At long last I am almost finished with the six little cloth dolls that I began in early December! It has been a very long winter, filled with many very cold days, when paint simply could not dry, and innumerable winter chores… Now that Spring has begun to appear I have been stitching away on a mountain of small garments and the dolls are getting anxious to head out into the world. Three of them will be heading to their long promised homes and the other three are looking forward to finding brand new homes of their very own too!
The next time I write dear diary I hope to be able to give you all the particulars of the doll’s wardrobes and their travel plans. Until then…
I remain your most faithful correspondent.
Sneak Peeks!
In the near future I will be posting three new dolls for sale! I don’t have an exact date yet, as I am still sewing the last of their clothing and doing all of the little finishing touches that are so very necessary. I have been sick for the past week and have finally resorted to setting up two sewing machines just a few feet from my bed so that I can alternate napping and sewing… which is actually more or less working. So slowly but surely these sweet dolls are coming to life. I’m just not entirely certain quite what day they will be finished, as it is hard to estimate how many naps I am going to require between now and then!
Three of the dolls I am making are among the last of the custom ordered dolls, so they are already sold. The three that I will be listing for sale are are two versions of Isabeau, one time worn and well loved ~ with the original paint surface of my antique Isabeau, the other a more pristine version of Isabeau which represents her as she was in her youth. I very rarely make the more perfect Isabeaus, so if you have been longing for one this may be your chance. The third doll I will be selling is something new! A tiny black version of Izzybelle, which is something that I haven’t ever made before.
As I am sure you all know by now, I dress the reproduction Izannah Walker dolls I make in antique fabrics. Usually that means that I am using fabric that I glean from antique garments and quilts that are no longer able to be restored. On rare occasions I am lucky enough to find antique doll underwear for a few of the dolls… So I am sure you will understand how thrilled I am that I have come across an enormous quantity of antique doll petticoats and pantalettes, plus some other partial woman’s and children’s pieces that I will be able to fashion into chemises! It may take me longer to alter these garments to fit my dolls, than if I made them from scratch, but I love the idea of cleaning, repairing and altering them so that they can continue on in the wardrobes of my dolls ❤
Here is a first peek at some of the wonderful things I now have in stock for all of my future Izannahs! Though I do imagine that the little cloth girls who live with me will undoubtedly attempt to talk me out of a few things for themselves…
Wishing you a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the A Sweet Remembrance studios!
All of the dolls who live here at Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance wish you a New Year filled with all good things! To celebrate New Year’s Eve the little cloth girls would like to share their holiday photo album with you ❤
We Wish You a New Year filled with Peace, Love & Contentment!
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 ❤
This particular Charlotte is a very special custom order doll. She is just about to leave the studios for her new home. This afternoon she posed for a few photos for the family album. I hope you enjoy meeting her ❤
(No I am not taking any new custom orders, as I am still working my way through my backlog. I AM continuing to make and offer dolls for sale ~ I’m just not taking on any more special orders. ❤ Email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com if you would like me to send you an email when I post dolls for sale.)
BOTH DOLLS HAVE BEEN SOLD, Thank you so much for coming to meet them ❤
Welcome to the final evening of my 2021 Izannah Walker 204th Birthday Celebration ❤ Tonight I would like to introduce you to my latest reproduction Izannah Walker dolls. I am offering twoonedolls that I have always called “Early Izannah”. Today I decided that it is high time these wonderful large, early style 22.5 inch dolls made have a proper name! From now on I will be referring to the dolls made from this mold as “Charlotte” or “Lottie” ❤ As there are two of them available for sale at the moment one shall be Charlotte and the other Lottie.
Both of the dolls tonight are dressed in chemises, pantalettes, petticoats, and dresses made from mid-nineteenth century brown and tan gingham, brown stockings and red leather shoes. They are 22.5 inch tall reproductions of a pre-1855 Izannah Walker doll. These amazing dolls have bare feet, three ringlet curls in front of each ear and nine at the nape of their necks. Their paint surface and modeling are true to the original doll from which their mold was made.
SOLDCharlotte has a tucked petticoat trimmed in hand knit lace and an antique off white linen second-skin.
SOLDLottie has a hemstitched linen petticoat and her second skin is make from antique russet colored glazed cotton.
*Did you know that the term gingham came into use in the 17th century and originally referred to woven stripe fabric, but came to refer to the familiar woven check sometime later. When you’re dealing with a fabric that’s over five hundred years old… naturally some things do get lost in translation. “Gingham” comes from the Malayan word genggang, or “striped.” The way we identify gingham, as being a contrasting-check, was not the way in which the fabric was originally known. True gingham is distinguished primarily for being a “dyed in the yarn” fabric, meaning the yarn is dyed before it is woven. Secondly, gingham is marked by having the colored yarns (the warp) going against the uncolored yarns (the weft), to create a lightweight texture on both faces, meaning it’s essentially reversible. The name originated in the southeast Asian countries where gingham is said to have been born. The fabric balance between colored, and neutral yarns was seen as being perfect for striped shirts. As the fabric made its journey into the Western world, it retained its name, but lost its once signifying stripes.
Charlotte – $2150.00 SOLD
Sweet Charlotte is slightly more refined than her sister, with lace on her petticoat and a less worn paint surface.
All of my dolls are sold on a “first come” basis. Email me at p.walton.asweetremembrance@gmail.com to purchase. Paypal, credit cards, checks or money orders accepted for payment. Free priority mail shipping & full insurance to any U.S address. International orders ~ exact postage + $10 handling fee to help off set the extra time required for international shipping ~ check with me to make sure your international address is one I ship to. No shipping to Russia. No handling fee for Canada.
Lottie – $2150.00SOLD
Dear Lottie is a bit more demure and time worn than her sister. She has a slightly more pronounced folk art look that is quite dear to my heart. ❤
All of my dolls are sold on a “first come” basis. Email me at p.walton.asweetremembrance@gmail.com to purchase. Paypal, credit cards, checks or money orders accepted for payment. Free priority mail shipping & full insurance to any U.S address. International orders ~ exact postage + $10 handling fee to help off set the extra time required for international shipping ~ check with me to make sure your international address is one I ship to. No shipping to Russia. No handling fee for Canada.
Extra Dresses – If you are purchasing either Charlotte or Lottie and would like to have them to be fitted for an extra dress before they travel to you, I have an amazing unwashed mid-19th century fabric that would suit them perfectly! A plainly styled extra dress from this fabric, made to fit, would be $315 for their 22.5 inch size. ❤
mid-19th century cotton fabric printed with russet and brown roses.
Thank you so much for coming to our annual Izannah Walker Birthday Celebration for 2021! We hope that you enjoyed it just as much as the dolls and I have!
If you enjoyed meeting both Charlotte and Lottie, then you will undoubtedly wish to come back soon to see photos of their sister (yes they are triplets!) before she emigrates to Canada ❤ ❤ ❤
Izannah Walker Journal 