Magazine honors Darlington company
Garden & Gun magazine has named Covered in Cotton of Darlington the Overall Winner in its 10th annual Made in the South Awards.
The Made in the South Awards celebrate Southern artisans who make products in six categories: Food, Drink, Style, Outdoors, Home, and Crafts.
Covered in Cotton’s throw blankets were selected as this year’s overall Made in the South Awards winner and winner of the Crafts category judged by Erin and Ben Napier, founders of Laurel Mercantile Co. and Scotsman Co., and hosts of HGTV’s Home Town.
For years, Ty and Tracy Woodard, the duo behind the blankets, tried to brainstorm ways to use their 4,000-acre farm beyond the row crops and Black Angus beef cattle that Ty’s family had been raising since 1962.
When they finally dreamed up making blankets with their high-quality upland cotton, the Woodards joined forces with Carolina businesses all located within 150 miles of their farm.
From farm to gin to loom and farm again, local spirit is evident in every step of the process.
The first three blanket styles are named for their three children, and the Covered in Cotton philanthropic mission is inspired by one of them as well.
When their son Tobin was hospitalized as an infant for bacterial meningitis, a blanket gifted from a kind nurse served as a source of comfort during the trying time.
Now Covered in Cotton donates a blanket to a South Carolina children’s hospital for every 10 sold.
“We started the Made in the South Awards 10 years ago as a way to recognize the remarkable talent and creativity of artisans, makers, chefs and designers from across the region,” says David DiBenedetto, senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun.
“Each year our team continues to be truly wowed by the entries, and it’s an honor to be able to share the winners’ and finalists’ skills and stories with our readers.”