Saturday, September 10th, 2022
Jefferson County Fair Park Activity Center, Jefferson, WI
The Wisconsin Make It With Wool competition is open to all Wisconsin residents and is for anyone interested in fiber arts fashion and creative design using wool or wool blend fabrics. Through personal creativity, contestants create sewn, knitted, crocheted, woven or felted garments and novelty items that promote the beauty and versatility of wool. Wisconsin Make it With Wool is sponsored by the Wisconsin Sheep Breeders Cooperative and is guided by the National Make It With Wool Program (www.makeitwithwool.com).
Wisconsin offers participants two competitions to enter in: the garment competition and the novelty competition.
In the garment competition, contestants select wool fabrics and/or yarns,
materials and supplies to construct and model their garments at the Make it With Wool
Style Show. Contestants may spin their own yarn, weave their own fabric and may receive
instruction from parents, teachers, or advisors. Garments are judged by a panel of
judges before the style show. All garments entered in competition must have been
completed after January 1, 2022.
Winners of the Junior & Senior divisions go on to compete in the National Make
It With Wool Competition in Ft. Worth, Texas, January 19-21, 2023. The Adult
winner will receive a cash prize to help cover the cost of shipping the garment for
judging at the National Contest.
In addition to the garment competition, Wisconsin also holds a novelty contest for contestants to show off their creative uses of wool in non-garment and accessory items. Rules for each competition are below.
GARMENT COMPETITION RULES AND GUIDELINES
Who Can Enter? (Ages as of 1/1/22)
• Preteens- Ages 8 - 12
• Juniors- Ages 13 - 16
• Seniors- Ages 17 - 24
• Adults- 25 and older
• Made for Others- Any age.
In this division, the garment is made for another person. The recipient must model
the garment for the judges and on stage in the Style Show. The creator will answer
the judges' questions.
What Can Juniors, Seniors & Adults Enter?
What Can Preteens & Made for Others Enter?
Any garment, any number of pieces from the above list.
Winners of the Preteen and Made for Others divisions do not advance to the National
Competition.
What Fabrics/Yarns Can I Use?
Fabric and yarn requirements are a minimum of 60% wool or specialty fiber for each
fashion fabric or yarn used. Specialty fibers include mohair, cashmere, alpaca,
camel, llama, vicuña and angora. Trims, facings, linings, interfacings
and underlining may be from fabrics other than wool.
IMPORTANT! Have your fabric tested prior to construction of your garment! All garment contestants must send a 5 x 5” sample of each fabric and/or 30" of each yarn used in their garment to the State Director. Samples will be tested for wool content verification and must be at least 60% wool or wool blend to be allowed in the competition. Once your fabric passes the fiber content test, you will be notified and your fabric will be certified to be used in the contest. Swatches sent with entry forms must be postmarked by August 6th, 2022. If your fabric or yarn has previously been tested at the Montana State University Wool Laboratory, Yocum-McCall Testing Labs, or by the State Director and you have the lab test number and wool percentage, you do not need to have your fabric or yarn retested. Instead, you need to enter the lab test number and % wool on the entry form.
Send fabric/yarn samples along with your name, phone number and email to:
Becky Mehringer, Wisconsin MIWW
W9399 Woodside Rd.
Cambridge, WI 53523
What Are the Judging Criteria?
• Appropriateness to contestant’s
lifestyle
How Do I Enter The Garment Competition?
Test your fabric before construction of your garment (see IMPORTANT! paragraph above).
To participate in the Make It With Wool garment competition, the following must be set to the National and State Directors:
For the National Director
For each division being entered, the following must be postmarked to the National
Director by August 6th, 2022:
• A completed registration form.
Mail the above to:
Lynda Johnson, National MIWW
P.O. Box 215
Encampment, WY 82325
For the State Director
For each division being entered, the following must be postmarked to the
State Director by August 6th, 2022:
• A completed registration form.
Mail the above to:
Becky Mehringer, Wisconsin MIWW
W9399 Woodside Rd
Cambridge, WI 53523
CLICK HERE FOR
GARMENT ENTRY FORM
NOVELTY COMPETITION RULES AND GUIDELINES
Class A: Novelty Items for Youth (Ages 17 & under)
Class B: Novelty Items for Adults (Ages 18 &
up)
• Novelty items
include, but are not limited to: Slippers, purse, scarf, shawl, hat, gloves/mittens,
belt, tie, pin, rugs, quilts, wall hangings, table runners, or any other artistic
creation using wool.
• Items may be sewn, knitted, crocheted, woven or
felted out of wool or specialty fibers.
Novelty items do NOT need to be tested for wool content verification.
To participate in the Make It With Wool novelty competition, the following must be set to the State Director:
For each entry, the following must be postmarked to the State Director
by August 6th, 2022:
• A completed registration form.
CLICK HERE FOR NOVELTY ENTRY FORM
Are There Prizes in both the Garment and Novelty
competitions?
YES! In the garment
competition, Preteens and Made for
Others receive awards up to 3 placings. The first
placing Junior and Senior will win
a trip to national competition where scholarships and prizes are awarded for the
national winners. The Adult winner receives a cash prize
to help cover the cost of shipping the garment for judging at the National
Contest. Novelty winners receive awards up to 3
placings in each age division. Sewing machines, wool fabric, yarns, notions, equipment
and other prizes are awarded at both the state and national competitions.
2022 Wisconsin Make It With Wool Competition Schedule
Saturday, September 10th, 2022
Jefferson County Fair Park, Activity Center
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Registration
Activity Center Lobby
Pictures of contestants taken, novelty contestants drop off
items
9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Garment Modeled on Contestant Judging
Activity Center Lobby and Conference Room
Judging is private, not open to the public
11:00 a.m. Construction Judging
Activity Center Conference Room
Judging is private, not open to the
public
Free time for contestants
12:00 p.m. Catered Lunch for All Contestants
Activity Center
1:00 p.m. Style Show Practice
Activity Center Stage
2:00 p.m. Wisconsin Make It With Wool Style Show and Awards
Presentation
Activity Center Stage
Questions about the contest or entering? Contact State Director Becky Mehringer,
920-220-1026 or wisconsinmiww@gmail.com
Wisconsin Make It With Wool representatives showed off their talents during the 74th annual National Make It With Wool competition as part of the 2022 American Sheep Industry Convention held Jan. 20-22 in San Diego, California. Winners were announced at the National Make It With Wool Awards Program following the banquet and fashion show. Seventy-nine contestants from 28 states competed in four age divisions: Junior, Senior, Adult, and Fashion/Apparel Design.
Elizabeth Colwell of La Valle participated in the Junior category. Colwell constructed a three piece ensemble consisting of a periwinkle blue and plaid reversible jacket, gray pants and cream Italian wool top. Marissa Sanchez of California won the Junior division with her houndstooth lined coat and apple green sleeveless dress.
Kimberly Westenberg of Watertown participated in the Senior category. Kimberly’s plum colored coat featured machine embroidery on the yoke with Swarovski crystals. Whitney Black of Utah won the Senior division with her black lined coat and tan dress with flounce hem and sleeves.
Wisconsin’s Adult representative, Becky Piette from Rothschild was awarded 1st runner up with her three-piece tailored suit including a jade green jacket, a herringbone vest and 3-pocket jeans. Kim Vogley of Washington won the Adult division with her two-piece ivory dress and coat.
In the Fashion/Apparel Design division, Maria Olsson of Mt. Mary University in Milwaukee won the division for college students majoring in fashion or apparel design. Her emerald green dress featured removable sleeves.
Additional prizes were awarded for handwork, needlework, outstanding use of mohair, machine embroidery and exemplary construction.
Make It With Wool is a national competition that starts at the state level. Contestants in the MIWW competition sew, knit, crochet, weave or felt their garments, which must be made from at least 60% wool fabric or yarn. Contestants are divided into age divisions including Adult (age 25 and over), Senior (age 17-25), Junior (age 13-16), Preteen (age 12 and under), Made for Others, as well as a novelty contest at the state level. State winners in the Junior, Senior and Adult Divisions advance to the national competition.
The Wisconsin Make It With Wool competition is held annually at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in September at the Jefferson County Fair Park. The competition is open to any Wisconsin resident interested in fiber arts fashion and creative design using wool or wool blend fabrics. Through personal creativity, contestants create sewn, knitted, crocheted, woven or felted garments and novelty items that promote the beauty and versatility of wool.
For more information about the Wisconsin Make It With Wool program, official rules and entry forms, visit wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com or contact State Director Becky Mehringer at 920-220-1026 or wisconsinmiww@gmail.com