Artist Rainie Crawford shares an adorable antique bear from her collection.Paintings by noted artist Rainie Crawford.You may remember seeing Rainie’s dolls and bears in these and many more magazines.Rainie will be selling these dolls, as well as many more of her prototype cloth dolls and bears in the upcoming months. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing one for your collection.More of Rainie Crawford’s original prototype cloth dolls and bears, soon to be offered for sale.
I had a whirlwind week last week. So much so that I’m still not caught up and only getting around to posting this now 🙂 Last Monday I had the chance to visit with Rainie Crawford, she is a wonderful artist and doll maker, who designed an entire line of cloth doll and teddy bear patterns. You may remember seeing her ads for mail order patterns in many women’s magazines over the years. My friend Joy and I spent an entire day with Rainie. She gave us a tour of all of her collections and we had a lovely time talking about doll and bear making, among many other topics. The day just flew past. I took lots of photos of Rainie’s collections and dolls which I will be sharing in a later post. Rainie is going to be selling her prototype dolls. They are all of the models used in her magazine ads. She has not worked out all of the details just yet, but if you would be interested in adding an original Rainie Crawford prototype cloth doll to your collection, you may contact me at paula@asweetremembrance.com and I will gladly put you in touch with Rainie.
Some of my favorite purchases from the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY. I bought 4 yards of grey polka dot Moda fabric and a whole bag full of vintage grey rick rack, piping and bias tape. I’ve really been attracted to grey lately when sewing clothes for myself.
On Friday, a group of friends and I braved the rain to go to the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY. We had a fun, but very wet, day and came back home with a head full of ideas and bag full of treasures. I have been wanting to go to a Country Living Fair for several years, but hadn’t been willing to drive to Ohio to attend.
A view of the Harwinton antique show last weekend. Notice the puddles 🙂The fair grounds in Harwinton, CT. Home of the twice a yearly Antique and Design Weekend.
The rain finally cleared enough on Saturday for me to go to an antique show in Harwinton, CT, which is held at the local fair grounds. That meant I was traipsing around poultry and livestock buildings two days in a row 🙂 I’ve been going to the Harwinton show, which was previously held at the polo grounds in Farmington,CT, for twenty years. Unfortunately the show is much smaller than it was in it’s heyday. The show has been plagued with bad weather for quite a few years, which may have kept some dealers away. Even though there was less to see, I did enjoy looking at the offerings presented by some great long time antique dealers, and managed to unearth a few wonderful bits of doll clothing and accessories.
Sunday at the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market.Wear comfy shoes if you go to the Elephant’s Trunk because there are acres of things to see every Sunday.
On Sunday morning it was back to the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market for my weekly antique fabric hunt. I shop all summer long, searching for enough antique fabrics to tide me over through the lean shopping months of winter. At times I feel like a busy squirrel, frantically burying seeds in every possible nook and cranny. Needless to say, my studio is now piled high with stacks of tattered quilts, bits of lace, well worn linens and the surviving remnants of once beautiful antique garments. All of them waiting for me to gently take them apart, wash and air them, then fold them safely away and store them on the shelves in my studio, where they will wait until I bring them back to life as part of my dollmaking.
I promise to share photos of some of my best finds in upcoming posts. Until then I wish you all luck with your own summer treasure hunts!
I hit the lace mother load last Sunday at the flea market!Little bits of this and that, all waiting for me to clean, repair and remake…Well worn antique wool shawls, destined to become doll clothing for a special doll.I was thrilled to find part of a very early tied quilt. This practically pristine 18th century chintz is going into my Queen Anne doll making supply stash.Another very early antique chintz fabric.Two tattered and worn antique quilts that are stacked up in my studio waiting for me to take them apart and turn them into little Izannah dresses…
I have always loved antique dolls that have acquired a myriad collection of possessions throughout their long lives. I have endeavored to give True Blue a good start on a hope chest of her own, one that can be added to for generations to come. She is true blue through and through with a blue second skin made from antique glazed cotton.
Her undergarments consist of a long lace trimmed chemise, pantalettes, and two petticoats trimmed in blue crocheted lace and tatting. In her antique trunk she has four hand made dresses, a tiny antique tintype photograph, a chatelaine to keep all of her sewing essentials close by, a vintage silk flag to wave at the 4th of July parade and a miniature feather tree to help her celebrate Christmas. She also owns two necklaces to wear on Sundays and to parties, as well as two aprons to keep her clean while doing everyday chores. Rounding out her possessions are a signed copy of August 2012 Early American Life and an Early American Life Craftsman Directory recognition tag. Her adoption fee is $2900.
All of her dresses are made from antique fabrics. The first is a wonderful indigo print cotton, with a banded neckline and sleeves and two growth tucks in the skirt. The second is a lively red and blue paisley print, with short straight sleeves, a deep hem and two growth tucks.
Her third dress is a very early Prussian blue and brown cotton paisley that almost, but one quite as sheer as gauze. It has tucked and gathered sleeves and a banded neckline. The fourth dress is True Blue’s wardrobe is a very sheer woven cotton fabric, that is reminiscent of cheese cloth in its open weave, with woven white and blue “dots”. It has a very full bodice, skirt and sleeves, with bands of cotton tape at the sleeves, neckline and waistband.
All of True’s possessions fit neatly into to her fabric covered trunk. The trunk itself is not perfect. It shows signs of having been lovingly played with over the years. I think that it fits very well with the amount of “aging” that True exhibits. I came across this trunk in Brimfield in May. At the time I bought it, the trunk was lined with a modern “country” print wallpaper. I have swapped out the lining for some much older vintage wallpaper that I just happened to have in my stash.
If you’d like to add more items, such as additional underwear, dresses, bonnets, etc. I would be happy to make them for her. Just inquire at paula@asweetremembrance.com for prices.
“True Blue” my reproduction Izannah Walker doll pictured in the August 2012 issue of Early American Life magazine. She is shown here with her antique trunk, one of her three extra dresses, her miniature antique tintype photograph, signed copy of the magazine and her Early American Life tag.
I’m extremely honored to have been juried into Early American Life’s 2012 Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen. This is the 25th and 26th time I have been chosen for the Directory. This year in the categories of Toys and Dolls and Clothing or Accessories.
I know not everyone is familiar with Early American Life and their Directory, so here is a copy of the official press release. The magazine editors wrote such an elegant and informative description of the Directory, there is no way I could explain it better.
National Magazine Honors Area Craftsperson
June 2012 – Paula Walton of New Milford, CT won the highest award as a traditional artisan in this year’s Directory of Traditional American Crafts, and her work is showcased in the 2012 August issue of Early American Life magazine. She ranks top in her field, according to a panel of national experts convened by the magazine. The experts – curators from such prestigious institutions as the American Folk Art Museum, Frontier Culture Museum, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Hancock Shaker Village and Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the National Trust, Old Sturbridge Village, Southern Highland Craft Guild, Strawberry Banke Museum, and Winterthur Museum as well as antique dealers, independent scholars, and professional instructors – selected the top craftspeople working with traditional tools and techniques for the magazine’s 27th annual Directory of Traditional American Crafts. Walton’s handcraft showed mastery of the art form, heritage techniques, and workmanship, according to the judges.
The Directory of Traditional American Crafts is a special listing that appears in the August 2012 issue of Early American Life, a national magazine focusing on architecture, decorative arts, period style, and social history from colonial times through the mid-19th century. The Directory has been used for nearly three decades by curators at living history museums, owners of traditional homes, and motion picture producers to find artisans to make period-appropriate furnishings and accessories for displays, collections, and use.
“The judges look for authentic design and workmanship, whether the piece is a faithful reproduction or the artisan’s interpretation of period style,” said Tess Rosch, publisher of Early American Life. “Scholarship, as well as use of period tools and techniques, is particularly valued in this competition.”
One goal of the Directory is to help preserve traditional handcrafts, part of our culture that is rapidly being lost in the digital age. Many of these skills were passed down from master to apprentice for hundreds of years, but now few new people choose to learn and master them. “If our traditional arts are lost, we have forgotten a part of who we are as Americans,” Rosch said.
The August 2012 issue of Early American Life, on newsstands June 19th, lists all artisans selected for the Directory as well as contact information for those wanting to own their work. The Directory layout features lush color photos of many of these artworks photographed at Renfrew Museum and Park in Waynesboro, Pennslvania.
“The Directory is a source for collectors and historic museums eager to own fine handcrafted, period-accurate objects and also a means of supporting those who perpetuate the art forms that are such and important part of our nation’s heritage.” Rocsh said. To learn more about Early American Life, for subscription information, or to purchase a copy, visit www.EarlyAmericanLife.com.
Early American Life is a bimonthly magazine with a circulation of 90,000. The magazine was founded in 1970 and is owned by Firelands Media Group LLC, Shaker Heights, Ohio.
A Mad Scramble
I was thrilled when EAL asked if I could send one of my dolls to Pennsylvania to be photographed. Unfortunately, I did not have any unsold dolls available when they asked. The good news was that I did have several dolls that I was working on at the time, so a wild and intense two weeks of painting and sewing ensued! I finished True Blue, just in time to send her Express Mail to the photo shoot. I love this doll!!! I was sorely tempted to clutch her to my breast and declare her “not for sale”… but I have decided that I could have fun spending extra time with her by creating a trunk full of possessions for her to keep in the antique doll’s trunk I found for her in Brimfield, on my May shopping trip. So True Blue is going to be for sale just as soon as I put the finishing touches on her third and fourth dresses and make her chatelaine. If you are interested in learning more about her before I get her final photos and write up posted on my website, you may email me paula@asweetremembrance.com or call 860-355-5709.
In reading through Early American Life editor Jeanmarie Andrews’ August column, I learned something that I hadn’t known before. Jeanmarie states ” It might seem like we pick our favorites to photograph year after year, but we don’t. Instead we rely on antique dealers and collectors, museum curators and directors who know which colors, designs, dimensions, joinery techniques, and finishes harmonize to produce a masterpiece.” The Early American Life Directory has been in existence for 27 years and gone through many changes to reflect the mission of the various publishing companies who have owned the magazine during that time. I’m not quite sure when they changed the method of selecting items for photography, but I will say that it made me even more humbled and thankful that they chose to photograph one of my dolls.
True Blue and a copy of the August 2012 issue of Early American Life that I am putting in her trunk as a remembrance of her journey to Pennsylvania and the time she spent at Renfrew Museum during the EAL photo shoot.
True Blue and her Possessions
I think that I have given True Blue a good start on her hope chest. She is dressed in a chemise, pantalettes, two petticoats and an indigo print dress. In her trunk she has three more dresses, a tiny antique tintype photograph, a chatelaine to keep all of her sewing essentials close by and a flag to wave at the 4th of July parade. She also owns several necklaces to wear on Sundays and to parties, as well as two aprons to keep her clean while doing everyday chores. All of her clothing and keepsakes fit into her antique trunk. Her adoption fee is going to be $2900.
If you’d like to add more items, such as additional underwear, dresses, bonnets, etc. I would be happy to make them for her. Just inquire at paula@asweetremembrance.com for prices.
May You Live in Interesting Times…
I’ll try to get her dresses finished and get her posted for sale sometime next week, but I can’t promise… I’m working around a wedding. One of my sons is getting married on June 30th, so there are only 15 days left on our wedding count down!!! Not a problem unless you happen to be the mother of the groom who is also the head seamstress for the bridal alterations department, the chief baker of the wedding cake, groom’s cake and an entire tower of tiny heart shaped tarts, and art director in charge of wedding decorations 🙂 I also have to figure out how to get the house cleaned before out of town relatives arrive for the wedding and get my drivers license renewed!!! Never a dull moment at our house… but at least there is no time to get bored 🙂
Charlotte’s doll has put on her socks and shoes, packed her bags, and is ready to travel. Because she’ll have a lengthy journey, with a stop in customs, I’ve made a short video for Charlotte to watch while she waits.
If you love Izannahs too, grab a cup of tea and enjoy the show! Be sure to watch for the “coming attractions” feature at the end to see the two other dolls that I’m working on, one of them inspired by a doll that recently sold a the Sandwich Auction House on April 21, 2012 & the doll shown at Steamboat Arabia: A Historian’s Blog, and for more information on my 2012 Izannah Walker Doll Making Retreat.
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!
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.
Antique white fabric and lace spilling out of a mid-19th century hide covered trunk. The wooden trunk, lined with period newspaper, is just the right size to hold an Izannah Walker doll and her wardrobe.
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 🙂
Early 19th century German wooden doll, with intricately carved ball joints and turn of the 20th century indigo clothing. The doll stands next to a 19th century domed wooden trunk in original blue paint and a 19th century turned walnut spool holder /pincushion. Lying at her feet is an antique crochet sample booklet, made of brown polished cotton with pinked edges.
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.
A closer look at my newly acquired antique wooden doll.
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.
These tiny bisque pincushion dolls, clad in pink silk, are barely 2 inches tall.Another fun flea market purchase is this doll size polychrome folk art cupboard. There is a drawer in the bottom, big enough to hold an entire child size tea set.The girls were quite pleased when I brought home this Izannah size mid-19th century doll chair, with a rush seat. They were getting tired of having to share one chair 🙂 The chair is sitting on top of a c.1750 Rhode Island blanket chest in original red paint, covered with a late 19th century hooked rug.
I’ve just listed this doll on eBay. She turned out so well! I finished her clothes this afternoon, and immediately decided that she is one of my favorites. I hope you agree. Click on any of the small photos to enlarge them.
I love this 175 year old paisley dress fabric. It's a golden brown and Prussian blue print from the 1830's.Her linen chemise has a hand gathered antique lace frill around the neck, which can peek above the neckline of her dress, or be modestly tucked underneath.Her painted boots have scalloped tops that are trimmed in Prussian blue.I've left her pantalettes long, so that their tatted lace trim shows, but if you prefer, I would be happy to add tucks to the hemline so that more of her boots will be visible.I adore all of the different mourning prints in this two piece outfit. All of the fabrics work so well together .Add a hat and a photo of some of her witchy sisters and she is all ready for Halloween!
The deadline for getting your friendship quilt blocks in the mail was 7/1. I had meant to post a reminder several days ago, but life got in the way 🙂 So if the same thing happened to you, then you have one last chance to mail in your 3 inch doll size friendship blocks to the exchange.
Just post a comment here to let me know they are on their way and get them mailed by Wednesday 7/6! That gives you a day to recover from the holiday weekend and a day to pack them up and mail them out. See the full exchange rules here. Happy quilting!!!
This Izzy is available for sale. Call or email me if you would like more information about her, or additional photos.
***Thank you to everyone who came to the show last year in 2011!!! I hope you are enjoying your purchases. I’m not doing an online show in 2012 because we are having a wedding in the family instead. ***
The show is open! Hours – Friday, June 24th at 8 p.m. Eastern Time through 10 p.m. Sunday, June 26th.
The show includes dolls, antique bears and toys, vintage and antique cooking items, small handcrafted treasures plus a few surprises for sale on a first come basis. So don’t wait!
The show is posted on my blog, www.paulawalton.com. You will be able to view the show by visiting paulawalton.com from 8 p.m. Eastern Time on June 24th through 10 p.m. Eastern Time June 26th. If you see something you would like to buy, you can either email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com or call me at 860-355-5709, please no phone calls before 9 a.m. or after 10p.m. Eastern Time. I will be accepting checks, money orders and Paypal for payment. You may also place items on lay away. If you would like to pay using Paypal, I will invoice you. If you wish to pay with a credit card, you may do so through Paypal as a guest – you do not have to open a Paypal account.
As always everything, except carousel horses and large pieces of furniture, will include free shipping. If it is possible for you to come pick your purchases up in person, then I will subtract a bit from your total 🙂
I will be posting additional items throughout the weekend, so check back 🙂
A few years ago I ran a Civil War era friendship quilt block exchange amongst a far flung group of friends. We had a lot of fun shopping for fabrics, choosing block patterns and trading our finished blocks.
This is my quilt from that friendship block exchange. This photo is before I added the borders to the top.
Now whenever we look at our finished quilts we remember the good time we had creating them, and think of all of the people that came together to make each of our quilts.
This is the top with the borders on.
One of the blocks in my quilt.
When I was thinking up ways to celebrate my 25th anniversary in business, it occurred to me that an Izannah Walker doll sized friendship block exchange would be a great activity to mark the occasion and share something special with all of the people that make me love doing what I do.
This is the quilt that came with one of my antique Izannah Walker dolls.This is the reverse side of the same quilt. It is pieced on both sides and tied rather than quilted.
Friendship quilts were all the rage in the 1840’s. They were an outgrowth of the practice, in earlier decades of the 19th century, of keeping albums containing the signatures of friends and relatives. The signatures on the quilt blocks were a remembrance of the individuals who signed, and often made, the blocks. Friendship quilts were most frequently made for people who were moving away from their communities, or to mark important occasions such as weddings and births.
So pull out your scrap bags, thread your needles and help me commemorate my own important occasion by joining in my friendship quilt block exchange.
Even if you have never quilted before, I think you will find this to be an enjoyable, easy project. If you don’t want to quilt your finished coverlet, you can hand tie it instead. I’m sure your Izannah will love it either way. If you can manage to sneak the quilt away from your doll, it would also look wonderful hanging on your wall.
The rules are simple:
1. All fabrics should be roughly Civil War era material, either reproduction or the real thing (if you are lucky enough to have antique fabric in your stash). That way the quilts will be just right to keep your Izzys warm at night.
Please make sure all of your fabrics are pre-washed, so that they will not shrink if they are washed after the quilt is made.
2. We are exchanging 3 inch blocks, that means that the finished size of the blocks, when pieced together to form a quilt are 3 inches square. The blocks that you send in should measure 3- ½ x 3 – ½ inches, which includes a ¼ inch seam allowance all around the block. Please make sure your measurements are exact. It is unbelievably frustrating to try and piece together quilt blocks that are all slightly different sizes.
3. Your blocks may be of any Civil War era design you would like, either pieced or appliqued. You may piece blocks as simple as a four patch, or log cabin, or get crazy and do more elaborate blocks. The only thing I ask is that you make blocks that you would be happy to have someone else give you. 🙂
4. Use a Micron Pigma #08 black pen and your best handwriting to write your name, the date and the city you live in on the front side of each of the blocks you send in to the exchange.
5. You may send in as many blocks as you wish and will receive the same number of blocks in exchange.
6. Please send a self addressed postage paid return envelope in with your blocks. Include a note with your name, mailing address, email address and the number of blocks you are sending in the envelope. Make sure that the return postage is enough to cover the cost of mailing your blocks back to you.
7. All blocks sent in to the exchange must be post marked no later than July 1, 2011 (please mail your blocks earlier than 7/1/11 if you live outside of the United States).
Mail your blocks to me:
Paula Walton
A Sweet Remembrance
172 Aspetuck Ridge Road
New Milford, CT 06776-5611
You will receive all of your exchanged friendship blocks back in time to stitch together a wonderful doll size quilt before fall. Did you know that in days past, most quilting was done in the warmer months to take advantage of the additional hours of sunlight to sew by? The majority of the quilting in New England was done from May – November, with May and October being the busiest quilting months.
If you email me photos of your finished quilts I will post them here for everyone to ohhh and ahhh over.
Happy Quilting! I’m looking forward to trading blocks with you 🙂
Just call me "Patchwork Paula" like my youngest son, an editor at Topp's, did when he named this Garbage Pail Kid after me 🙂 You can see more at http://www.colinwalton.com
* if you would like to read more about friendship quilts I recommend Northern Comfort New England’s Early Quilts 1780-1850 by Lynne Z. Bassett and Jack Larkin
Need More Inspiration?
Here are a few more photos from my previous full size Civil War Block Exchange.
Gail and her finished Civil War friendship quilt. Isn't it gorgeous? My sister Marisa quilting her Civil War quilt as Jan looks on and gives tips.Marisa's finished Civil War friendship quilt.
One side of my small Civil War Friendship quilt.The reverse side of my small friendship quilt.
Izannah Walker Journal 