How Wool Turned into Scholarships for Baylor Students

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WACO, Texas (Nov. 22, 2013) - Students and faculty from the department of family & consumer sciences at Baylor University received multiple awards and scholarships for their work from the national and state Make it with Wool competition earlier this month.
The Make it with Wool competition aims to promote the beauty and versatility of wool fabric and yarns, encourage and recognize creativity and develop life skills. Preteens to adults may enter any design made of at least 60 percent wool.
"We try to encourage students to enter contests because they have an opportunity to win scholarship money and awards," said Jaynie Fader, senior lecturer in the apparel design and merchandising program in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences.
Fader, along with nine Baylor students, entered this year's Texas Make it with Wool competition earlier this month. Her creation was made of mohair, a specialty wool fiber.
"I made the actual felt and then I made a scarf, a hat and a pair of shoes that all coordinate," Fader said. She received first place and a cash award in the adult fiber and felted art accessory category.
Fader is well versed in this type of material and also gave a presentation at the competition on multiple ways to use it.
"Felting recently has really become very popular," she said. "I discovered . . . how to create big pieces, little pieces and also taking different garments and recycling them, like a sweater with a moth hole in it or one that maybe you don't like anymore."
In the senior - ages 17 to 25 - 3-D fiber and felted art category, junior Maddie Danielson won first place, sophomore Christina Griffith won second and sophomore Destany Porter won third. All three students received cash scholarships for their entries.
One student, senior Helena Stefanowicz, is entering the national Make it with Wool competition, for which she must send a video of her work to New York to be judged.
"Hopefully she'll win," Fader said. "She has a really good chance of winning."
For more information on the national and state Make it with Wool competitions, visit www.makeitwithwool.com.
by Rachel Miller, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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