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 shows off her magazine debut.
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 and her photo spread.
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!”“I wonder where Sophie hid those eggs???”
*** a late night addition to this post. It’s 11:00 p.m. and I’m quitting for today. One doll is finished and the other one is waiting for her arms to dry. Last photo of the night, with more to follow in the daylight!
Here is a quick glimpse of two dolls that I have been working on for the past month. I’m so pleased with the way they are turning out that I just had to share a few photos with you before I go out to my studio for the day. Both of them are made from a mold of the Izannah Walker doll I bought in November.
The original Izannah is on the right. She was recently repainted by a previous owner – so this is not her original paint. My reproduction is on the left.Another view of the girls as they sat with me this morning over tea.The second doll I’m working on from the same mold.One last photo…
Now back to work so that I can get these girls completed!
Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information about either of these dolls. paula@asweetremembrance.com or 860-355-5709
In a panic for a perfect last minute present? Now you can put a gift certificate for one of my dolls or an extra doll dress under your tree!
If you need a wonderful last minute gift for a very special doll lover in your life, I have gift certificates available for custom made Izannah Walker dolls and for custom made Izannah doll dresses too! Call or email me to order – 860-355-5709 or paula@asweetremembrance.com. I can still email the certificate to you for you to print and wrap before Christmas.
My gift certificates feature images of antique paper dolls that have been altered. Illustrations of my Izannah Walker reproduction dolls now replace the original paper doll heads.
These two dolls are finished and looking for a loving new family. Both dolls are now sold and looking forward to traveling to their new homes.
10/23/13 – I want to add that these may be the only dolls, other than already scheduled custom orders, that I will have finished before Christmas.
Naturally I will try to make one or two more before the end of the year, but as of now I am pretty tightly booked.
The other thing I forgot to say is that you may put these dolls on lay-away, just like everything else that I sell.
As promised, here are photographs of the two dolls I currently have finished and available for sale. They are listed for sale on my website Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance. You may email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com or call 860-355-5709 if you have any questions about the dolls or would like to see additional photos.
Isabeau #3 SOLD
A sweet, demure 17-1/2 inch tall doll from my Isabeau mold. She has two ringlets in front of each ear and five curls at the back of her neck. Her black painted boots have scalloped tops. She is currently dressed in a knee length chemise with gathered lace ruffles at the neck and sleeves, a petticoat and pantalettes. The black dress she is shown wearing above and below has been sold, so here is your chance to pick your favorite style of Izannah dress and choose an antique fabric from my stash. Contact me with your color preferences and I will email you photos of dress fabrics. Her adoption fee, fully dressed, is $1250.
Anna #3 SOLD
Anna #3 is a smaller 16-1/2 inch tall doll. She has short wispy hair in front and in back. Her dress fabric comes from an 1830’s dress which was remade in the 1890’s and has provenance. I’ll send a copy of the note that came with the fabric along with the doll. the rest of her wardrobe consists of a hip length chemise, pantalettes, a petticoat and painted boots with scalloped tops. Anna #3 can be yours for $1250.
A family portrait… The doll in the pink dress has been sold.
Today marks the 196th anniversary of Izannah Walker’s birth. She was born in Bristol, Rhode Island on the 25th day of September in 1817. You may read more details about Izannah’s life in this post. I wish I could invite you all over to my house for cake and silly party games, but since I can’t, I’m doing the next best thing and having a SALE to celebrate the occasion and to say thank you for being such wonderful customers, students and friends. It is such a great pleasure to know other people who love Izannah’s dolls as much as I do!
From 9/25/13 – 9/29/13 all of my reproduction Izannah Walker dolls, additional custom made dresses and accessories for your Izzy, Izannah Walker doll clothes patterns and Izannah Walker Doll Making Classes are 10% off. This sale applies only to items ordered from September 25th through September 29th, 2013, the discount is not available on prior orders. As always, all items may be placed on lay-away with terms to fit your budget and shipping is free to any United States address. I generally just have two sales per year, my Izannah Walker Birthday Sale and my Christmas Sale 🙂 So don’t let this one pass you by.
Three Finished Dolls Available
I have three very special dolls available for this years Birthday Sale. One of them is created from a brand new mold that I made from my friend Mary’s Izannah Walker doll, Anna. Thank you Mary!!! Anna is 17 inches tall, so she is a smaller size than my other dolls and has the look of a younger, chubbier child. All three of these dolls have very aged appearances, befitting young ladies that were made early in Izannah’s doll making career. They each come with two elaborate dresses, full of wonderful little details to delight the heart of any dress maker, a chemise, pantalettes, petticoat and necklace.
Isabeau #1 SOLD – Thank you so much for stopping by to look at her! Please contact me if you would like to order a custom made doll similar to this one.
SOLD Isabeau #1 comes with a necklace made from hand strung pale pink bone beads.SOLD Her dress, made from antique pink and black print fabric is adorned with rows and rows of black velvet ribbon.SOLD Isabeau #1 wearing her winter white antique wool dress. I made this dress from an antique unfinished, so never worn, wool baby’s petticoat.A surprise sentiment hides inside the waist band of her dress, which fastens with hand carved bone buttons.Details showing the antique trims used on the sleeves of Isabeau’s embroidered wool dress.three ringletsSOLD Isabeau #1 Wardrobe
Isabeau #2 – SOLD Thank you!
SOLD Isabeau #2 shows off her hand strung real coral beads.SOLD Isabeau #2 is wearing a dress that I made for her from a mid-1800’s brown “coral” pattern print fabric. The dress has full gathered sleeves, two growth tucks in the skirt and a deep 3 inch hem.SOLD Isabeau #2 in her black party frock. The dress fabric dates to the late 1800’s. Rows of antique black velvet ribbon encircle the sleeves, waist and hem of the dress.
SOLD Isabeau #2 wardrobe
Anna #2 – NOW SOLD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LOOKING. Even though this one is sold you may order a custom made Anna style doll, and if you love these dresses I have enough fabric to make another set just like them.
SOLD Anna#2 wears a tiny golden thimble on a chain around her neck.SOLD Anna #2 is shown here wearing her dress made from a very early c. 1830-1840 cotton gauze paisley print. The green, red, brown and ivory fabric is perfect for late fall and the upcoming Christmas season. The sleeves and skirt of the dress have graduated growth tucks.SOLD Anna’s black dress is made from another very early cotton print fabric. The neckline of the dress is trimmed with antique ivory cotton ribbon, plus a row of antique silk velvet ribbon. Her chemise is trimmed in tiny waved braid (aka rick rack in modern terms).
SOLD Anna #2 WardrobeIsabeau #2 & SOLD Anna #2 show off a little Black Magic for All Hallows Eve. Black dresses are one of my favorites year around because they are a neutral accent in any room and the dark color will draw your eye to the doll and make her painted features “pop” and glow.
Are you wondering where Anna #1 is? In the very near future she is going to be living with Mary, her older sister Anna and all of her Walker cousins in Vermont. Members of my Izannah Walker Doll Making Class may read about my adventures in making Anna #1 in a continuing series of posts on the class member site.
To see photos of the original Miss Anna, follow these links:
I am a much better doll maker than I am a photographer. All of the girls look so much nicer in person. If you would like to see more photos of any of the dolls before placing an order, just ask. To purchase any of these dolls please visit my website ASweetRemembrance.com or alternately you may email paula@asweetremembrance.com or call 860-355-5709.
Time worn, well loved dolls are the ones that kindle the fiercest love in my heart, but I know that some of you dearly love newer, more pristine dolls. Don’t despair, I would be happy to make you the Izannah Walker doll that inhabits your dreams and has captured a place in your heart. Call or email me to place a custom order, 860-355-5709 ( 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time) or paula@asweetremembrance.com. I do have a bit of a waiting list for custom work, so the sooner you order the better.
Email (paula@asweetremembrance.com) or call me (860-355-5709) about prices and available fabrics for custom made doll clothing and accessories. Simple dresses made from antique fabric start at $200 apiece. More elaborate dresses with a greater number of tucks, fuller skirts, rows of ribbon or lace trim, embroidery or more costly antique fabrics run from $250 -$275 and may go upwards. Handmade leather shoes are $75. Any custom order is 10% off during the sale. Scroll up to see the new style of dress that I made for Anna #2. The fully lined dress has a slim cut bodice and sleeves, with a cartridge pleated skirt and velvet ribbon trim. The cost of an identical dress is $295, if the dress must be fully lined, or $275 for one with a lined bodice.
I don’t have a pattern available yet for smaller size clothing to fit Anna.
To read more about my Izannah Walker Doll Making Class by Mail follow this link to my website, where you may also order the class. The class comes with unlimited support, plus a class member only discussion site that features extra bonus material and patterns, including five different flat faced heads that work with the rest of your Izannah class patterns so that you can create a variety of different cloth dolls as friends for your Izzys! Sophie and Mae, two of my dolls that I made using the flat faced patterns will be featured in the Spring 2014 issue of Prims magazine.
Time For A Party
After trying on all their new clothes and posing for their photo shoot, the girls and I spent some time in the kitchen baking Izannah a birthday cake. We all agreed that it was the perfect treat to celebrate the birthday of our very favorite doll maker!
The recipe for the cake came from The Best of Shaker Cooking by Amy Bess Miller and Persis Fuller. I chose this recipe because it is one that would have been in use during Izannah’s lifetime and is filled with apples, the perfect seasonal fruit for an autumn birthday. I picked apples to use from our oldest apple tree. It is a very firm, late season cooking apple that I have never been able to positively identify. We grow our apples organically, so they are not picture perfect, but I’m sure apples just like these would have been a familiar site to Izannah.
Apple Cake
from Shirley Shaker Village
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup currants or raisins
powdered sugar
ground cinnamon
Cream butter and gradually add 1/2 of the sugar, beating well. Beat egg with remaining sugar, add to first mixture. Sift in flour, salt and baking powder alternately with the m ilk. Flavor with vanilla. Add apples and currants or raisins. Beat well to mix and turn into a well-buttered 9 inch cake tin, square or round.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon, and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes. Makes 1 cake.
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…
Izannah Walker Journal 