Still basking in the glow

I can't stop thinking about that Izannah doll. I think you're right, Jan.  Her name should be Nan.  Her original dress was incredible.  The fabric was obviously cotton, but it was so fine and delicate.  The thread seemed different than modern thread.  I love old fabric.  I absolutely loved the pieces of stockinette peaking through the outer covering of her head.  And her little hands and feet were so perfect.  She had such a nice weight for a doll, perfect for carrying around and pretending.  She's like a gem.  I was amazed at the richness of her paint - all of the colors were still so deep and saturated.  She was made around 1855. So long ago.  When I picked her up, I felt like I was touching 1855.  It was a direct, vivid connection with the past.  It was as though a little girl had hopped out of the past, right into my arms.   I know that many people have loved and admired this doll over the past 150 years.  I wonder who they all were.

A Lovely Visit For My Dolls

A very sweet Izannah owner offered to let my dolls visit with her beautiful antique Izannah Walker doll.  It was such a treat!  I had never seen a real Izannah in person before.  I feel very lucky.  I also feel inspired to make more dolls.  LOTS more.

Playing Dolls Through The Years, The Martha Rutledge Collection

My mother, Martha, has some of her collection of dolls and doll accessories on display at her local community center.  I had a great time visiting the display this morning.  She makes beautiful little doll quilts and collects all sorts of doll related items.  Some of the dolls are my hand-made ones and some are her antiques.  She has doll furniture, dishes, her quilts, her collection of 1930's baby dolls (the type that she played with as a child), and even the doll bed that her father made her for Christmas when she was 9.  There are a couple of adorable Gail Wilson dolls that I made, some made from Dixie Redmond's Izannah Walker pattern, Gail's Hitty, and some china heads. There's a tiny child's sewing machine, doll clothing patterns, and tiny vintage sewing notions.   It was so rewarding to watch people pass by and notice all of those treasures!

Gail Wilson's dolls are sitting among Martha's sweet doll quilts, dishes and small furniture.

The doll bed on the lowest shelf is the one made by Eugene Atkins, Martha's Daddy, many years ago, when he was Santa and she was his precious little girl.  Money wasn't plentiful in her family, so she and her little sister didn't get new dolls that Christmas.  Instead, Martha and sister, Janice woke up to find that Santa had delivered hand-made doll beds and hand-sewn doll clothes (sewn by Dorothy Atkins - Martha's mother)  for their beloved dolls which they already owned.  Both sisters always remembered this day as their favorite, most magical Christmas.

More dolls, quilts and cuteness.

Martha Rutledge and Elaine McNally - - mother and daughter doll nuts!  We're so lucky to have this hobby in common.