Paula Walton’s doll-making notes
If you need a wonderful last minute gift for a very special doll lover in your life, I have gift certificates available for custom made Izannah Walker dolls and for custom made Izannah doll dresses too! Call or email me to order – 860-355-5709 or paula@asweetremembrance.com. I can still email the certificate to you for you to print and wrap before Christmas.
I’d like to introduce you to Hope a very special doll that I have been making for Susan. Hope is the last doll that I’m shipping out before Christmas this year. She is a quiet, demure girl with auburn wisps of hair that frame her sweet face. Susan chose a dark brown print fabric with a madder stripe for her dress, that compliments her hair and complexion. She has bare feet, with hand stitched toes, tall stockings made from a vintage lady’s sock and red leather shoes with pinked edges and silk ribbon ties.
Merry Christmas Susan!
With just a few days left before Christmas, I thought you all might like to see photos of Marilyn’s Christmas doll (don’t worry, I’m not spoiling the surprise, she knows all about the doll and planned it so that she would have her before Christmas). 🙂
I was planning to mail this doll to Marilyn on Tuesday, but a heavy snowstorm got in the way and delayed her departure by a day, giving her one last chance to romp in the snow before heading west to her sunny new home. The post office has done a wonderful job of transporting her, and at last check she has reached Arizona and should be arriving at her new home very soon!
12/21 – Update: Good news! Marilyn’s doll arrived at her new home safe and sound. She is settling in nicely on her new settee and making friends with a very sympathetic teddy bear from Maine. They are busy chatting about their travels from New England to the great southwest and making plans for the best Christmas ever! Thankfully this doll turned out to be everything Marilyn was hoping she would be. Something I always worry about when my dolls leave the studio to venture out in the world 🙂
Meet Verity Annabelle Mary. She is just starting out on her long journey to her new home in Canada. She is so excited that she will get to give her new mother a big birthday hug and be able to celebrate Christmas with all of her sisters!
I overheard her whispering to Isabeau and Zanna that she is hoping for a big cup of hot cocoa when she arrives home, to help her warm up…
This afternoon I finished making this doll for Shirley. She is now winding her way west to her new home in Illinois.
Yesterday brought unexpected rain showers, which played havoc with my photography plans. Eventually the skies cleared and I was able to venture out with doll and camera in hand! Here are my daylight photos of Jennie’s doll. Tomorrow she will be traveling west to her new home. She is very excited to meet her new sisters, most of whom are early china dolls! If you’d like to read more about her home coming and Jennie’s collection of antique china dolls, visit her blog Quintessential Antique Dolls.
I just finished making this doll and her wardrobe for Jennie. I haven’t quite adjusted to standard time yet. 🙂 I usually work until pretty late in the day, and don’t leave my studio until 6:15 or 6:30 each evening. All through the summer I’ve been able to take photographs at the end of the day, but no more. Now that we are well into autumn and daylight saving time is no more, the moon is well up before I dash between the studio and the kitchen door! I had to resort to taking these photos inside the studio with a flash this evening. Tomorrow I will take more in natural light. Needless to say, she looks so much prettier in person!
I’ve just posted more photographs from the day of the Early American Life photo shoot at our home last December. Several of the photos show my antique Izannah Walker dolls and my reproductions as well. Click here to see the photos at Paula Walton’s 18th Century Home Journal.
10/23/13 – I want to add that these may be the only dolls, other than already scheduled custom orders, that I will have finished before Christmas.
Naturally I will try to make one or two more before the end of the year, but as of now I am pretty tightly booked.
The other thing I forgot to say is that you may put these dolls on lay-away, just like everything else that I sell.
As promised, here are photographs of the two dolls I currently have finished and available for sale. They are listed for sale on my website Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance. You may email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com or call 860-355-5709 if you have any questions about the dolls or would like to see additional photos.
Isabeau #3 SOLD
A sweet, demure 17-1/2 inch tall doll from my Isabeau mold. She has two ringlets in front of each ear and five curls at the back of her neck. Her black painted boots have scalloped tops. She is currently dressed in a knee length chemise with gathered lace ruffles at the neck and sleeves, a petticoat and pantalettes. The black dress she is shown wearing above and below has been sold, so here is your chance to pick your favorite style of Izannah dress and choose an antique fabric from my stash. Contact me with your color preferences and I will email you photos of dress fabrics. Her adoption fee, fully dressed, is $1250.
Anna #3 SOLD
Anna #3 is a smaller 16-1/2 inch tall doll. She has short wispy hair in front and in back. Her dress fabric comes from an 1830’s dress which was remade in the 1890’s and has provenance. I’ll send a copy of the note that came with the fabric along with the doll. the rest of her wardrobe consists of a hip length chemise, pantalettes, a petticoat and painted boots with scalloped tops. Anna #3 can be yours for $1250.
I spent all day Sunday exhibiting at the Jenny Lind Doll Show in Southbury, CT. I had a chance to meet some wonderful people and spend the day talking about dolls, dolls and more dolls! Surprisingly enough in all my years of doll making I haven’t ever done a doll show before. I used to do bear shows and of course I’ve done more folk art shows than I can count, plus wholesale shows too, but this was my very first doll show. 🙂 It was a pure treat to be in a room where every single person knew who Izannah Walker was! *
I have to say thank you to Mary Goddard and her husband Chris for all of their help on Sunday! It was fun to see them again and have a chance to talk. Mary also brought me the most amazing Halloween treat, tiny crepe paper and scrap ornaments that she made for my Halloween feather tree 🙂 A huge thank you to Joy Gaiser too, for booth sitting so that I could shop and take a break. Joy is a true friend and so good to me! I don’t know what I would do without all the wonderful people in my life…
* My husband answered the phone this morning and was somewhat bemused to be asked “Is this Izannah Walker?” Completely deadpan he handed the phone to me and said “It’s for you.” 🙂
Surprisingly most people at Sunday’s show were interested in custom made dolls, so I do currently have some
completed dolls available for sale. I’ll try to get photos taken and get them posted sometime later today, but
first I have to harvest the pumpkins and pick the last of this year’s raspberries. Frost is on its way tomorrow
night!
