My 19 inch reproduction Izannah Walker doll will be available for sale on Monday December 1st at 8 p.m. Eastern time (7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain, and 5 p.m. Pacific).
Good morning everyone! I hope all of your Thanksgiving plans and chores are going well! Just two more days to go!
Here at home and in my studios there is quite a bit of frantic activity. I have a wonderful new black Izannah Walker doll almost complete!!! She is just waiting for buttons, buttonholes, drawstrings and a pocket to be sewn onto her apron ❤
I also have 3 18inch tall Izannahs nearing completion ~ an Isabeau, a Sarah Alice, and a Zanna. Plus there are two sweet Lizzybits somewhat impatiently waiting in the wings for final detail painting and clothing. After more than 2 years of crazy house repairs, some emergency and some planned, plus an autumn of various illnesses shared by my 5th grade granddaughter and teacher son, things are finally slowly getting back to a more normal state. Hooray! It’s so nice to have more or less uninturrupted studio time, and such joy to be surrounded by little cloth girls instead of workmen.
I haven’t quite decided which day to offer my latest black Izzy for sale, since it’s such a busy holiday week. If you have been longing for a black Izannah Walker doll please feel free to email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com with days and times that you would prefer. I’d be happy to take a look at everyone’s preferences and try to choose a time that would be good for the majority of interested buyers. This black Izannah is VERY strongly influenced by the single known remaining example of Izanah’s black dolls. If you aren’t familiar with her go take a look at the Theriault’s auction where she last sold . My reproduction has faded wool hair like the original, along with her lovely rich skin tone.
As I am sure most of you know every year my family of antique Izannah Walker dolls and I have a multiday celebration of Izannah Walker’s birthday on September 25th, which also includes a release of my newest reproduction Izannah Walker dolls for sale. I always try to time the doll sale to coincide with the birthday celebration, though occasionally I run into issues that delay the doll sale a little bit. It looks like the sale will be delayed this year because the paint on the dolls isn’t quite dry enough for me to sew them together. The lamp black paint on their boots takes an especially long time to dry, and after looking at their boots for a few days I think they are going to need at least one more coat of paint. There is high humidity and rain in the forecast for the rest of this week, so I honestly don’t know exactly when I’ll be able to finish them, though it should be relatively soon.
This delayed time line gives me a bit of flexibility about the exact day the dolls will be making their debut. Generally I try to alternate days and times to be as fair as possible, since I obviously can’t tailor the release to match everyone’s personal schedule. If anyone wants to drop me a note at paula@asweetremembrance.com and give me an idea of the best online doll shopping times for you I’ll set up a file that I can look through whenever I schedule doll releases. This doesn’t mean that all the release days and times will be exactly what you want, I’m sure they won’t – it just means that I’ll try to take your preferences into account as I rotate days and times.
This year I am making six dolls which are all sentimental choices. Two of them are 16 inch Lizzybits, which are one of my smaller dolls. I would say that the majority of the antique Izannah Walker dolls that I am personally aware of are 18 inches tall. The smallest that I have ever read about is 13 inches. Next in my current line up are Zanna, Isabeau, and Sarah Alice who are all 18 inches tall. Zanna was my very first antique Izannah Walker doll and Isabeau was my second, so they both have a very special place in my heart. Sweet Sarah Alice is named after Sarah Alice Langworthy the little girl pictured in an antique carte de visite that I own. You can read about the real Sarah Alice here https://izannahwalker.com/2017/09/25/remembering-sarah-alice-langworthy-happy-birthday-izannah-walker-part-2/ . The last doll that I will be offering for sale is a special 20 inch tall black version of Isadora – based on the only known black Izannah Walker doll (18 inches) that sold most recently during day one of the Theriault’s “Rosalie – A Life of Dolls” Marquis Doll Auction.
There is a somewhat long story as to why I have chosen to make this doll 20 inches tall, which I will be relating in her description when she is offered for sale.
You can read about the various molds that I make my historically accurate reproduction Izannahs from, see the original antique dolls that the molds were made from, and see a few previous examples of reproductions of those dolls here https://asweetremembrance.com/category/izannah-walker-reproduction-dolls/
My 14 – 18.5 inch dolls sell for $1695.00*. 20 inch dolls are $1900.00*
Prices include free shipping and full insurance to any U.S. address. (at the current time I’m unfortunately only selling and shipping dolls within the U.S. due to all of the tariff and exchange rate issues).
*Dolls with bare feet, or clothing that is especially elaborate and/or made from more expensive antique materials, cost more.
If I do happen to have time to make any extra dresses or accessories, they will be sold separately this time around to give everyone as many options as possible.
I’ll send you all another update with the date and time of their debut when the dolls are dry enough to sell.
In the meantime I hope you all enjoy all of the other birthday happenings. The main party will be posted at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday, September 25th on www.izannahwalker.com, with a few other birthday posts in the days before and after. (We like to make birthdays last as long as possible here!!!).
Thank you all for your interest in my reproduction Izannah Walker dolls! If you ever wish to be removed from this mailing list, just reply to this email with the word REMOVE in the subject line.
Sending Huge Hugs from all the little cloth girls!
This is my latest newsletter that went out last night to everyone on my “New Dolls” mailing list.
Mid September 2025 Newsletter
2 Weeks Until My Annual Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration and My Latest Reproduction Dolls
Hello!
This is a brief note to let you all know what is currently happening in my studios. As many of you know, I live in a late 18th century farmhouse that is surrounded by barns and is situated on the 9+ acres that remain of the original 18th century farmstead. For over a year there have been workmen here helping to ensure that the house will hopefully withstand many more New England winters. You may remember that last year I had to postpone my annual September release of new dolls because the plumbing in my upstairs bathroom suddenly failed and water started pouring through my kitchen ceiling! Nothing quite that dramatic has happened since, but there have been workmen here for over a year replacing rotted wood, painting, building wooden storm windows, and a host of other necessary projects. I have historic masons who have promised to get here before snow falls to rebuild my chimney that is in danger of toppling over, and a work crew that is supposed to arrive at any time to repave half of the driveway…
I’ve wound up being more of a site coordinator and project manager during the past year than a dollmaker! During the past few weeks I have managed to sneak out to my studios and actually spend time working on dolls. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful that has been!!! Earlier in the summer I began trying to work on a large group of Charlcies. They are going to be beautiful dolls, but I realized that if I was going to have dolls available in time for Izannah Walker’s 208th birthday that I would need to set the more complicated and complex Charlcies aside and concentrate on making some of her smaller sisters. At the moment I have 6 reproduction Izannah Walker dolls on my painting table, and piles of a dozen arms and legs sitting in front of me! I’m not sure exactly how many I’ll have available for sale by the 25th, I’m going to try to finish all of them by then. Any that I can’t quite finish will be offered for sale asap after the 25th.
I’ll be sending out another mailing as Izannah’s birthday gets closer with more details. You can also follow along with my progress and preparations on my Izannah Walker Journal https://izannahwalker.com/…/the-countdown-continues-14…/
Just 14 days until Izannah Walker’s 208th birthday and my annual celebration. I’ve been spending quite a lot of time tucked away in both studios, and in my office (aka my late night sewing lair!) working on a variety of my reproduction Izannahs. I have to admit that I’ve been falling in love with these new little cloth girls a bit more every day ❤
I’ve temporarily set aside the large group of Charlcies in hopes of having some birthday dolls available! Reproducing Charlcie is a more lengthy and complicated process, which I will go right back to after bringing some of her smaller sisters to life. I’m still not entirely sure how many of the six dolls that you can see on my painting table will be finished by the 25th. I’m hoping that none of the remaining construction projects start in the next two weeks, but they are all subject to when the various tradespeople are available…
Regardless of any chaos and interruptions, all the dolls and I are greatly looking forward to their big birthday party and we hope you are too! We’d also like to take a moment to thank you all for your lovely messages and support. The proceeds from my dollmaking help fund the care, repair, and restoration of my 18th century home, barns, and the surrounding remnants of original farm land.
Naturally the party preparation involves cleaning house… and just as it is in every house the kitchen is the by far the messiest room!!!
1 very old house, partially ready to face it’s 235th winter.
25 little cloth girls sitting in my studio, waiting to be brought to life…
2 outrageously messy studios!
1 very tired dollmaker.
Welcome September! Mild, mellow sunlit days, cooler temperatures, and busy days full of dollmaking.
It’s been a noisy, crazy, chaotic atmosphere here, as there has been non-stop work for over a year to get my c.1790 house ready for yet another winter. There is still much more to do before first snowfall, but at the moment there is a very welcome lull, as the exterior painters finish the last little details before part of the driveway is re-paved, and before the skilled masons come to re-build the chimney which is in danger of toppling at any time.
I’ve thankfully been able to slip out into my studio to work on dolls at long last! I can’t begin to describe how absolutely wonderful it has felt to be making new pressed cloth heads… in fact it has been so very good that I now have 25 sweet faces waiting for me to make them into real live dolls. ❤ I’m sure that not all of them will actually become dolls, as I am very particular and often have to start over into order make sure that my reproduction Izannahs truly represent the feel of the original antique Izannah Walker dolls that they represent.
I don’t know exactly how many dolls I will be able to complete and offer for sale at my Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration this year, but I can say that there will be some dolls available for sale, and all of their new sisters will be offered in the coming months as I get them finished. Undoubtedly life will get in the way of my preferred dollmaking schedule, as it always does. So please keep your fingers crossed for me and wish me luck as I turn these sweet little faces into finished dolls! I will be posting many more updates about the doll’s annual Izannah Birthday Party, and my new dolls release, as the month continues ❤ ❤ ❤
Oh my goodness, half of September has already passed, and it is just slightly over one week until my annual Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration on September 25th! Has your summer felt as if it has simply flown by the same way mine has?
As always spring and summer have been incredibly busy here. There are more warm weather projects that cry out for attention in and around my 18th century home, barns, and surrounding land (that I affectionately refer to as Thyme Forgotten Farm) than I can ever fit into a single year. Currently there is wood repair taking place on the lower level of the tack barn, and much needed window work in my office, to replace the rotting 20th century windows there with antique window sashes and reconstruct appropriate window surrounds. Most of the repair work to multiple garden gates and garden structures has been completed, as have almost half of the new stands for my herd of antique carousel horses. My weekends have mostly been spent being a grandma, and fitting in all of the must do summer traditions. Childhood is so fleeting that it’s important to make time for special moments…
Studio News
A lot has been going on in both of my studios too! I’m very pleased to tell you that I have been named one of America’s top traditional craftsmen by Early American Life for 2024 in the category of Toys and Dolls. This is the 45th time in the course of 24 years that I have been in their directory. I’ve been listed in the categories of Clothing and Accessories, Textiles or Needlework, Miscellaneous, Toys and Dolls, Miniatures, Santas, Other Holidays and General Christmas. I’ve been juried into the Directory annually from 2004-2024 plus 1996-1998, many years in more than one category. Thank you Early American Life!
Out in the studios I’ve been doing much needed cleaning and sorting, plus working on exciting new things, some of which involved my carpenter. Obviously I have also been making dolls too, because I always try to have some for sale as part of my Izannah Birthday Celebration. Plus I have been designing a few new spun cotton ornaments! I dearly love making spun cotton figures, but haven’t been able to fit them in between everything else for a long time.
All in all it’s been a really wonderful summer. I hope yours has been too!
My Online Celebration of Izannah Walker’s Birthday 207th Birthday
On Wednesday September 25th I will be hosting an online celebration of Izannah Walker’s Birthday featuring my collection of antique Izannah Walker dolls. Come visit www.izannahwalker.com to see how my little cloth girls celebrate their maker’s birthday.
Now that you’ve read a bit about what is going on in my world you probably won’t be surprised that I don’t have the exact time decided yet for when the birthday celebration post will be live, and when the dolls that are going to be available for purchase will be posted. I will be prominently posting information about both times, closer to the 25th, on www.izannahwalker.com , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ASweetRemembrance , and on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/asweetremembrance/ . I’ll also send out an email to everyone who has signed up for my “New Dolls” email mailing list with times and other details.
This year’s celebration is going to be a little bit less involved than past years, yet still a very enjoyable event, so I’m apologizing for that in advance. Between all the construction interruptions, and a highly possible case of Lyme disease, I’m not working quite as quickly as I usually do. The good news is that the dolls and I have some other fun celebrations and doll releases planned for October, November, & December! We hope you’ll join us as we fill the remainder of 2024 with Izannah parties.
postscript ~ If you wish to be removed from this mailing list please reply to this email with the
word Remove in the subject line of your reply. Thank you
P.p.s. I hope you all got to see the wonderful original Izannah Walker doll that Withington Auction sold online through auctionninja.com on Friday 9/13. She sold for $43,500.00 plus an 18% Buyers Premium. In case you are wondering, that isn’t the record price paid for an Izannah Walker doll. If you haven’t seen her, go take a peak https://www.auctionninja.com/withington-auction-inc/product/18-izannah-walker-cloth-doll-1180990.html She is an amazingly sweet doll!
Dear Friends of Paula Walton’s Izannah Walker Journal & A Sweet Remembrance,
As I sit here writing to you from snowy New England, looking back on 2023 and forward toward 2024, we are already more than half way through January… I hope you all had warm wonderful holidays!
I know it may seem that I have been a bit absent lately, as I certainly didn’t make as many dolls in 2023 as I have in previous years. Creatively 2023 was a bit of a different year for me. I’ve written magazine articles for years and years, since the late 1980’s, but I’m fairly sure that I may have written more at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 than I ever have in such a short period of time. I also spent a substantial amount of time last year working on a rather challenging restoration of a wonderful antique Izannah Walker doll.
Some of the infant pincushions I created for my article in Early American Life’s Christmas 2022 issue, along with the covers of the February, March, and April issues of Antique Doll Collector that had my lengthy three part article about James ❤
While I do enjoy writing articles and doing restoration work, my true passion is doll making, and I have to admit that I have missed it! In fact, truth be told, I get a little cranky when I have trouble squeezing in time to do at least a little dollmaking. As I’m sure many of you know I live on just under 10 acres, which is the remaining remnant of an 18th century farm. The property contains my late 18th century home and three large antique barns. I am the chief caretaker of the house, barns, acreage, gardens, and all the newer studios and buildings. Thankfully my sons do give me a hand with some of the really heavy lifting, which makes it possible for me to (mostly) keep up with everything that has to be done.
I actually had a lot of plans and new dolls underway in November and December, but life got in the way. I wound up catching RSV, which is still lingering after almost three months. There have been a lot of viruses going around this winter, so it’s not surprising. I’m definitely OK, and certainly over the worst. I keep thinking it is going to go away, but it has just stayed put, like a very unwelcome guest. I made it through all of the holiday preparations, and family things (with lots of sanitizing and drugs) but have to admit that was really pretty much all I could do.
I still have Christmas decorations up all over the house. I’ve only taken them down in one room, and that was because I had to hang balloons, streamers and birthday party banners in there. LOL!
I am finally back to making dolls, quite a bit slower than normal, but that’s OK! It’s just such a joy to be creating! Since I’m working around my fatigue and the weather (we have snow and very cold temperatures) I’m not making any announcement about when the next dolls will be ready. What I can tell you is that I will be putting them up for sale one by one, not in multiples. Just as soon as each one is ready to find their new home I will be sending out emails to those of you on my “New Dolls” email list and posting the date and time each doll will be for sale on my Izannah Walker Journal, my A Sweet Remembrance website, Facebook and Instagram.
SNEAK PEEKS & UPCOMING DOLLS
I currently have a very sweet Hannah that is almost finished. I’m in the midst of making her a rather large wardrobe and anxiously waiting for her arms and legs to dry out in the frigid painting studio…
At the moment she has one pink dress finished and I am more than half way through making her blue dress… I’m also seriously considering a white dress with a tiny delicate black print and an apron to coordinate with all three dresses. I may have to scale back, but I hope not, as I am thoroughly enjoying sewing for her!
The next dolls that should be coming up after Hannah are all larger 20 inch dolls. I really try to rotate the different dolls I make, as I have molds for 18 heads ❤ Currently on my painting studio table are a lovely Tilly Lamb and some very sweet Isadoras, plus a brand new doll ~ a reproduction of my newest Izannah family member Emma Blue ❤ At the beginning of this newsletter I mentioned the doll I restored last year. As I was working on her I kept thinking how familiar she looked… The more I looked at her the more I was convinced that she must have been made from the same mold that Izannah used to make Isadora! I got out my Isadora mold and made a head so that I could compare the two. Side by side, other than the difference in the wear, aging and various over painting, they really looked like the same head. What particularly interested me is that I had always felt that Isadora’s head was a bit large on an 18 inch body, but that is the height of the original Isadora that I made my mold from, so that is the size that I have always made her. Since the wonderful, extremely well loved, doll I restored was 20 inches tall, I decided to make a 20 inch reproduction Isadora! I do sometimes see antique Izannah Walker dolls with the same heads on different size bodies. After so many months of working on the restoration of Isadora’s “sister” I actually fell in love with her very time worn appearance, so I may play around with adding a bit more “age” to an Isadora or two, for those of you who also find old, time worn, and well loved endearing.
Thank you all for your interest in my Izannah Walker reproduction dolls! I love being able to share my historically accurate reproductions of some of Izannah’s amazing work with you. I hope your 2024 is off to a great start and that you have an wonderful year filled with all the things you love the best, and dolls ~ lots and lots of dolls!
Paula
“Why, yes, that IS one more Christmas tree you spy…”
The little cloth girls gathered boxwood sprigs from the garden and beeswax candles from the pantry, which they fashioned into an Advent wreath that they adorned with handfuls of madder dyed cotton ribbon.
Dear Diary,
Today, once again, holiday preparations have been underway in the doll’s house. I can hear all of the sweet Izannah sisters chattering gaily, rushing around their house preparing everything just so on this 5th day of December. The dolls are clearly just as excited about this Christmas as they were about each of their very first ones, now more than a century and a half ago… This afternoon they cleaned and tidied their kitchen, adding boxwood sprigs to the mantle over the hearth. As dusk began to fall, they lit two candles on their Advent wreath, which they made using clippings from the garden and a great deal of madder dyed ribbon. Afterwards they carefully lined up their shoes by the fireplace so that Saint Nicholas could fill them with treats when he comes to call in the middle of the night…
Meanwhile, as the dolls have been keeping themselves well occupied, I have been steadily working away. Yesterday I painted deeper shades of color on the six new little doll sisters that I am slowly bringing to life. The poor dears are now in their “ugly duckling” phase, where I fear only a mother could love them. So gawky and awkward looking, with their inner beauty hidden away by translucent coats of streaky, uneven looking paint! It is a time for courage, and faith that everything will be alright in the end.
After all six were painted, I very quietly tip-toed out the door (so that I wouldn’t wake the napping little cloth girls) and walked through the farmyard to the sewing studio. I spent all the rest of Saturday sewing arm, after arm, after arm!
Today I was back to painting, and am happy to say that all of the new dolls are looking somewhat better with the addition of another coat of paint! They still need many more very then coats of their “flesh” tones before I will be able to start painting their features and hair, but such care is well worth the time involved.
I dared not step away from the doll’s house today, as I knew the sisters would be lighting candles! I hope to be able to trim and turn all of the many arms this evening, and perhaps I will even be able to stay awake long enough to begin stuffing and stitching a few fingers! Though I should try not to stay up too late, as the dolls will no doubt be up exceedingly early in the morning to see what Saint Nicholas has left them!
The little cloth girls were very busy today. In a flurry of Christmas spirit they went up to the attic of their very tall house, unpacked all of their Christmas decorations, and carried them down to the parlor! A great deal of extremely animated conversation was shouted back and forth throughout the doll’s house. Christmas is definitely on it’s way!
… and where was the dollmaker you ask, while all of this frenzied activity was taking place in the doll’s house? I was very quietly and contentedly working away in a corner of the studio, creating new dolls especially for the holidays! Making dolls for Christmas always brings it’s own special kind of magic. There is an element of the time tested tradition of creating handmade presents for loved ones, the hope of making someone’s Christmas dreams come true, and the fun of getting to be a part of “Santa’s Workshop”.
I hope you will be able to come back and visit here at my Izannah Walker Journal this month, to follow along with all of our Christmas preparations, celebrations, and joys! Wishing you all a beautiful, love filled December ❤
It’s been a very busy Saturday here in the doll’s house. All the little cloth girls were up very early, excitedly chattering away about who they needed to take a May Basket to, what to put in the baskets, and most importantly ~ how to keep from being seen after they left the basket on the doorstep and knocked on the door!
First things first… Tilly Lamb, Sarah Alice and Izzybelle volunteered to arrange the flowers and fill the May Baskets. Little Izzybelle even offered to tuck in extra Happy May Day “wishes” from her big jar of dandelion wishes ❤
Some of the other girls decided to go out for a walk around the gardens and the farm to enjoy the bright sunny morning. On their walk they discovered quite a bit of new growth popping it’s heads up everywhere they looked! How exciting!!! Naturally when they saw that the seeds they had sown in the field last autumn were finally growing they knew that they would need to spend some time tending the field today too.
After their farm chores were finished, Charlcie, Tilly Lamb, Zanna, Isabeau, Ismay, Sarah Alice, and Izzybelle loaded their wheelbarrow with May Baskets and called to the dogs, so that they could finally go deliver the baskets to their dearest friends and neighbors.
At the end of the day the tired but happy little Izzys came back home to have the warm cozy supper that Eliza Jane, Isane, and Hannah stayed home to prepare…
Izannah Walker Journal 