London Doll Convention

I have attended the Doll Artisan Guild Convention in the United States for the past three years and thoroughly enjoyed being immersed with so many kindred souls of the doll world.  When I saw that there was a convention this year in London, England, I decided to try to meet some dollmakers from across the pond.

The convention was held in Blackheath, which used to be a small village outside London, but is now part of London.  The charming Clarendon Hotel looks over the heath, an immense grassy area used for various village functions such as concerts and sports.  I wondered why it was so large, and later learned that it was where victims of the black death were buried during the middle ages.  It is a mass grave, so no building on it is allowed. 

Dollmakers from 12 countries were in attendance.  At the convention there were workshops, awards dinners, a sales room, and a bevy of dollmakers thrilled to meet others who share this absorbing (to us!) hobby.

I entered a small French Fashion doll which I called "Cerise" because of her red dress.  I was down to the wire getting her ready and swore I would start earlier next year.  The competition is criterion based, meaning that if your doll achieves a certain standard it gets that ribbon.  I was pleased to get a blue ribbon, the top ribbon for the general judging.  All the blue ribbon dolls in a category are then grouped, and the best one gets what is called a rosette.  I did not get a rosette this year, but was very pleased to get the blue ribbon.  The rosette dolls in this category were wonderful.  Here is my little "Cerise" in her red and black dress made of silk chiffon I purchased in Paris last year.  It was quite a challenge to sew, but has such lovely drape.  It was very expensive so I only bought a half yard, and I was down to the last inch when I finished. 

One of the other activities at the convention is the awarding of titles that people earn through the credentialing system.  I was thrilled to get my "Masters of Dollmaking" which I have been working on for over a year.  

Here I am getting my Master's with Competition Director and fantastic dollmaker Femme from The Netherlands on the right, and my friend Sue from New York on the left.  I think I was more excited about getting this Master's than my M.Ed.!

Here are a few more glimpses of the dolls.