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Why bother to compete?
Because it’s fun to compete. There are several other reasons, but let us first take a look at why it is fun to compete.
All dolls receive a ribbon in DAG competitions. It is only the best blue-ribbon dolls that actually “compete” for the best-in-category rosettes; and the rosette-winners compete for the top awards. As everyone competes/tries for the best possible ribbon, dollmakers pay the most attention to their dolls in competition.
The fun starts already in the planning. “Do I dare? Which model can I do best? Can I adapt my special talents on my doll?” Use talents such as costume design, needleworking, knitting, crocheting, shoemaking, ribbon embroidery, sculpting or whatever it is that you do well to make your doll special.
Use your talents. Show what you can do. Impress the judges. What catches my eye many times is the unexpected. An example is a Pippi Longstocking doll that had such fantastic hand-knitted, colorful stockings. Possibly this dollmaker decided to create a Pippi doll just because she was such a master at knitting. In Europe you see dolls in competition that have traditional needlework techniques beautifully incorporated in the costumes. Maybe you’d like to work with wood, paint or arrange scenes? You could build a base for your doll, or a box for a mechanical doll. Competition is the opportunity to make use of some great pieces of material, a child’s piece of jewelry, or a nice little doll pocket book. Gather your pieces of materials, laces and ribbons to see if they look good together before you start to cut and sew. In any case, you plan, you dream and you have fun.
The excitement factor. The excitement reaches its culmination the moment you finally enter the exhibit room and find your doll. How did it fare? In every DAG Competition, 25-30 dolls receive a beautiful rosette. Five to seven dolls take the coveted top trophies and a large number of dolls receive a fine blue ribbon. Maybe your doll will be one of them?
Learn from the experience. It is interesting to find out what the judges thought. When you receive your comment sheet, you'll learn what they thought was good and what they think needs improvement. Smart dollmakers do take this wisdom to heart and create a better doll next time. Some people might realize that maybe it would be a good idea to get some help.
A DAG Instructor can help solve your problems, answer your questions, and show you better techniques. For better dolls in competition, DAG seminars make a major difference. Any technique that you master becomes much more fun and satisfying to execute.
Dolls that are ready. How many dolls do you have that are waiting for underwear, shoes, stockings, or even wigs? Will they ever be completed? My mother had a workroom to which she happily retired. It was full of projects in progress, yarns, materials, and buttons galore; she could have opened a store. Does this sound familiar? Many, many projects were never finished. Dolls for competition, on the other hand, have to be ready by a certain date – underwear and all. There you have another good reason.
Show off your dolls. It is fun to show what you can do. The wonderful thing is that the work on your dolls can be on permanent exhibit in your home or store, whereas many other handicraft or needlework items end up in a drawer, or get worn out and discarded. Your competition dolls will always shine – with their ribbons, rosettes and awards. If you teach or sell, these dolls do represent your best work, and are samples of what your customers/students can buy or learn from you. Your competition dolls will always be closest to your heart. They are the heirlooms of the future.
Last but not least, competing is a unique opportunity to receive deserved praise for your efforts. Make use of it.
What the Ribbons mean:
Blue Excellent
Red Good
White Fair
Green
Thank you for entering
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