Inaugural Show of the American Dishtowel Club–Your Vote Counts!

Exciting news for dishtowel lovers!

Because the dog shows sponsored by the American Kennel Club (AKC) have proven so popular in recent years, a new competition has been approved and is being introduced to the public here.

The American Dishtowel Club (ADC) is announcing its first conformation show, to evaluate overall appearance and structure of several categories of dishtowel, with a purpose of identifying Best of Breed and, ultimately, Best of Show. We invite the public to participate by voting in each category by means of the comments section of each post.

The categories to be judged are: WORKING GROUP, SPORTING GROUP, and NON-WORKING/NON-SPORTING GROUP.

Meet the towels in our first category, the Working Group:

Guidelines: Towels of the Working Group were bred to perform such jobs as drying dishes, cleaning up messes, and acting as large bibs when spaghetti is eaten. They have been invaluable assets to humans, especially women, throughout the ages. The Classic Striped Towel, the Striped Towel with Adornment, the Sturdy-Yet-Pretty Printed Towel, and the Flour Sack Towel are included in this Group, to name just a few. Their considerable size and strength make them capable towels and solid companions for every kitchen.

Classic Striped Towel

Faithful, dependable, towel of great strength; a dishtowel lover’s dishtowel

The ideal striped dishtowel is of large size and sturdy build. It is bred to work hard and enjoy it. The stripe at the selvedge edges may vary in color and may feature multiple colors. The ideal towel will retain its maker’s tag and be crisp and clean.

Striped Towel with Adornment

Dignified, adaptable, spirited

A breeding variation on the classic striped towel, the Striped Towel with Adornment combines the practicality and reliability of the classic striped towel with additional embellishment for purely aesthetic purpose. The embellishment is often provided through addition of short fringe, a fancy weave structure, or hand-done hemstitching. Towels in this breed are judged first by their ability to do the job at hand and only then is embellishment taken into consideration.

Sturdy-Yet-Pretty Printed Towel

Strong, playful but dignified, willing to please

The ideal printed towel in the working class combines sturdy build with an attractive countenance. Colors may vary, as may printed design, although bright flowers are common in the breed. Printed towels in this class must go beyond surface attractiveness, however, to offer strength and dependability in the kitchen.

Flour Sack Towel

Affectionate, playful and vivacious into old age, water lover

Unlike other towels in this class, the flour sack towel is designed as a towel to do a specific job—dry dishes. Despite its humble origins and surface appearance of fragility, these towels are well suited to their job. They display great thirst, are long-lived, and, as one would expect of a water towel, they dry quickly. There are few absolute characteristics to be applied to this group, although they are often so beloved by their families that they are decorated lavishly.

Now that you have met the strong and capable towels in the Working Group, we invite you to vote, in the comments, for your favorite; as you vote, please keep in mind that you are voting not for a specific towel but the category as a whole.

We hope you’ll join us next week for the next installment in the American Dishtowel Club Conformation Show. Next up is the Sporting Group!