Caledonia Argus

Woman receives awards for doll-making skills

Posted: 7/22/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

As a child, Peggy Eggert of Caledonia was fascinated with dolls. As an adult, she turned that fascination into an art form. Her creations have been recognized as among the worldís best by the International Doll Makers Association.

Eggert, a teacher at Caledonia Elementary, remembers receiving her first doll at the age of one, as a gift from her mother. Throughout her childhood, she received a doll each Christmas, along with a wardrobe designed and sewn by her mother. Eggert made her first doll in grade school while working on a Girl Scout sewing badge, and in 1994 she began making porcelain dolls. Three years later, she began entering them in competitions.

At the 1997 convention of the International Doll Makers Association (IDMA), she received a blue ribbon and the Best of Class award in the Modern Reproduction category. In 2000 and 2001, she took top honors in the costuming division at the convention, and in 2002, she took home the Ruby Award in the costuming division for her doll ìSweet Georgia.î The Ruby Award is given to the doll that receives at least 95 points out of 100 in the judging, and receives more points than any other doll.

Judging in the costume category is based on how well the dollís dress fits, as well as its neatness and construction. Judges tend to be picky when theyíre awarding points, Eggert said, and the year before, for example, her doll lost points because of a tiny thread hanging from the dress.

Eggertís doll from the 2002 convention was so impressive that Sweet Georgia was featured on the cover of the July-August-September 2002 edition of Broadcaster Magazine. And IDMA members were so impressed with Eggertís reputation in the doll making world that they named her the associationís secretary last July.

While receiving the awards and recognition is an honor, Eggert said, making the dolls is still very much at the forefront of her efforts. Sheís made 23 porcelain dolls since she started in 1994; the process involved in making a doll from start to finish is time-consuming, requiring a fashion designerís eye and a meticulous attention to detail.

The dolls must be painted, and the slightest features like eyebrows and eyes are laboriously perfected. The hair must be fashioned just so; for this, Eggert will often take the doll wigs to Nancyís Solutions hair salon in Caledonia. In fact, the award-winning Sweet Georgia doll received a French braid at Nancyís Solutions.

To master costume design, Eggert attended the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion in Huntsville, Alabama. There she learned silk ribbon embroidery and heirloom sewing techniques. The skills she acquired there, as with the hair-styling from Nancyís Solutions, were used in creating Sweet Georgia.

While much skill and hard work are involved in the construction of just one doll, Eggert noted, the process gets easier with practice, and the fruits of that process are something to be cherished.

ìItís just like anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it,î she said. ìItís fun to make them, to go from the very beginning and come out with a finished doll. You spend months making them, and theyíre sort of like your children.î

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