“I sat at her feet growing up while she sewed and she wove,” she said. “She always told me whenever you make something it’s personal because it comes from your heart and your soul. When you take something from the earth you talk to it and you say, ‘Thank you.’”

This sense of respect, Woodie said, is why she shies from depicting ceremonial designs. Sometimes, though, she will use corn as an inspiration and create a simple design for an evening gown, cocktail dress or blazer. Woodie said she wants her clients to feel the wow-factor of her garments.

Woodie stretches the limits of her capabilities with blended silks, velvet and linen to make a refined statement. She will show off her newest pieces in the show. These dresses accent light and dark hues of mother-of-pearl with deep purples and blues of abalone shells.

Her quest for elegance forced her to rip the stitching from the back of a new dress.

“It didn’t look right to me,” she said. Her family told her to leave it, no one would know. Woodie just could not settle for anything less than perfection just as her grandson would not settle for any treat other than ice cream.