Make It With Wool

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Wisconsin Make It With Wool Competition

Saturday, September 10th, 2022

Jefferson County Fair Park Activity Center, Jefferson, WI 

Entry Deadline - Postmarked by August 6, 2022

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? 

• One-Piece Garment: Dress, jumper, outerwear jacket, coat or cape.
• Two-Piece Garment: Coat, jacket, cape, blouse/shirt, vest or sweater WITH….Dress, jumper, skirt, pants or shorts.
• Ensemble: 3 or more garments worn together at one time.  Coat, jacket, cape, blouse/shirt, vest and/or sweater WITH dress, jumper, skirt, pants or shorts.

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

• Fit and overall appearance
         •  Coordination of fabric/yarn/fibers with garment style and design
         •  Presentation of garment by contestant
         •  Construction quality
         •  Creativity in design and use of wool
• Promotes the beauty, comfort and versatility of wool

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.   

• A 3” x 3” sample of each wool fabric and/or 12” of each yarn used.
• A $12 entry fee for each age division (make checks payable to: National MIWW).

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.    

• A 5” x 5” sample of each wool fabric and/or 30” of each yarn used (unless previously tested)
• A $15.00 entry fee for each age division (make checks payable to: Wisconsin MIWW).

 

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.    

• A $10.00 entry fee for each entry (make checks payable to Wisconsin MIWW). You may enter more than one entry in your age division.

 

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