Baylor Graduate Wins National Make It with Wool Competition
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WACO, Texas (Feb. 14, 2014) -"Hopefully she'll win. She has a really good chance of winning."
Those were the words of Jaynie Fader, senior lecturer in the apparel design and merchandising program in Baylor University's College of Arts & Sciences, about Helena Stefanowicz in October. Stefanowicz, then a senior at Baylor, had just entered the National Make it with Wool competition.
Win she did. Stefanowicz was named co-winner of the Fashion/Apparel Design Award and received a $1,000 scholarship from the American Wool Council and a trip to the national competition in South Carolina.
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 a blend of mohair, alpaca, cashmere, camel, llama or vicuña, as long as it is 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 Fader.
"As a department, we never sent any entries in," Stefanowicz said. "The process was kind of new for everyone so it was really just a shot in the dark."
Her submission included a coat, jacket, skirt and top made of 100 percent wool.
"She had a solid design," Fader said. "They really liked her coat especially."
Stefanowicz had already created two of the pieces as part of her senior collection but wanted to create a full ensemble. "I found in competitions that having a full ensemble is more impressive to judges because you've put in more time into the entry," she said.
Stefanowicz transferred to Baylor University from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia at the end of her sophomore year, Fader said.
"The program for me, although it was very great for art, academically it wasn't very rigorous, and I wanted something that was a little more challenging for me," Stefanowicz said. "And I wanted to go somewhere that had a really strong sense of community, and I knew that Baylor has a big reputation of its Baylor family."
Since her graduation in December, Stefanowicz has been working for a design company in Fort Worth. "I definitely see myself staying in the industry for a while and using my degree very much in my career field."
For more information on the national Make it with Wool competition, visit www.makeitwithwool.com.
by Rachel Miller, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.