Paula Walton’s doll-making notes
WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW
Thank you for coming to celebrate with us!
Love ❤
Paula, Zanna, Isabeau, Isane, Izzybelle, Ismay, Hannah, & their Providence Cousins
“Tag!” “You’re it!”
“Too much running… I’m losing my shoe…”
“Let’s play hide and seek”
“Isane you’re it!”
“Alright… One… Two…”
Welcome to our birthday tea party in honor of Izannah Walker, an extraordinary doll maker, who was the first woman to receive a United States Patent for her doll making method!
The dolls and their guests have gathered in the front parlor, while I brew a pot of tea. This afternoon we will be serving a combination of Earl Grey, lavender and ground vanilla beans. I drink mine with a bit of sugar, Isabeau and Zanna prefer lavender honey in theirs and little Izzybelle likes her cup partially filled with warm milk and a heaping spoonful of sugar, then topped up with tea!
See? I told you that the girls loved Joy’s article about her doll house! If you would like to read the article too, it is in the August 2015 issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine on pages 43-48. Not only does it include wonderful pictures and descriptions of the doll house, but it also shows Joy’s fantastic collection of antique Izannah Walker dolls. It is such a treat!
The dolls, kittens and I have so enjoyed having you visit us this afternoon! We hope you will come back tomorrow and Sunday for new posts at 10:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m. each day, as we party on!
And now, I don’t know about you, but I plan to brew another pot of tea, put my feet up and watch the dolls giggle and play on into the evening…
* Sharon’s and Billie’s dolls are custom orders, who will soon be traveling to their new homes. In the photos they are wearing borrowed finery. They will each be receiving their final dress fittings soon and will both have posts of their very own to show off their new wardrobes before they leave here.
** Lily is an antique Izannah Walker doll that is staying with me while she undergoes a bit of judicious restoration. She will also be featured in a series of upcoming posts that will chronicle her restoration adventures.
It was quite late last night, when I was writing up the first of this year’s birthday posts, so it totally slipped my mind that I was supposed to put these two items on the “what’s for sale this weekend” post. 🙂 Better late than never!
If you have been dreaming about a special reproduction Izannah Walker doll, I would be very happy to help bring your dreams to life. I am currently booking custom order dolls for July 2016 and beyond. You may call or email with questions about custom orders and to discuss all the details. 860-355-5709 during east coast business hours, or paula@asweetremembrance.com anytime.
Here is a link to the doll furniture tag sale. Click here to see more photos of Anna, Lily and Hannah. And this final link will take you to my Izannah Kit page on Paula Walton”s A Sweet Remembrance.
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.
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.
That’s All For Now…
Come back to see us at 9:00 a.m. eastern time for our continuing birthday party adventures.
The girl’s and I are in the midst of preparing for the big day on Friday!
Today I finished Carole’s special order “Ismay”. After popping Miss Ismay’s shoe laces in their dye baths, I hurried to take photos of her before dark. 🙂
In the morning Ismay’s shoe laces will be dry and I’ll teach her how to lace and tie her shoes!
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Once again I am honored to announce that I was chosen for inclusion in Early American Life’s Directory of Traditional American Craftsman. The August 2015 issue of EAL, which includes the directory, has just been mailed to subscribers and should also be out on newsstands soon. This is the 32nd time I’ve been in the directory, many years in more than one category, and each and every time has been just as thrilling as the first! It gives me such a warm feeling to know that the highly knowledgeable jurors, made up of museum professionals and other experts, have closely examined my work and named me as one of the top craftsmen working in my field(s).
Young Miss Isane traveled to Delaware earlier this spring to take part in the EAL directory photo shoot at Winterthur Museum. She had a wonderful time posing and exploring Winterthur. Now that she has returned safe and sound, she is looking for a new home to call her own.
6/22/15 UPDATE SHE IS NOW SOLD Isane is 18 inches tall and is one of my all cloth, reproduction Izannah Walker dolls. She has two painted ringlets in front of each ear and a row of five more along the nape of her neck. Isane has bare feet, with stockings sized down from antique socks, and two pairs of hand made leather shoes – one to match each of her dresses. She is wearing a chemise, pantalettes trimmed with pintucked ruffles, a cotton petticoat and an embroidered woolen petticoat. Her floral printed white dress is modeled after the dress worn by the Izannah Walker doll owned by the Worthington, Ohio Historical Society. I am excessively fond of that doll and she was my inspiration for this Isane.
Her second dress is made from prussian blue and olive brown print fabric, with short ruffled sleeves and a growth tuck in the skirt. All of her clothing is made from antique fabric, laces and buttons. A signed copy of the magazine will accompany her to her new home. Isane may be adopted for $1675.00. Insured shipping to any United States address is free of charge. If you live outside of the U.S., exact USPS international mail shipping charges will apply. As always lay-away is an option. ❤
This doll has been sold – thank you so much for coming to look at her. If you have any questions about Isane, or would like to purchase her please email me anytime at paula@asweetremembrance.com or call me at 860-355-5709 during east coast business hours.
You may see more photos of Isane by clicking on this link.
In November I started selling an Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll Making Kit, in addition to my existing Izannah Walker Doll Making Class and my fully finished reproduction Izannahs with authentic pressed cloth heads. My kit makes it possible for those of you who do not want to sculpt and make your own molds to try your hand at making a reproduction Izannah Walker doll. ❤
Is it just the same & every bit as good as an all cloth reproduction Izannah? No it’s not, but it is easier to make and it does cost less. 🙂 So that makes it a great alternative for some of you! My kit isn’t for beginners. It’s a simpler method of making a reproduction Izannah Walker doll, with an appearance that is faithful to that of the original dolls, but is still a challenging and rewarding project!
If you have already purchased a kit, here is a video with a few additional helpful tips. If you have been thinking about buying a kit the video will give you a good look at what is included, and what your options are. If you just enjoy seeing some of my reproduction Izzys then you will also want to take a peek. And for those of you who’d like to see what my office looks like, the video has you covered too! 🙂
If you have any questions about my kits, classes or dolls please feel free to contact me at 860-355-5709 during east coast business hours or email me anytime at paula@asweetremembrance.com.
Wishing you all a very happy Easter weekend!
Need a bit more Easter eye candy? Click here to see a previous Easter post.
post script…
Were you wondering if Miss Zanna arrived safe and sound at her new home in time to celebrate Easter with her sisters? Take a peek…. all of her sisters and a dear old family friend have made her feel particularly welcome and well loved ❤
Izannah Walker Journal 