She’s as busy as a bee, with a name to match.

That’s how Debra Siemens of Coeur d’Alene describes herself.

“Debra means ‘bee,’ and I’m living up to it,” she said.

Siemens recently won the adult division of the Idaho Make It with Wool contest. Her winning entry, a contemporary lined peacoat jacket, will be judged at the national level in December.

Originally intended as a way to promote and support the American sheep industry, the national Make It with Wool contest started 71 years ago.

“It’s not just a sewing competition,” said Idaho Make It with Wool Director Kim Monk. “They’ve really grown it and encouraged creativity.”

Siemens said she’d wanted to enter the Make It with Wool contest since she was a teenager and saw it advertised in Seventeen Magazine.

“Every year, they had that contest, and I wanted to be in it so bad,” she said.

This year, she finally made her dream come true. Siemens, 61, is a mother of nine and a grandmother. She’s also studying apparel, textiles and design at the University of Idaho. One of her professors, Dr. Sandra Evenson, encouraged her to enter the contest.

“It’s been wonderful,” Siemens said. “A lot of new things are happening in the fashion industry. It’s really exciting.”

Siemens said she’s especially interested in sustainability and discovering how to make clothing that doesn’t negatively impact the environment. For example, her winning peacoat was made mostly from vintage fabric. She created her coat based on the fabric she’d selected, rather than choosing fabric for a specific design.

“In the industry, that’s what you start with,” she said. “You get inspired by fabric.”

Isabelle Monk of Genesee won the junior division of the contest with a softly structured hooded coat, long-sleeved fitted top and leggings. Kaylee Flodin, also of Genesee, won the senior division with a wool dress. Both Monk and Flodin will represent Idaho at the national contest in Scottsdale, Ariz. in January 2020.

Siemens said she believes people can chase their dreams at any age.

“I know enough about myself to know that I would regret not doing it,” she said. “I would love to encourage any woman or man who wants to attempt a contest like this to go for it. What have you got to lose?”