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.
Trimming the tree.
Paula’s doll took a few minutes to help decorate the parlor, before packing for her trip to her new home ❤
Hmmm… which color ornament to hang first?
Black velvet bows on her shoulders add a dressy touch to her dress.
Back details…
Ringlett curls 🙂
A new doll for Paula M. ❤
Click on any photo to enlarge it and read the caption.
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!
Just for Carolyn, a custom reproduction Izannah Walker.
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 ❤
Just for Carolyn, a custom reproduction Izannah Walker.
In her recent past, this early Izannah Walker doll lived in an 18th century house, surrounded by a large family and an extensive collection of antique dolls. We recently welcomed her into our household. Hopefully she will feel at home, even though the pace of our days may be a bit quieter with fewer children, grandchildren, and dolls filling our lives…
Once again the earth has turned and November has come at last, drifting in on gently falling leaves and soft, warm rays of light… More than any other month, November causes my soul to ring with echos of the past, and my thoughts meander to the people who have lived in my house and owned the things I love before me. I dwell and marvel at small girls, turned to woman, with babes of their own, who played with the dolls I cherish. I glory in the vibrant creativity of quilts, pieced by other hands and passed down through the years, to warm loved ones… Days and hours slip away and gently flow into the past, where I allow myself to linger for a few brief hours, lost in a daydream of past childhoods. ❤
A meeting of long lost sisters… You can easily see the strong family resemblance in these dolls that range in size from 20 to 14 inches.
The newest member of my antique Izannah Walker family.
I love the proportions of this larger doll…
❤
A doll to love and cherish…
Chainstitch embroidery encircles the neckline, armseyes, waist and hem of her dress.
19th century perfection.
The dolls are happy that Lily is still visiting us 🙂
Family photo!
❤
Making toast on a cool November morning, where it has been made countless times before in the past 225+ years… Using the toasting fork made by my son Blair, bringing a bit of the past and the present full circle…
A very well executed antique “sunshine & shadows” log cabin block quilt in red and brown tone fabrics. ❤
The Great Pumpkin arranged for my Halloween treat to come on Sunday at the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market 🙂 Not being a small tyke who can go door to door with glad cries of “trick or treat”, I did have to take myself to the flea market, wander down endless rows in the crisp early morning autumn air, and actually pay for my treat… but it WAS an excellent treat none the less! I discovered three early damaged quilts to add to my fabric collection! Two of the quilts were clearly made by the same hand, as they are constructed in the same design and have a few fabrics in common. One is a heavy winter weight quilt and the other is a light summer quilt. The third quilt though is the one I love ❤ , a stunning log cabin, done in reds and browns… Better than candy any day!
I wasn’t really planning on splitting the Halloween Party into 3 posts, but WordPress is being a little bit cranky and overexcited tonight… So here is the third installment of our party!!!
Halloween Dresses
These dresses will all fit most of my 18 inch reproduction Izannah Walker dolls. If you are interested in buying any of the dresses, especially dress #3, you should measure the waist and top of the shoulder measurement of your doll.
SOLD Dress #1 – Sort straight sleeves, made from an antique black floral mourning print cotton. Drawstring closures at the neckline and waist. $200.00 includes free priority mail shipping to any US address.
Isabeau is modeling dress #1
Dress #2 Is the same as dress #1, except it has short gathered and frilled sleeves. $200.00 plus free priority mail shipping within the US.
SOLD Dress #3 is more fitted than the other 3 dresses. Made of orange “cheddar” print antique fabric with black vining “branches” and red “berries”, trimmed with black velvet ribbon. This dress will close with three orange painted milk glass buttons and button holes. I have not made the button holes or sewn on the buttons yet, so that I can slightly adjust the fit of the dress if necessary. $250.00 with free US priority shipping.
SOLD Dress #4 is probably my favorite! It is a true “make-do” dress, pieced together from two different antique “cheddar” orange fabrics with a false hem of a third coordinating antique fabric. One drawstring around the neckline and three drawstrings at the waistband, gives this dress an adjustable fit. You will find this method used in late 18th and early 19th century infant and young children’s clothing. It’s immensely practical! $240.00 with free priority US shipping.
Treat Bags and Box
I have one set of four cotton mesh treat bags in a decorative Halloween box. $28.50 with free Priority Mail shipping within the US.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the dresses or the set of treat bags, email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com. Paypal, or credit cards and orders by Monday to ensure delivery before Halloween. Checks and money orders if you don’t mind waiting for delivery…
Zombies???
Don’t be frightened, that isn’t a zombie graveyard full of body parts… it is just “work in progress” dolls ❤
Treats!
The dolls have worked up quite an appetite showing you around my painting studio, crafting crepe paper costumes, sending Halloween greetings and modeling the latest in Halloween fashions! Now it is time for refreshments. 🙂 Hot, buttery popcorn, sweet crunchy caramel corn, tart, crisp apples and hot spiced cider!!! Yum….
And now it’s time to say good night! We are so happy you could come celebrate Halloween with us 🙂
I hope you enjoyed the doll’s Halloween Party!!! I love Halloween and all of the seasonal delights of autumn. Can you tell? Gathered in antique wire egg baskets are some of the pumpkins from my garden and Osage Oranges from my Bodark trees.
* To enlarge any of the smaller photos, simply click on them, which will also show captions.
** I’m sorry for the slow posting tonight and for breaking the party into 3 parts. WordPress was being very difficult, so it was a bit challenging to get the Halloween party online.
Izannah Walker Journal 