Happy 198th Birthday Izannah Walker! – Part 1

September 24, 2015September 25, 2015 paulawalton6 Comments

SOLD Meet Anna. She is available for sale and would be thrilled to come join your doll family.

Welcome to my annual Izannah Walker birthday party! This year the dolls and I have a fun filled three day celebration planned. We are so pleased that you could come join us for the start of the party. I will be posting throughout the day today, with additional posts at 9:00 a.m., noon, and 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Come back tomorrow and Sunday for new posts at 10:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m.

1 Finished Doll For Sale – Now SOLD – Thank You so much for looking!

ANNA IS NOW SOLD. I have one doll made from my Anna mold available for sale. She is a very sweet, worn and well loved doll. Just the right size at 17 inches to be a little sister to other Izannahs in your collection. She has short wispy hair framing her face and tickling the nape of her neck. This Anna is dressed in an amazing antique red print fabric that I found in Brimfield in May. The fabric had never been washed until yesterday and even after one gentle washing still retains it’s crisp sizing. All three pieces of her undergarments are trimmed in tatting. Her short black scallop topped painted boots are embellished with a red scallop outline. As a birthday special she comes with a tiny antique tintype image of a young girl. When you imagine the story of Anna’s life, perhaps this little girl will become her original owner…

Anna can be yours for $1250.00, which includes free insured shipping to any U.S. address. Actual shipping charged to other countries. As always you may place Anna, or any of my dolls on lay-away. Call me at 860-355-5709 during normal business hours, or email me anytime at paula@asweetremembrance.com if you have any questions about this doll or would like to purchase her.

Introducing Two New Reproduction Izannah Walker Dolls

I am very happy to tell you that I now have two more molds! I made these molds, just like all of my others, directly from original antique Izannah Walker dolls. This means that I can offer you ten different authentic, all cloth, historically accurate reproduction Izannah Walker dolls!

Pictured below are the four dolls that I will be working on during the next three days as part of my Izannah celebration. After all what better way is there for a doll maker to mark the birthday of her very favorite doll maker than by paying homage to her by reproducing some of her amazing dolls! If you’d like to follow along with my progress you can check in at my facebook page to see the dolls coming to life. Click here to visit A Sweet Remembrance in facebook.

Lily

I am able to offer you reproductions of Lily due to the amazing generosity of my friend Susie, who owns the real Lily. I am currently in the midst of doing restoration on the original Lily and Susie very kindly told me that she wanted me to make a mold from her while she was here. I’ll be chronicling Lily’s restoration journey here in the upcoming weeks. Lily has a very classic Izannah head and at 17 inches is the middle stair step between my Isabeau and Izzybelle.

This first Lily will be going home with her older sister and namesake ❤

A Second Lily

This Lily will be available for sale for $1250.00 when she is completed. She will come with a full four piece wardrobe which includes a chemise, pantalettes, peticoat and a dress, with painted boots.

Hannah

Hannah recently came to join my Izannah family from the collection of another of my dear friends, Edyth. ❤ I’m honored that she has entrusted me with one of her treasures.

Hannah is 18 inches tall and has such a sweet expression. Just like Lily #2, both of these Hannahs will be for sale once I have finished them. Yes, they also cost $1250.00, have painted boots and come with a full set of clothing made from antique fabrics and notions. 🙂

If you have any questions about these dolls, or would like to purchase one of them, please call me (860-355-5709 during east coast business hours) or email me (paula@asweetremembrance.com anytime). As a special birthday treat Isabeau, Zanna, Ismay, Isane, Izzybelle and the original Hannah have been busy piecing together quilt tops to go along with the Lilys and Hannahs that are purchased during this three day weekend. More about their quilting party later on… Just one more reason to keep checking back in through out the next three days 🙂

Feeling Creative?

For anyone who has the urge to try making an Izzy of their own I currently have two of my Izannah Kits ready to go.

A full instruction book + patterns comes with each head. The unpainted head/kit is $200 and the painted head/kit is $375.

Notice all of the paint texture of the original antique doll is captured in this composition head.

Furniture Tag Sale

The girls were all very enamored of the article they read in Antique Doll Collector about an Izannah Doll House. So when I asked them what they would like to include in our birthday weekend they all resoundingly said “Let’s have a tag sale of all of the doll furniture, so other Izannahs can furnish a doll house too!” Consequently all of my antique doll furniture is on sale at 10% off from 9/25 – 9/27. The sale price does include free shipping to U.S. addresses. Click here to shop the furniture sale.

Zanna is in charge of setting up the tag sale & Izzybelle is helping tie on the price tags!

That’s All For Now…

Come back to see us at 9:00 a.m. eastern time for our continuing birthday party adventures.

Antique Doll Furniture · Doll for Sale · Other Types of Doll Making · Painted Cloth Doll Making · Where to Shop

Sophie and Mae Are Back Home From Their Visit to Prims Magazine & Are Now SOLD

April 18, 2014April 18, 2014 paulawalton6 Comments

Sophie and Mae have the same bodies as my Izannah Walker dolls, so all the girls can share clothes. — Sophie and Mae have the same size bodies as my 18 – 1/2 inch Izannah Walker dolls, so all the girls can share clothes.

Thank you so much for coming by to see Sophie and Mae. Both of them are now sold.

Sophie and Mae, the two portrait face New England rag dolls that were in my article in the Winter 2014 issue of Prims are back home, in all their Sunday finery, just in time for Easter! Sophie and Mae are two of the five flat face head variations that I made for my Izannah Walker doll making students. Class members can use the five different heads with their Izannah class patterns. The bonus patterns are available to class members through the class discussion site free of charge. Follow this link to read more about my Prims article.

Now that the girls are back from California, they are ready to find new homes. I’ve just listed them for sale on my website. If you are interested in buying either of them you can go through the secure automatic checkout at http://www.asweetremembrance.com or you may call me 860-355-5709 or email me paula@asweetremembrance.com. Shipping is free to any US address and lay-away is available with terms to fit your budget.

Sophie

SOLD Sophie is dressed in a pink and black print dress made from antique late 19th century fabric, a petticoat with lavish pink crochet trim and a cap made from antique crocheted cotton lace. Her face, head and shoulders are painted with artist’s oils.

Mae

SOLD Mae’s face, head and shoulders are painted with artist’s oils. She is wearing a silk plaid dress with cartridge pleated skirt and velvet ribbon trim, a white scalloped petticoat, black hand knit socks and handmade brown leather shoes with purple silk laces.

Sophie, Mae and I Wish You a Happy Easter!

"This would be a good hiding place for the chocolate eggs!" — “This would be a good hiding place for the chocolate eggs!”

"I wonder where Sophie hid those eggs???" — “I wonder where Sophie hid those eggs???”

*** The girl’s dresser is also for sale, click here to read all of it’s particulars.

Antique Doll Furniture · Doll Accessories · Doll for Sale · Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll · Ordering a Reproduction Izannah Walker Doll · Shows · Where to Shop

Look For Me at The Jenny Lind Doll Club Doll Show on Sunday, October 20th

October 14, 2013October 15, 2013 paulawalton4 Comments

On Sunday I will be exhibiting at the 25th annual Jenny Lind Doll Club Doll Show at the

Crowne Plaza hotel, 1284 Strongtown Road, Southbury, CT. If you would like more

information about the show you may call Joan Falvey at (860) 628-8896 or

203-598-7600. The show runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Admission for Adults is $6.00 and $1.00 for children. There is a coupon for $1.00 off

your admission here http://www.az-ps.com/dollshowusa/Events-CT.htm .

I will have a few new dolls available for sale, plus a wonderful selection of antique Izannah

size doll furniture. I will also be taking orders for custom made dolls

and will have examples with me of most of my dolls for you to see in person. I’d love to see

you there!

I have a great selection of doll dressers that are just perfect for storing your Izzy's wardrobe. — I have a great selection of doll dressers that are just perfect for storing your Izzy’s wardrobe.

Antique Doll Furniture · Doll for Sale · Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll

Saturday in my Studio – One New Doll Finished & Available For Sale – SOLD

August 3, 2013August 3, 2013 paulawalton8 Comments

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit. This doll is now SOLD.

Early this evening I put the finishing touches on my latest reproduction Izannah Walker doll. I’ve been working pretty much non-stop on her and a few of her sisters for the past several weeks. I love this doll! I made her specifically for someone who is as enamored with the construction of Izannah Walker dolls as I am. If you have studied Izannah’s dolls closely, you will know that some of her dolls have very visible stockinette and head seams that show every stitch where they were joined together. I wanted that same look for this doll and I think that I have managed to capture all those details that show this doll’s two piece pressed cloth head construction to great advantage. She has a very sweet, serene expression and shows a moderate amount of “age” and wear. She has a bit of flaking and crackled paint, along with some worn and rubbed areas, just where little hands would have held and cuddled her.

At the moment she is dressed in pantalettes, a long chemise, a petticoat and a red and white cotton print dress. All of her clothing fabrics and second skin are antique. I do have a very good stock of antique fabrics at the moment, due to my summer shopping adventures; so if you would like to order additional clothing to go along with her I have some fantastic colors and prints for you to choose from. Dressed as is she’s priced at $1250.00. Please contact me to discuss additional wardrobe items, or if you have any questions or would like to see more photos. I may be reached at 860-355-5709 during reasonable East Coast hours or by email at paula@asweetremembrance.com. The antique child’s chair in original red paint is also available for sale. I happen to have a pair of them, they are $40 each or $75 for the pair. Both the doll and the chairs have free shipping to U.S. addresses and any item may be placed on lay-away with terms to fit your budget.

Antique Doll Furniture · Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Doll Clothing

Stepping Through Time ~ A Closer Look at Izannah Walker’s Painted Boots

June 26, 2013June 26, 2013 paulawaltonLeave a comment

My antique Izannah Walker holding an antique child's lace up boot. — My antique Izannah Walker doll holding an antique child’s lace-up boot.

I often buy antique items to use as research materials. I find that having an original item to study is so much better than having to rely on photographs, paintings and sketches. Last weekend I found a single black lace-up child’s boot in a style that will immediately be recognizable to anyone who is familiar with Izannah Walker’s dolls. Izannah painted very accurate representations of common children’s footwear that was worn in her time. The black lace-up boot shown here dates from the 1840-1850’s, although I am sure that this style of shoe was passed down to younger children and continued to be worn into the 1860’s.

Here you can see the painted version on the doll and the real life child's boot side by side. The ankles on this Izannah Walker doll have given way over time, with the painted fabric splitting near the ankle seam, where the leg is weaker. I have conserved the legs by affixing thin bands of leather to the ankles, using rubber cement. This holds the legs and feet together, but is a repair that can be removed without causing damage to the original antique surfaces beneath. — Here you can see the painted version on the doll and the real life child’s boot side by side. The ankles on this Izannah Walker doll have given way over time, with the painted fabric splitting near the ankle seam, where the leg is weaker. I have conserved the legs by affixing thin bands of leather to the ankles, using rubber cement. This holds the legs and feet together, but is a repair that can be removed without causing damage to the original antique surfaces beneath.

A close-up of the painted boots on an original Izannah Walker doll. Compare them with the child's boot in the following photo. — A close-up of the painted boots on an original Izannah Walker doll. Compare them with the child’s boot in the following photo.

c. 1840-1850's child's black lace-up leather boot. — c. 1840-1850’s child’s black lace-up leather boot.

A side view of Izannah's painted boots. Notice how the top of the boots are higher at the front of the leg and lower in the back. — A side view of Izannah’s painted boots. Notice how the top of the boots are higher at the front of the leg and lower in the back.

Compare this side view to Izannah's painted version. Notice how closely they match. — Compare this side view to Izannah’s painted version. Notice how closely they match.

Note the characteristic shaped sole on the bottom of the boot.

Here you can see the sole of the boots that are echoed in Izannah's painted cloth version. — Here you can see the sole of the boots that are echoed in Izannah’s painted cloth version.

This photo shows the bottom of the boot sole. Youcan tell that these boots were worn by a child that had not yet learned to walk. — This photo shows the bottom of the boot sole. You can tell that these boots were worn by a child that had not yet learned to walk.

Another style of boots that Izannah Walker painted on her dolls were scallop top, side button boots like these, shown in a c.1870-1880's portrait. — Another style of boots that Izannah Walker painted on her dolls were scallop top, side button boots like these, shown in a c.1870-1880’s portrait that I own.

Izannah’s dolls kept up with current fashions, and when scallop top, side button boots became part of children’s attire, she painted this later style of footwear on some of her dolls. When considering the age of an Izannah Walker doll, you can take the style of their painted boots into account. I would not consider this to be a fool proof method of dating the dolls, because young children’s styles often lag behind those of older children and adults, Izannah’s dolls have a tendency to retain the look of the 1840’s – 1850’s no matter when they were made, and then there is the issue of the rarer bare footed dolls… However when looked upon as a supporting bit of evidence along with the rest of the doll’s history and clues to be found in her construction and clothing, painted boot styles can be quite helpful.

Another type of painted boots that can be found on Izannah Walker dolls are the tall black leather boots with red tops that she used on her rare boy dolls. I don’t own an example of those boots to show you, but if you follow this link to the Wisconsin Historical Society Children’s Shoe Collection you will be able to see the boy’s boots, as well as additional dated examples of lace-up and scallop boots.

Antique Doll Furniture · Antique Izannah Walker Dolls · Celebrations · Izannah Reproduction Doll Class · Izannah Walker Project Ideas · Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll · Stray Comments

Valentine’s Day Tea Party XOXO

February 14, 2013February 14, 2022 paulawalton6 Comments

Welcome to our Valentine's Day Tea Party! Would you care for a cup of violet tea and a mace shortbread cookie? — “Welcome to our Valentine’s Day Tea Party! I’ve poured you a cup of violet tea. I hope you like mace shortbread cookies.”

We baked the cookies yesterday. — “Yesterday we baked cookies *all day* long.”

“These are my very favorite cookies! They smell so good. Would you write the recipe down for me?”

"Let's pose for a family portrait while we are all together, so that we'll always be able to remember how much we enjoyed having tea and spending time together today!" — “Let’s pose for a family portrait while we are all together, so that we’ll always be able to remember today!”

"One more! Everybody smile and say TEA!" — “One more! Everyone smile and say TEA!”… Three little sisters join their elders in wishing you a very happy Valentine’s Day.

"Now that we've eaten and taken photos, let's make make Valentine presents." — “Now that we’ve eaten and taken photos, let’s make make Valentine presents.”

"My heart is in your hand." — “My heart is in your hand.”

"I'll keep it on my desk so that I can see it every day and think of you." — “I’ll keep it on my desk so that I can see it every day and think of you.”

"One more cup of tea?" — “One last cup of tea?”

Thank you for coming! We hope you had fun.

– Newly made Izannah Walker reproduction dolls may be custom ordered, p lease see my website Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance for details.

– The recipe for Mace Shortbread cookies is available by clicking here.

– Violet tea may be purchased from Simpson and Vail.

– Directions for the two love tokens shown, plus one more are posted on my Izannah Walker Class Member Site. If you would like to buy or read more about the class click here.

– True Blue is busy making a Valentine for Kathy.

– Savannah is slaving away on a very special heartfelt letter to Charlotte.

– Ruthie is on her way back home to Brooklyn after visiting for a “spa day” to have the damage caused by the post office repaired. She says that she is ever so much better now and that she feels beautiful again. Plus she loves her new warm flannel petticoat and can’t wait to show it off to Paula C.!

– I’m getting ready to go on a double date with my husband and our very dearest friends Joy and John…

Thank you for stopping by Valentine!

XOXO Hugs and Kisses,

Paula

Antique Doll Furniture · Doll Accessories · Other Types of Doll Making · Shows · Where to Shop

Fabulous Finds

October 27, 2011October 28, 2011 paulawalton3 Comments

I have been finding the most wonderful things recently on my shopping forays to the flea market and various other locales. My latest trip on Sunday to the Elephant’s Trunk and the Jenny Lind Doll Club’s annual Doll Show were no exception. Since I just returned last week from a whirlwind shopping trip to Bella Vista, Arkansas with 11 other women, you would think I would be all shopped out 🙂 Apparently not so!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Strands of pink colored bone beads will make charming doll size necklaces. I also have them in natural bone and indigo blue.

I was very excited to find strands of bone beads at the flea market. They are going to make wonderful Izannah necklaces and are available in more colors than the coral beads I have been using. The bone beads are also just as historically accurate as the coral. So now you will have your choice of both types of beads.

I’ve been frantically stocking up on all of the appropriate antique fabrics I can find. It’s going to be a long winter with many fewer shopping opportunities. I’m trying to make sure that I have enough fabric on hand to dress the dolls I will be making from now through early spring. The only drawback is that it’s making me feel a bit like a squirrel putting away nuts for winter 🙂

My shopping list, when I headed out to the doll show, consisted of one item – hand knitted doll socks. Upon arrival at the show I very virtuously purchased numerous pairs of lacy knit stockings (they are the one and only item of apparel that I do not hand make for my reproduction Izannahs). But then I got a bit sidetracked! I happened upon a fantastic German wooden doll, dressed in indigo prints.

Her clothing is old, though not as old as the doll herself. I’m estimating that her current ensemble dates to 1890-1910. Her pantalettes and chemise are probably original to the doll, which was made in the first part of the 19th century. Soon the wooden doll was carefully wrapped in tissue and residing in my shopping bag. To make sure that she didn’t feel lonely, I added a pair of tiny bisque pincushion dolls, a 1920’s Japanese bisque doll, a vintage spun cotton ornament, two tiny wooden Noah’s Ark dogs, and a pair of vintage evergreens to keep her company.