Wish fulfilled with wool

Ashlynn Johnson accomplished a feat last month that has evaded her aunts. She competed at nationals in the Make it with Wool contest.

The acceptance was bittersweet, as Ashlynn's grandmother, who was involved with Make it with Wool for several years, passed away in 2013.

Roxana Johnson would tell Ashlynn stories of her experiences at nationals. Stories that Roxana also shared with her daughters Elizabeth Downare and Amanda Batteiger.

Lynda Jordan, of Laramie, took over Roxana's position as state representative and escorted Ashlynn to Charleston, S.C. where nationals took place in January.

Lynda said she was very pleased with Ashlynn's first place finish in the state of Wyoming for the junior division. At nationals, Lynda said, they announce the top 10. After reviewing the winners, Lynda said she felt Ashlynn was very close to being in the top ten.

The junior division is for 13 to 16 year old competitors. Ashlynn turned 14 on Feb. 2. She has been sewing for as long as she can remember.

Ashlynn's grandmother taught her to sew and explained different types of stitches to her. "She taught me everything, like the blind stitch, the box stitch, the blanket stitch," Ashlynn said. Those lessons have proved to be valuable to Ashlynn, especially since she does a lot of hand sewing on her projects.

"I use hand sewing a lot, especially when working on the linings," Ashlynn said.

The wool outfit that earned her first place was a sleeveless dress that she added a lined jacket to so she could wear it to school. Her mom and Aunt Elizabeth helped with the garment.

Going to nationals and seeing different garments gave her a "lot of ideas for next year", Ashlynn said.

The eighth grade student will have plenty of opportunities to compete at nationals if she qualifies. Make it with Wool competes in the junior division until the age of 16 and the senior division until the age of 24. Nicole Macy, a 24-year-old from Pine Bluffs placed third nationally at Make it with Wool after qualifying for four years.

Ashlynn said this is the first time she has been able to compete at the state level and she was extremely surprised when she won.

"There were girls with coats, dresses and skirts," Ashlynn said, "Coats take a more skill."

Ashlynn said the competitors also are required to model the outfit and answer questions about the construction. "The judges want to know how well you know your outfit," Ashlynn said.

Ashlynn enjoyed the opportunity to go to nationals. Making it more eventful was the fact that her grandmother was honored for her years of work in Make it with Wool and Ashlynn was able to witness what her grandmother had contributed to the program over the years. "It was pretty cool to see how well known she was," Ashlynn said.