September Newsletter

It’s That time again… my Autumn Newsletter is going out today ❤

A Sweet Remembrance September 2017 Newsletter

Greetings All!

I have lots of exciting news to share in this newsletter!  So I’m just going to jump right in…

1. In just 2 weeks I’ll be having my annual online celebration of Izannah Walker’s birthday. This is an extra-special year because it marks the 200^th anniversary of the day she was born, September 25^th, 1817. I’ll be posting off and on all day on the 25^th at www.izannahwalker.com. There will be some new dolls available for sale that day, which will be posted at noon eastern time. Come visit the blog, join in the virtual party and celebrate with us!
2. Izannah Walker Birthday Greetings Project. As a fun way to celebrate Izannah Walker’s birthday I would like to invite you all to email me a short birthday message along with a photograph of your Izannah Walker doll, whether it is an antique original, a reproduction doll that I have made for you, or a doll that you have made yourself in tribute to Izannah’s dolls! Please send your photo and birthday greeting to paula@asweetremembrance.com no later than September 18th. I will post all of the photos and their accompanying messages on http://www.izannahwalker.com as part of my annual Izannah Walker birthday celebration. Everyone who sends in a birthday greeting will be entered in a drawing to win a special birthday surprise package!!!

https://izannahwalker.com/2017/09/06/remember-to-write-to-absent-friends-izannah-walker-birthday-greetings-project/

3. You may already know that I wrote a twelve page article about Izannah Walker for the September issue of Antique Doll Collector. The issue has sold out. The magazine has no more copies, and will not be printing any more. If you are looking for a copy, try Barnes & Nobel.  Many of their stores still had some this past week, although in very limited quantities.
4. Another thing that you might be aware of is that I am the co-chairman for my doll club’s annual doll show, which is coming up on October 29^th in Southbury, CT. This is the 30^th year for the show, so in honor of both the club’s 30^th show and Izannah Walker’s 200^th birthday, I am curating a special educational exhibit of Izannah Walker dolls at the show.  Admission to the exhibit is included with your paid entrance ($7) to the show.  It is going to be a wonderful show and a fantastic exhibit, with a very large group of antique Izannah Walker dolls belonging to Jenny Lind Doll Club members and friends! To find out more about the show visit the show blog https://jennylinddollshow.wordpress.com/ and the show facebook page www.facebook.com/jennylinddollshow/  you can get discount admission coupons there too. If you are interested in selling at the show, I do still have a little space left!!! Email me ASAP at jennylinddollshow@gmail.com for a contract!!!
5. In case you missed them, my new Third Thursdays are going strong! Because of Izannah Walker’s birthday celebration there is no “3^rd Thursday” in September. There isn’t going to be one in October either, because any dolls I get finished in October will be going to the doll show with me. I want to have some there at the exhibit for people to hold and examine up close. Obviously all of the antique Izannah Walker dolls will be roped off, but I would like to make the exhibit a bit interactive, so I will have some of my reproduction dolls on hand for those who would like to give them a gentle hug and get a good sense of their size and weight.  For more information on 3^rd Thursday’s click on this link: https://izannahwalker.com/2017/07/15/third-thursdays-start-this-month-mark-your-calendar-then-come-back-on-thursday-to-see-this-months-new-dolls-for-sale/ .
6. I have a new article in the upcoming Christmas issue of Early American Life magazine. It is a project article on how to make cotton batting candy containers. Also included in the Christmas issue is the Holiday Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen. I’m very honored to have been included in the Holiday Directory again this year. To see a bit more about my candy container article click here: https://spuncottonornaments.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/look-for-me-in-the-christmas-2017-issue-of-early-american-life/ .
7. The class support sites for both my Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll Making Class and my Spun Cotton Ornament Class have moved to private facebook pages. No one has been using the Ning sites, so I have switched over to facebook. Both Ning sites are still available at this time, so please go save whatever information you would like to keep from the Ning sites. I will NOT be moving all of the previously posted information over to facebook. We are starting out fresh! The spun cotton ornament how-to videos are posted on the facebook site.  If you are already a member of either class and would like to come join us on facebook, please email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com and tell me the email address that you use for your facebook account. I will then check to make sure you are a class member, and send you an invitation to the class page.  At this time I have NOT moved the Alabama Baby Class over to facebook, it is still only on Ning.
8. Sometimes when I post new dolls for sale, they sell very quickly. I do realize that ideally people would like to take their time looking at my latest doll offerings, and then if any of my dolls tugged at their heart, decide if they would like to welcome that special reproduction Izannah Walker doll into their home. I’m sorry that you do not always have the opportunity to do that. Because I am a doll maker, selling my dolls is different than selling antique dolls. If you are selling antique dolls you already have the doll in your possession, so it is possible for you to announce exactly what you are selling ahead of time in the case of doll auctions, or before shows. Which gives people time to make up their minds about a doll in advance. As a doll maker, I spend around 100 hours creating each doll I sell. This is 100 working hours, not elapsed time.  I have to spend quite a bit of time waiting for paint to dry and washing and drying antique fabric… Generally my dolls are not finished until right before I post them.  Even when I do  shows, I have a tendency to be working on dolls right up until the very last second. In my world there is never enough time! So please forgive me for not being able to give you advance photos and lists of the dolls that I will have for sale on Izannah Walker’s birthday, at shows, or on Third Thursdays. Surprises and spontaneity can be good things! I’m always overly optimistic about how many dolls I want to make, so there is the perpetual question of exactly which dolls I will be able to get finished in time. 🙂

Fondly,

Paula

post script: If you like to receive my newsletters in your inbox, email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com and let me know you’d like to be on my mailing list. You can be removed from the list whenever you choose, simply by asking…

Look for Me in the Christmas 2017 Issue of Early American Life

Look for my article on how to make these cotton batting candy containers in the 2017 Christmas issue of Early American Life.

It won’t be long now until the 2017 Christmas issue of Early American Life, with my article on how to make cotton batting candy containers and the Holiday Craftsman Directory, is out! I just received my advance copies and it is a fun issue!!! There are several other projects, besides mine, plus recipes and Christmas themed articles to put you in a holiday mood.

I don’t do as many how-to articles as I once did… so it was a bit nostalgic to visit my past and design a new project for my article. I made two versions of two different candy containers, which means there are lots of options for people to try.

A huge thank you to Early American Life for asking me to contribute to their Christmas issue and for including me in the Holiday Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen once again! ❤

P. Walton chosen for the EAL Directory of Traditional American Craftsman 38 time.

P. Walton chosen for the EAL Directory of Traditional American Craftsman 38 time.

P. Walton chosen for the EAL Directory of Traditional American Craftsman 38 time.

A Work in Progress, My Cotton Wrapped Christmas Tree!

You may remember my poor naked little Christmas tree that I saved from last year.  The one that has been patiently waiting for me to swaddle all of it’s branches in cotton “snow”.

Well, I’ve finally had time to begin working on it.  It was a busy few months leading up to Christmas, and all the while I was working on other projects, the little tree was never far from my thoughts.  Finally on Christmas Eve, as I was putting the last few stitches in a quilt I made for my youngest son and his wife, I stopped and spent just a few minutes spinning cotton around two tiny branches of my tree.  It wasn’t much, but it made me feel good to at least get some of the cotton on before Christmas!

Now that Christmas is past I’ve been able to work on the tree a bit more.  I still have a long way to go, but the tree is taking on the look of snow covered branches… at least here and there!

Happy Valentine’s Day XOXO

A Valentine for my Spun Cotton students! Step by step instructions for this mixed media ornament are posted on the class site.

Wishing you a very happy Valentine’s Day!

Spun Cotton Class members should stop in at my facebook class member only site for videos and support ❤

Last Weekend for How-To Videos on My Class Site

If you are a class member of my Spun Cotton Ornament class make sure you head on over to the Class Member only Ning site today or tomorrow for one last look at the five instructional videos.  I splurged and added two months of video capability to the class site as my Christmas present to everyone and now we are down to the last two days!!!

There are three videos on constructing a basic spun cotton ornament and two on how to costume your figures in crepe paper and cotton batting clothing.

I hope you have all enjoyed your Christmas present 🙂

How-To Instructional Videos and Reproduction Ornament Directions are now up on my Spun Cotton Class Member Site

Merry Christmas to all of my spun cotton ornament students!  As my present to you all this year, I have purchased two months of video capability for the class site and posted three instructional videos; Making a Human Wire Armature, Basic Spun Cotton Instructions, and Another Method For Spinning Cotton and How to Fix Trouble Spots.  These are a great refresher for those of you who have taken a “live” class from me here at my studio or at the Brookfield Craft Center, and a chance to see spinning in action for all of you who have taken my Class by Mail.

Pop in at the class site soon!  The videos are only available for viewing through February 5th, 2012.  While you are at the Ning site, be sure to take advantage of the newly added directions for making a reproduction of the antique spun cotton boy in this previous post.

If you are one of my students  who has not already signed up for the class member only site, I strongly urge you to do so.  You are missing out on lots of great information and best of all it’s entirely free for all class members.

Email me at paula@asweetremembrance.com if you are a student who needs an invitation to the class site.  Be sure to include the approximate date that you took/purchased the class so that it will be easier for me to look you up in my records.  Also for those who have already signed-up for the Ning site but can’t remember how to get there, I am happy to send you a reminder 🙂

If you haven’t taken my class yet, this is a great time to do so!  Click here to visit my website A Sweet Remembrance, where you can purchase my Class by Mail. There is still time to receive your class before Christmas if you buy it in the next few days.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to watch the video instructions (which will be unavailable after 2/5/12).

Antique Inspiration

This is the most recent addition to my collection of antique spun cotton ornaments. I think that this chubby checked boy , dressed in red and white crepe paper, is in wonderful condition considering that he has celebrated 100 or so Christmases.

I was delighted to find this spun cotton ornament on Sunday, when I went to the Jenny Lind Doll Club’s annual Doll Show in Southbury, CT.   I wasn’t expecting to see any antique or vintage Christmas items, so he was a wonderful surprise.  I think he is quite adorable,  so much so that I plan to make reproductions of him for Christmas this year.  I’ll also be posting directions for creating a replica on my Spun Cotton Ornament class member only site for all of my students.

Cute from every direction!

Here he is again, along with two tiny vintage evergreen trees that I also bought at the show on Sunday. If you are wondering about the chest he is standing in front of, it's a small 2 drawer antique chest that I painted with mural like scenes of the Peaceable Kingdom.

Valentine Ornament Project

Here is a peek at the new Valentine ornament that I created especially for all of my Spun Cotton Ornament students.  Class member support is now offered through a private group on facebook Paula Walton’s Spun Cotton Ornament Class ❤

Class on Saturday December 5th

The class was a lot of fun.  We had eight students.  Thank you to everyone who came.  The museum and I both appreciate your support.

I had planned to take photos, but it was such a busy action filled morning that I never managed to get out my camera!

On Saturday 12/5 (that’s 3 days from now) I am teaching a class at the New Milford, CT  Historical Society Museum on Victorian Scrap Paper Ornaments.  This class would be a bit elementary for those of you who have mastered spun cotton, but if you aren’t a spun cotton expert,  are looking for something fun to do with older children, or have a friend who isn’t “crafty” then this would be the perfect class.

The class runs from 10:00 – 12:00.  The cost is $30, which includes most of your materials, and all of the money goes to benefit the museum.  If you’d like to read the class listing on the museum website, here is the link www.nmhistorical.org/eventsnews/index.htm .

Since time is so short, just call me at the museum (860-354-3069) to register and you can pay on Saturday when you come for the class.  If I’m not in the office, please leave a message on the answering machine.

All you need to bring with you to class are paper scissors, fabric shears, fabritack glue, and any trims, tinsel, glitter, buttons, etc. that you have and would like to put on your ornaments.  A tour of the museum’s current exhibit “300 Years of Christmas Traditions” is included in the class.

It should be a fun morning for a good cause.  I hope to see some of you there!

Izannah Walker Doll-Inspired Spun Cotton Ornament

This is an ornament that I posted several months ago on my other blog, Izannah Walker Journal. Thinking about project ideas for both blogs just led naturally to the idea for this project – one that combines both an Izannah Walker doll and a spun cotton ornament. I’ve worked in a couple of new embellishment ideas that I hope all of you spun cotton artists will find interesting.

Basic instructions and material lists for making spun cotton ornaments are provided in my regular in-person and by-mail classes. You are welcome to use the instructions below for your own personal use, but please do not use them for any commercial purposes. This means that you can’t sell items made with these instructions, patterns containing them, use them in teaching a class, or for any other money-making reason. You can however make as many as you want for yourself or to give away to your fortunate family and friends, if you can bear to part with your new ornaments.

1. Cut a 9-½ inch long piece of wire for your body armature (which you will bend in half).Cut a 4-1/4 inch piece wire for the arms.Assemble the armature and proceed to make a standard spun cotton figure.I lightly sprayed mine with tea, as per the instructions given in class.
2. Take a clear photograph of the face and shoulders of an Izannah Walker doll.Resize the image so that the face measures approximately 7/8 of an inch high. Print the re-sized image either in color or sepia on white card stock.Make sure you use the highest quality print setting available. Carefully cut out around the face and shoulder plate so that you have the equivalent of a lithographed paper scrap. Alternate ideas are to draw or paint your doll’s head, or to use the photograph of any young child, either old or new, that you would like. Sepia-toned prints may be hand-colored in the eyes, lips and checks.
3. If you plan to hang your ornament, run a short length of floss, ribbon, or string through the top of the head. I used waxed twine. See class instructions for details.
4. Mix brown acrylic paint with water in equal parts. My color choice was burnt umber. Paint the back of your figure’s head. Next paint on classic Izannah boots. Let dry.
5. Cut white crepe paper 1-½ x 8 inches to form a petticoat. Glue in place.
6. Cut colored crepe paper 1-¾ x 9 inches for skirt. Cut out bodice, sleeve and waistband pieces using the pattern given here, for the yellow dress, as a guide. Dress pieces for the pink dress mimic those in my Izannah Walker Doll Clothes Pattern. You may need to make adjustments to fit your figure as you go along.
7. For trim like the yellow dress shown here, glue thin bands of 1/8 inch wide black ribbon along the lower edges of the skirt and sleeves. Let the glue dry completely before attaching the clothing to your Izannah ornament.
8. If you prefer the all-over print like that in the pink dress, gather together three paint brushes with the same size handles, and rubber band them tightly together so that the ends of the handles form a triangle of dots. Dip the ends of the handles in undiluted acrylic paint, wipe the excess off on a paper towel, and then use the tips of the handle like a stamp to create an evenly-spaced pattern on the crepe paper for your dress. I suggest practicing first before you work on the actual dress pieces. Let the paint dry thoroughly before attaching the clothing to your Izannah ornament.
9. Glue clothing to ornament per instructions given in class.
10. If you would like, you may embellish the back of the dress bodice with tiny vintage buttons.
11. Sign and date your ornament. Hang her somewhere that makes you smile.Enjoy!

If glue and paper aren’t your mediums of choice, these ornaments are for sale on my website, Paula Walton’s A Sweet Remembrance.