The girls have decided which fabrics they want. Tomorrow I’ll cut out their dresses and start sewing.
Decisions, Decisions…
Working Late
Another busy day… Annalise and Bess now have pantalettes, chemises and petticoats. Maxine’s doll is waiting for her arms and legs to dry while I work on her underwear.
Tomorrow Annalise, Bess and I will be picking out their dress fabrics. If you would like more information on my dolls you can read all of the details on my website Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance, or you may call (860-35-5709) or email me (paula@asweetremembrance.com). Annalise will sell for $1300.00 when she is finished… or $1375.00 if you would like to order handmade leather shoes. Bess will be $1250.00.
If you are interested in either Annalise or Bess and would like additional photos, just ask. Lay-away is available, tailored to fit your budget.
Valentine’s Day Tea Party XOXO
Thank you for coming! We hope you had fun.
– Newly made Izannah Walker reproduction dolls may be custom ordered, please see my website Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance for details.
– The recipe for Mace Shortbread cookies is available by clicking here.
– Violet tea may be purchased from Simpson and Vail.
– Directions for the two love tokens shown, plus one more are posted on my Izannah Walker Class Member Site. If you would like to buy or read more about the class click here.
– True Blue is busy making a Valentine for Kathy.
– Savannah is slaving away on a very special heartfelt letter to Charlotte.
– Ruthie is on her way back home to Brooklyn after visiting for a “spa day” to have the damage caused by the post office repaired. She says that she is ever so much better now and that she feels beautiful again. Plus she loves her new warm flannel petticoat and can’t wait to show it off to Paula C.!
– I’m getting ready to go on a double date with my husband and our very dearest friends Joy and John…
Thank you for stopping by Valentine!
XOXO Hugs and Kisses,
Paula
Sweets for the Sweet, Baking for Valentine’s Day
Today is baking day. The air is filled with the scents of mace and nutmeg. My kitchen is humming with activity as we prepare for our Valentine’s Day tea party!
Mace Shortbread
3 cups flour
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups butter
1/2 tsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
*Proof yeast in warm water for 5 minutes. Measure flour, powdered sugar, mace and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. Add slightly softened butter and mix until all of the butter is worked into the dry ingredients. Pour proofed yeast/water into bowl and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Cover bowl with a clean dry cloth and set in a warm place for 1 hour, then chill for 30 minutes.
Roll dough out on a well floured surface to a scant 1/4 inch thickness and cut out with heart shaped cookie cutters. Emboss the cookies by stamping them with new, washed rubber stamps that have been dusted with flour.
If desired, lightly brush ground nutmeg into the stamped designs before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes, until just starting to very lightly brown at the edges. Cool completely before removing from cookie sheets.
* 18th century shortbread receipts call for the addition of barm (yeast). I followed this tradition when I developed this recipe. I love mace and decided to add it, along with nutmeg to the cookies (both spices are part of the seeds of the nutmeg tree).
You are cordially invited to join us tomorrow for tea. We hope that you can come!
Letters from Martha – Her Thoughts About My Izannah Walker Doll Making Class
For the past few days I’ve been exchanging notes with Martha Bishop, a dedicated and prolific doll maker who is a member of my Izannah Walker Doll Making Class. We started out talking about one of Martha’s dolls Taloulah, then as is often the case, our conversation moved on to other topics. Martha’s correspondence warmed my heart and has given me a little glow that I’ve been carrying around with me ever since. People like Martha are why I love teaching! With her permission, here are some excerpts from her emails:
... “I wanted to tell you that a lot of people have been trying to figure out how to make doll heads using molds. I’ve told them many times that I came to you to teach me how to do this, and it was one of the most important things I could have done for myself. After taking your class I was able to do what I wanted, without still floundering around with unanswered questions. I have directed them to you and encouraged them to take your classes. I don’t know if anyone takes my advice, but it is what so many people need to do. People are stubborn and waste time and money trying to figure out how to do things themselves without the benefit of a knowledgeable teacher. Just wanted you to know that.
“I saw your article in Prims with your three Izannah dolls. They did a good job, but then the dolls were beautiful. It was very nice. I am looking forward to the Alabama Baby class. I have read it and intend to get started before too long. These dolls appeal to me in a big way too, especially the black ones. I’m sure I will have lots of questions when I start.
… “I think you should put my comment on your sites, wherever you want. I am glad to let people know that there is help for them, and this class you teach is the best and only place I know of to get the training to make an authentic Izannah Walker doll, made the way Izannah made them. I’ve told people that it’s not just about making a molded head, it’s a comprehensive course that includes so much more about making the dolls, that they would need just as much as mold making . Please use this where ever you want to. I am glad to help. It’s all true.
P.S. the cost of the course is nothing compared to all (they) will benefit from it in every way.
Love, Martha”
Thank you Martha, your words are good for my soul!
If you are a fan of Prims magazine, you may be familiar with Martha’s work. Her Jack & Jill were featured in the Autumn 2012 issue. To see and read about Martha’s dolls visit her blog www.martha-maboriginals.blogspot.com and her selling site www.maboriginals.com . Make sure to read Taloulah’s story!
A Special Treat for a Snowy Day
Today is the perfect day to indulge in one of the forgotten pleasures of winter, snow ice cream! During the night, while we slept, snow continued to fall from the sky, aided on it’s earthward journey by brisk winds that swirled it around tree trunks and blew it into every corner. We awoke this morning to a world thickly frosted in a foot of snow.
Clean unblemished snow is plentifully available every where I look…
Making snow ice cream is one of the traditions of my childhood. Every now and then, on nostalgic snowy days, I relive a bit of my past and make it again. I first posted the recipe two years ago, during another snowy New England winter, on my 18th Century Home Journal blog.
Today my kitchen helper and I decided that it was high time to treat ourselves to another batch! Here is the recipe for any of you who would like to join in. If you aren’t living in the land of ice and snow, you can use an ice shaver that is used to make Hawaiian Ice to turn ice cubes into “snow”.
Snow Ice Cream
fresh clean snow
milk
sugar
vanilla or other flavoring*
Put in as much milk as you would like to achieve the consistency that you prefer. The sugar and vanilla are added to suit your taste. Stir well and eat immediately.
* We used a combination of vanilla extract and ground vanilla beans, which is why you see tiny brown flecks in the close-up photos.
Delicious to the very last bite!
Warm Winter Petticoats
With winter weather and the promise of snow in the air, I’ve been dreaming of tiny woolen and flannel petticoats. Today I stoked the wood stove in my studio and aired an armful of antique baby woolens and flannels in front of the fire.
Tomorrow , when the snow is swirling past my windows and piling in soft mounds outside my door, I’ll cut, stitch and gather to my heart’s content, making miniature winter wardrobes…
Photos to Share of Mary’s Antique Izannah Walker Doll
If you are a member of my Izannah Walker class, be sure to drop into the class member site to see all the photos that Mary has shared of Anna, her tiny Izannah Walker doll.
Two Dolls – Just Waiting to be Dressed…
I put the final few stitches in my two latest dolls today! The winter weather has made me nostalgic for dolls reminiscent of rural New England. Sweet dolls that have passed through many hands and generations, saved by mothers and grandmothers… Dolls with stories of their own and history in their faces. Can’t you just tell that both of these dolls have had adventuresome lives? What bedtime stories they could whisper in a child’s ear…
Recently I have talked to several people who would dearly love to have a reproduction Izannah Walker doll to sew for. I have to say that these are wonderful dolls to dress. They are a very nice size and the styles and fabrics of the mid 19th century are a joy to work with.
These dolls are currently undressed. If you are interested in either of them, they are available with the “Dressmaker Option”, which includes the bare doll, my Izannah Walker Doll Clothes Pattern (for a dress, 2 petticoats, a chemise and pantalettes), plus written instructions for a second classic mid-1800’s dress. The price is $925 for the doll with painted boots and $975 for the doll with bare feet.
OR you may choose their dress styles and fabrics and I’ll do all of the sewing. The cost of the fully dressed dolls is $1250 for the doll with painted boots and $1300 for the doll with bare feet.
Neither doll is up for sale on my website yet, if you’d like to buy one please email paula@asweetremembrance.com or call 860-355-5709. I’m going to start making clothing for them this week, so if you would like an undressed doll or would like to pick custom clothing, please don’t delay.
If you need dressmaking inspiration, I have amassed a large collection of reference images on Pinterest that you might enjoy looking through.
If you have any questions about either of these dolls or would like to see additional photographs of them, just ask. I always love to take a break and talk to you about dolls!
Creative People
One of the very best things about being a doll maker is that I am constantly surrounded by creative people. Doll people, both collectors and makers, are inventive, resourceful, dedicated, steadfast, and giving. They add humor, friendship, inspiration, awe and an amazing number of grace notes to my life that I would hate to do without.
I’d like to say thank you to two of them, Vicki Leeke and Peggy Flavin. Both of these wonderful women were members of the truly outstanding group of dollmakers who came to my Izannah Retreat in September.
Vicki was organized and kind enough to make some very special keepsakes for all of the class members and haul them all the way from Australia! Vicki also makes lovely felt dolls, click here to take a peek at her blog.
Peggy was sweet enough to send me a wonderful Christmas surprise. She created a magical fairy to grace my Christmas tree, although truthfully I love her so much that I intend to keep her out all year round.
Thank you!!!
Izannah Walker Journal 