing, Published in the April 2023 Issue of Antique Doll Collector Magazine ~ How to Enlarge the Pattern Pieces

paulawaltonLeave a comment

The April issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine is out, which means my final installment of James’ story and the accompanying patterns are now available for you to use. ❤

Emma Blue and Sarah Jane were quite excited when this envelope arrived in yesterday’s mail from the subscription department of Antique Doll Collector magazine! The pretty quilt block stamps made it feel like the magazine had been giftwrapped!

You’ll find my article on pages 38-44 of the April issue. The patterns themselves are on pages 43 and 44. To use the patterns the first thing you will need to do is to enlarge the pattern back to 100%. The short answer to “How much do I enlarge them?” is 14.3%, which is a pretty awkward percentage that you may not be able to program into your printer. If you enlarge the patterns by 15% they will be fairly close to my original size. “Why do I have to go to the trouble of enlarging them?” Good question! I provided the patterns to ADC at full size, but due to the space considerations, and the physical size of the magazine, the graphic designer needed to shrink the patterns down to fit into the allotted space.

When you enlarge the pattern to 100% of it’s original size it should fit perfectly on an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper. It’s very important to remember that I made these patterns to specifically fit a 17 inch Izannah Walker boy. If you would like to use the patterns to dress a different size Izannah Walker doll, or another type of mid-nineteenth century doll, such as a papier-mache, china, parian, or rag doll you will need to completely alter the size and fit of the patterns. Always, always, always make a muslin to check the fit of any pattern you are making from antique fabric!

Now that I have given you the short answer “how much do I enlarge the pattern?” let me walk you through how to get that answer:

  1. Measure the 1 inch key that is shown on pages 43 and 44 along with the pattern. The key measures 7/8th of an inch.
  2. 7/8 x 8/7 = 1
  3. 8/7 = 1.1428571429 so the pattern needs to be 114.3% (rounded up to the nearest tenth of a percent) of the size it was printed in the magazine, another way to say that is enlarge the pattern by 14.3%
  4. To double check your work 0.875 x 1.1428571429 = 1

I’ll be posting some more tips for using these patterns in the near future. ❤

A fun tidbit. Looking through the open doorway of the main floor “Bedroom”* can you spy the stenciled walls that inspired the stenciling in the second floor chamber, that the doll’s use as their bedroom, in their own very tall house? I painted both the full size walls, and the miniature versions, using historic stencil patterns.

*(The only chamber actually called a “bedroom” in the 18th century because these tiny rooms adjoining kitchens, next to the cooking hearths, were just large enough to hold a bed and little else.)

The Final Installment of James’ Story… Including Patterns for Select Pieces of his Wardrobe will be in the April Issue of Antique Doll Collector Magazine
Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Doll Clothing · See Me in Print

The Final Installment of James’ Story… Including Patterns for Select Pieces of his Wardrobe will be in the April Issue of Antique Doll Collector Magazine

paulawaltonLeave a comment

Read the final chapter of sweet James’ story in the April issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine. This article will tell you how I researched appropriate little boy’s fashions for him, plus give you ideas on where to look for antique fabrics and notions. Also included are patterns and instructions for some of the clothing I made him ❤ To subscribe to Antique Doll Collector, or order this single issue go to https://www.antiquedollcollector.com/subscribe.html  For just this issue scroll down to US 2022-23 Single Issue Purchase for Antique Doll Collector, you may choose the month you are wish to purchase and complete your order online. ❤

Once you have the April issue you are invited to come back here to my Izannah Walker Journal for additional instructions including on how to size the pattern up to scale before printing it, and extra sewing tips. ❤

James’ Story Continues in the March 2023 Issue of Antique Doll Collector Magazine ~ Stitching History into his Wardrobe
Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Doll Clothing · Doll for Sale · See Me in Print

James’ Story Continues in the March 2023 Issue of Antique Doll Collector Magazine ~ Stitching History into his Wardrobe

paulawaltonLeave a comment

Read more about sweet, sweet James and his wardrobe in this month’s issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine. The subscriptions department at Antique Doll Collector has informed me that they do have a limited number of extra copies of the March issue, if you have been searching for one go to https://www.antiquedollcollector.com/subscribe.html and scroll down to US 2022-23 Single Issue Purchase for Antique Doll Collector, you may choose the month you are wish to purchase and complete your order online. ❤

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Doll’s House
Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Celebrations · Doll for Sale · Holidays · Pop-Up Shop · See Me in Print · Where to Shop

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Doll’s House

paulawaltonLeave a comment
Sarah Alice and James spent the afternoon cutting out Valentine’s for all of their dearest friends ❤

This afternoon James, Emma Blue, Isabeau and Sarah Alice gathered in the parlor to make Valentine’s for all of their friends ❤

 The rest of the little cloth girls were down in the kitchen, with the door firmly shut, though occasional giggles could be heard, along with the delicious smells of sugar and chocolate…

SWEET JAMES is A RARE 17 INCH IZANNAH WALKER BOY WHO IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE. HE IS IN ALL ORIGINAL CONDITION & COMES WITH A LARGE HANDMADE WARDROBE. SEE THE FIRST PART OF HIS STORY ON PAGE 18 OF THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR. THE CONTINUING TALE OF JAMES’ AND HIS WARDROBE WILL BE IN THE MARCH & APRIL ISSUES. $46,000. I AM HELPING JAMES FIND A NEW HOME  ❤ INQURIES AT PAULA@ASWEETREMEMBRANCE.COM 203-313-5973

The dolls and I wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day ❤