Concordia Nebraska junior Saidi Ringenberg reflects on years of sewing experience and Make It with Wool competition win

Saidi Ringenberg of Lexington, Nebraska, is a junior at Concordia University, Nebraska, majoring in marketing with a minor in communications. She hopes to attend cosmetology school after college and start a business in the beauty industry. She is also an accomplished seamstress and was a longtime Dawson County, Neb. 4-H member. It was in the 4-H program that she first gained experience working with wool – an experience that took her all the way to the national Make It with Wool (MIWW) competition in 2023.  

This year, Ringenberg’s younger sister Sydni took part in the competition representing Nebraska at the national level in Arizona. However, two years ago, Ringenberg was the one competing at the national level with her handmade woolen dress. She won the 2023 competition, receiving two cash prizes, a trip to the 2024 Make It with Wool competition and several wool products.  

“I started sewing with wool out of convenience,” Ringenberg said. “Wool is such an amazing fabric to work with because it’s consistent. By that, I mean that it doesn’t stretch and pull like polyester; it isn’t as thin as cotton and you can be sure that the seams you are sewing are going to fall into place.”  

I think the best part of the creative process through sewing is getting to express yourself. Sewing is challenging, but anyone can do it...it is a form of art that I believe everyone should try at least once. Not only do you feel accomplished when the garment is completed, but you have a piece of clothing that is truly and uniquely designed to represent yourself.

Throughout her time in 4-H, Ringenberg first sewed dresses and skirts before moving on to experimenting with wool. She’s been involved with the MIWW competition for seven years and now helps to introduce others to her craft.  

“I had the honor of representing Nebraska at the [MIWW] nationals a total of four times,” Ringenberg said. “In 2024, I was able to hold multiple sewing workshops in my Lexington, my hometown, to teach younger kids about sewing with wool. I was also able to visit multiple county fairs [that summer] and talk about my experience with the competition and with sewing.” 

After winning the national competition in Texas in 2023, she was named the 2024 National Make It with Wool Senior Ambassador. She described the process that takes place for competitors to reach this level. 

“[MIWW] starts as a statewide competition in November,” she said. “Usually, it’s held in Hastings or Lexington [Nebraska]. People travel from across the state with their garments they’ve made out of wool. There are multiple different age groups: pre-teen, junior, senior and even adult! The junior, senior and adult competitors are all eligible to compete at the national level.”  

She added that the state-level judging process consists of modeling one’s handmade garment, a short interview discussing the garment’s history with a judge and a judging process based on the craftsmanship of the garment itself. The state champion, Ringenberg said, is named at the end of the day after a short fashion show featuring all the competitors.  

“I started competing at the state level in middle school with simple dresses,” Ringenberg said. The four times she competed nationally, she made an ensemble consisting of a coat and another clothing item. Her winning ensemble paired a coat with a plaid dress.  

Ringenberg came to Concordia with the goal of being a chiropractor, but switched her program of study to marketing with a communications minor after her sophomore year. She said that her major and the community she’s formed at Concordia Nebraska are some of her favorite parts of attending the university.  

“I have been loving learning about business, marketing and how I can become a better communicator,” she said. “I plan to attend cosmetology school after I’ve graduated and start my own business in the beauty industry! I’ve loved the close-knit community within Concordia and have grown so much in my faith during my time here. Everyone is so welcoming, and it has been amazing to further my academics through Christ so far.”  

As for sewing, it’s another way that she exercises her talents outside of school.  

“I think the best part of the creative process through sewing is getting to express yourself. Sewing is challenging, but anyone can do it,” she said. “It is a form of art that I believe everyone should try at least once. Not only do you feel accomplished when the garment is completed, but you have a piece of clothing that is truly and uniquely designed to represent yourself.” 

The marketing major at Concordia University, Nebraska allows students to build pertinent knowledge while maintaining ethical and current business strategy. The curriculum covers important topics like consumer behavior, digital marketing and sales. Learn more about the program here.