Paula Walton’s doll-making notes
This doll is SOLD. Thanks so much for looking.
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.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a modest weekly allowance. It was designed to teach me how the save and spend money. They came up with a formula for calculating allowance rates, twenty-five cents a week starting on my fifth birthday, with a ten cent raise every year. Saturday was allowance day 🙂
Sometimes I would spend my allowance right away, and other times I would save it in my bank, which was shaped like an upright antique wood stove. In addition to my allowance, my grandparents would occasionally give me money that I added to my bank, along with the dimes my parents gave out for 1’s on my report card (our school used a numbered grading system instead of ABC’s, so a 1 was equivalent to an A).
Because I have always loved dolls, a large portion of my childhood savings was spent on dolls. At first, when I was very small, I would buy tiny plastic dolls at Ben Franklin’s for a quarter. Then came my Liddle Kiddle’s faze, where I saved up $1.79 – $2.99 to buy every different Liddle Kiddle I could find.
When I was eleven I started babysitting. I earned 50 cents an hour. I thought I was rich! With my new found earnings I took the plunge and opened my first lay-away account at the toy department of a local store. For months I had been looking at all of the Madame Alexander dolls in the store.
Now I could finally buy one! The dolls were much more expensive than any that my parents were willing to buy me for Christmas or my birthday, but I had my heart set on having a really “good” doll. I already loved antique dolls and had I known where to buy one, I probably would have tried to purchase a china doll instead. But eleven year olds then didn’t have all of the shopping resources that they have today, so I went with what I could buy at one of the major department stores in our town.
I would talk one parent or another into taking me to the shopping mall to make a lay-away payment every time I had $2 or $3 saved up. I’m sure they must have gotten tired of making all of those trips, but I don’t remember them ever refusing to take me 🙂 Eventually the doll was paid for and I proudly brought her home. Later my interest turned to clothes and shoes and I once again ventured into the land of lay-away to buy my first pair of heels. Black patent leather Mary Jane’s with a much coveted one inch heel!
I still have my Madame Alexander doll and the Mary Jane’s and will always look back fondly on my first lay-away experiences and the joy of being able to save up and buy something special. That is why I am happy to offer lay-away as an option to anyone who wants to buy one of my dolls 🙂 How could I resist providing the same service to others, that allowed me to buy my first good doll?
If you would like to buy any of my dolls and place them on lay-away, just call 860-355-5709 or email me paula@asweetremembrance.com. Lay-away is also a wonderful way to buy a custom made doll.
Here is a glimpse of the dolls that I am currently working on. Email or call me if you would like to see more photos of a particular doll, or would like to ask questions and prices. Paula@ASweetRemembrance.com or 860-355-5709.
She has SOLD, thank you for looking.
I got a little carried away when I was listing items and set up twenty five auctions. I’m selling several antique dolls, vintage teddy bears and some antique cooking implements. If you’d like to look at every thing I have listed on eBay, click here. Most of these auctions have closed, but there are a few still running for Izannah and Spun Cotton Classes.
Do you want to learn how to make reproduction Izannah Walker dolls??? The sign up deadline for my September doll making retreat is approaching fast. If you can’t come to Connecticut, my class by mail is the next best thing.
My favorite reading this week is the August issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine. It has a fantastic eight and a half page article about the Izannah Walker Reunion held last November by the Doll Collectors of America. The article is full of glorious photos of the 31 antique Izannah Walker dolls that attended. If you don’t already have a copy of this magazine, you need to get one immediately.
Another Izannah Walker article to be on the look out for is one being published in the Christmas issue of Early American Life magazine. I’ve just finished working on my advertisement for that issue, nothing like thinking of Christmas in July! I’m very proud to say that I will be in the 2011 Holiday Directory of Traditional Crafts that will also be in the EAL Christmas issue. Thank you Early American Life!!! This is the 24th time that I’ve been chosen for the Directory 🙂
The last few days have been scorchingly hot here in Connecticut! Much too warm to garden, or work on the antique cupboards that I’m in the midst of 
cleaning and painting. So I have been distracting myself from the heat by making doll clothes. Which has worked pretty well for several hours at a time, once I finally made allowances for the heat. It’s been too hot to sew in both my new studio and my sewing room, so I wandered around the house until I found the least stifling hot room and set up a sewing machine. After all, that is why God made portable sewing machines 🙂
My newly claimed sewing area was not without it’s problems. First off, I needed a flat surface to plop the sewing machine on. I didn’t want to haul anything heavy or have to move furniture too far. I wound up grabbing a child size Mission oak desk that was the nearest thing to hand. Not ideal, but I was starting to work up a sweat, so I didn’t really care.
Next it was time to plug in the machine and get it threaded. Oops! No bobbin in the machine. That meant a trek out to my studio through the blazing sun to get one. I grabbed two, just for good measure and came back in the house.
With the machine finally threaded, I started sewing on some glorious early brown and red stripped fabric that I had chosen to make an Izzy dress. More problems, the tension on the Singer Featherweight I was using was off and the machine was skipping stitches. There ensued a small pause for the removal of the offending stitches and tension adjustment. Back to sewing… and still skipping stitches!!! Reread the last two sentences a few times and you’ll begin to see why I trooped back out to my studio to get a different Featherweight! Good thing I have a spare 🙂 Once I cooled down and gulped a glass of iced tea I finally got to sew!
I am quite pleased with the way the dress is turning out and once it’s finished I’m planning to make a Turkey red sunbonnet to go with it, as well as a red embroidered apron. I had such a good time sorting through my antique fabrics and picking out just the right ones, that I almost managed to forget I was hot 🙂
I hope that where ever you are that you’ve managed to find a moderately cool spot of your own. This doll has been sold. Thank you for stopping by to look at her:)
SOLD – THANK YOU FOR LOOKING
Pink, pink and more pink with tucks, flounces, ribbons and bows.
Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions or need more information or additional photos. You may purchase her on my website, where there is a shopping cart, automated checkout and detailed description. Or if you are just too hot and tired to deal with filling in the order form, call me at 860-355-5709 and I will do everything for you 🙂
Thank you so much for looking! This doll is now sold. You may custom order her younger sister:) by calling 860-355-5709 or emailing me paula@asweetremembrance.com.
I’ve just finished listing this doll on eBay. She is up for auction with a wardrobe of two dresses, an antique indigo print summer dress and a brown reproduction Civil War era brown cotton print dress for fall and winter. You know how important it is for a girl to have a choice of ensembles 🙂 .
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!!!
These are the dolls I have available for sale at the moment. Please feel free to call or email me if you are interested in buying one of them, or if you have any questions or would like to see additional photos. 860-355-5709 paula@asweetremembrance.com Click on any photo to enlarge.
Design Your Own Doll
I have one doll that is ready to be dressed. Here is your chance to pick and choose amongst my antique fabrics to get just the right outfit for the Izannah that you have always wanted! You may select the fabrics, style of dress, chemise, pantalettes and petticoat. Additionally you may choose the color of her second skin and pick between bare feet and painted boots. $1250 complete.
If you love making your own doll clothes, it would be possible to purchase the finished doll without clothing and with a copy of my Izannah Walker Doll Clothes Pattern. Call or email me to inquire if you are interested in this option.
A Fantastic Deal
Here are two wonderful black reproduction Izannah Walker dolls. I enjoyed making these doll immensely, but sadly they have turned out not to be as popular as I had hoped. Apparently there must have been a reason that Izannah Walker made so few black dolls 
These two young ladies are looking for a new home and to speed them on their way I’m offering them to you at half the cost of their sisters. This is a wonderful chance to get a very special doll at a very good price.
You may also commission custom made dolls, call or email to discuss all of your options.
This doll has been sold. If you love her and would like to order a similar doll, I would be happy to make one especially for you.
Let’s try this again! My photography skills dramatically improve in the daylight hours.
To read more about this doll check out my previous posts about her,
If you would like to purchase this doll, please visit my website A Sweet Remembrance, or simply call (860-355-5708) or email (paula@asweetremembrance.com) me.
Izannah Walker Journal 