Paula Walton’s doll-making notes
With soft snowflakes gently falling down around the trees and barns… it is easy to imagine life here on our farm 100, even 200 years in the past. Time has a way of blurring and shifting on days like today.
As I walk out to my studios, thinking of the doll’s eyes I am going to paint and small bodies I am going to sew, I wonder… did Izannah think similar thoughts while walking through the snow on a winter’s day?..
Making this Ismay has been a great treat for me, as I am not often asked to make black reproductions of Izannah’s dolls. This is the very first time that I have made a black version of Ismay and I am completely smitten with her such a lovely doll in person and so very difficult to take photos of!!! Poor dear, my photography skills do not do her justice…
I made Ismay’s second skin body covering from and antique petticoat that I’ve had for at least twenty years. I finally found the perfect use for it! ❤
This next dress that Ismay is modeling is not part of her wardrobe. She borrowed it from Cloe so that she could show her new Momma what she looks like in a different style of dress. Anita and I have been discussing a rather extensive wardrobe for Ismay, made from fabrics that Anita has been collecting. ❤
Ismay will be ready to travel just as soon as she decides what color shoes she wants. February is much too cold for bare feet! She’ll have to wait until summer for that.
The wheel of the world has turned once again and it is time to welcome in a new year… Even more so than Thanksgiving, New Year’s is a time that causes me to think about all the things I am thankful for and to consider all of my hopes for the upcoming year.
I AM GRATEFUL…
Everyday I realize how exceedingly fortunate I am to be able to do the things I love. I can not express how thankful I am to be the current custodian of eight of Izannah Walker’s dolls! I am constantly amazed that these dolls are mine to love and care for. It’s been a long time coming, with years upon years of searching and more hours than I can count of work to pay for them. If you had asked me 25 years ago if I would ever own even one Izannah Walker doll I would have said no, but the longing for one these amazing dolls never waned. So I continued to search for a doll I could afford and try to save money to pay for her… It’s good to hold on to your dreams, whatever they are, to continue to strive for your goals and not get discouraged! It also helps to be tenacious and downright stubborn! 🙂 Because I know that I am blessed, I try to share my Izannahs, both old and new! I have always been grateful to others who have been kind enough to show me their dolls, in person, in photographs and online, so I attempt to repay my thanks by doing the same – plus adding in bits of my imagination and the world it lives in… Come by in the months to follow and see the dolls at play ❤
THANKS TO YOU…
Thank you all for your support of my work these past 30 years! I didn’t say much about it, but 2016 was the 30th year I have been making and selling my handwork.
Thank you for your purchases, both large and small! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and your compliments. It is a scary thing to expose items you have lovingly created to the world! Thank you for making it a rewarding experience, and much less frightening.
Thank you for being the kind of customers and students who turn into friends and brighten my days!
A huge thank you to those who have entrusted their precious dolls to me for restoration!!! I have appreciated the chance to take care of your treasured dolls, and to carefully undo the worst ravages of time and past accidents. I learn so much with every doll I have the opportunity to study and observe! I know I’m slow and cautious when restoring dolls, so thank you also for your patience.
An immense armful of thanks to those few special individuals who feel the same way that I do about sharing the beauty of Izannah’s dolls, and who have graciously allowed me to make reproductions of their antique Izannah Walker dolls! I truly can not thank you enough. ❤ ❤ ❤
KNOW YOURSELF
One of the good things about being older is gaining a deeper understanding of yourself! After a lot of trial and error, I know many of the things that make me happy. I know that I am the happiest creating beautiful,intricate, time-consuming things. I do make and sell a large number of items… and I used to make even more. Yes, I can make simple, less expensive dolls, bears, clothes, pincushions, etc. etc. etc… but doing that is more like drudgery. I strive for special, amazing, perfect work. That is what makes my heart sing. I may not always reach my ideal, but that doesn’t keep me from trying again and again. I know this is not the right way for everyone, but it is for me. So know yourself! Be kind to yourself and follow the path that is uniquely yours. Don’t follow the crowd, follow your heart! ❤
HOPE FOR THE NEW YEAR
A new year traditionally brings new beginnings. My hope for 2017 is to be more creative. To try projects that I’ve been daydreaming of for years. To let that spark of creativity light all the days of this brand new year!!!
My hope for you is that you will be able to turn some of your long held daydreams into reality in 2017, and that you will be surrounded by those you love and care about! Try something new! Happy New Year to us all!!!
All is calm, all is bright… We hope you had a joyful Christmas celebration! Best holiday wishes from our home to yours ❤
The dolls all hung their stockings from the mantle on Christmas Eve and Eliza Jane was thrilled to find that Santa left new boots in hers!
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All the little wooden dolls have decided they need to make clothes for the new year, so they are making themselves at home amongst my sewing accoutrements…
Crisp white dresses full of marvelous details aren’t just for summer. They are equally charming in the winter, especially around the holidays!
This morning we woke to the sight of millions of tiny snow flakes filling the air, falling, falling all through the morning… Bring nature’s perfect Christmas decoration.
*Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it. Run your cursor over the images to read captions.
All ready to head to her new home in time for Christmas! This is a special order custom doll for Paula M. She is a reproduction of my Isabeau with an almost perfect paint surface, bare feet, and a dress made from fabric in her new mom’s stash of reproduction Civil War era cotton prints.
Click on any photo to enlarge it and read the caption.
Thank you for stopping by!!!
A sweet “almost perfect” Isabeau, made especially for Carolyn ❤ Dressed in an antique “double pink” fabric that is almost cherry red… very seasonal for December!
Getting dressed!
The fabric for Carolyn’s doll dress came from the back of a mid-19th century log cabin quilt. It’s is a glorious, but sadly worn quilt… As I was carefully removing tiny quilting stitches, to free the backing, I got such a nice surprise! Log Cabin quilt blocks are pieced on a foundation fabric. The fabric used for the foundation of many of the blocks is an amazing 1830’s/1840’s brown and blue print. I love every fabric in this quilt! After I remove all of the backing, I will remove the blocks that are too shattered to repair, repair the more stable ones, by piecing in period fabrics in similar colors and patterns, then reassemble the blocks into a slightly smaller quilt. I had planned to add and plain muslin backing, but now I’m thinking that I will do without a backing, so that the foundation fabric will show… Slightly unorthodox, but beautiful. Adding new binding around the edges will be the finishing touch ❤
There were no actual dolls involved, but if you are curious about what fellow doll makers Peggy Flavin, Christine Crocker and I got up to with our dear friend Sandy Connors this past weekend, please visit Paula Walton’s 18th Century Home Journal. ❤
Izannah Walker Journal 