Linton first in national contest
By Staff Reports
Published in News on June 18, 2012 1:46 PM
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Marisa Linton, 19, of the Grantham community, recently won the senior division of the National Make It With Wool competition held in Scottsdale, Ariz.
She is one of few to have won this competition twice -- once in 2009 as the Junior Ambassador and again this year as the Senior Ambassador.
The junior and senior divisions attracted a total of 62 contestants. Garments had to be constructed from fiber that was at least 60 percent wool or other animal fiber such as mohair, alpaca or camel. Contestants were judged on garment fit, creativity, knowledge of the industry, stage presence and garment construction.
Miss Linton's entry was a three-piece ensemble consisting of a black and pink mohair overcoat, black wool fringed-hem dress with pink needle felting and a pink wool/mohair blend jacket. Miss Linton initially won at the state level in Concord last September after putting approximately 130 hours into the construction of the garment.
She will be the Senior Make It With Wool Ambassador for a year and will promote the American Sheep Industry, sponsor of the Make It With Wool program. Her awards included $2,500 in scholarships, a sewing machine, garment bag, fabric, expense paid trip to the 2013 national contest in San Antonio, Texas and one other trip of her choosing to promote the contest.
She was also the recipient of the Mohair Council of America Scholarship.
Miss Linton is in the honors program at Campbell University and is majoring in communications.
In her role as Senior Ambassador, Miss Linton will be responsible for promoting wool, the sheep industry, the art of sewing, and the Make It With Wool contest.
Miss Linton has been sewing for 11 years and learned how to sew from her grandmother. She said that sewing has become a passion of hers, and that she feels blessed to have won such a great honor. She said she especially enjoys sharing her love of sewing with others through teaching and is always eager to acquaint others with the versatility of wool.
Miss Linton is daughter of A.J. and Suzanne Linton of the Grantham and is the granddaughter of Bob and Sylvia Weaver of Grantham and Freddie and Sandra Linton of Goldsboro.
For those interested in sewing, knitting, or crocheting for the Make It With Wool competition, visit http://makeitwithwool.com/. The North Carolina contest will be held Sept. 8 in Concord and is open to all ages.