With strong roots in the Northeast, the Make it with Wool Competition continues to inspire innovative design with wool. This year, Haley Smith, a primary collaborator in the New York Regional Yarn Sourcebook and a junior in Fiber Science & Apparel Design at Cornell, won first place! What a great way to celebrate fiber arts, fashion, and textile design during the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival!

Growing up in Upstate New York, Haley learned to sew during summers with the 4-H program. She has been entering the New York Make it with Wool (MIWW) competition since 8^th grade. As an undergraduate at Cornell, she continued refining her skills in sewing and fiber arts. In an interview, Haley expressed, “It’s so exciting to finally see my hard work pay off, and this is also my favorite outfit I’ve entered, so I’m happy that others appreciate it like I do.”

The goal behind her award-winning outfit was to create a timeless design. This is reflected with her use of black and light blue tones. She used commercial patterns from Vogue and Butterick and chose to focus on current trends such as a knee length coat and wide pant legs. The coat is made of wool fabric produced by Pendleton in the U.S. She received it for her participation in a previous MIWW competition. The coat is lined with silk that was hand-dyed with black beans. The black jumpsuit is made of a wool and spandex blend from Sawyer Brook.

In anticipation of her participation in the National MIWW Competition, Haley indicated, “I am looking forward to meeting the contestants from other states, see their outfits, and hear their inspirations. I am also looking forward to exploring New Orleans!” She plans to continue to submit designs to the New York MIWW Competition to support wool and use of natural fibers for clothing and textile designs.

I am so excited for Haley and her future participation in the National Make it with Wool Competition!