CC's Audition

There's a special high school here that's exclusively for fine arts. We've heard great things about it, but it never crossed my mind that one of my kids would be interested in it. But then we learned that they offer a Costume Design program.

CC couldn't believe it! She was immediately interested, even though it would mean saying good-bye to all her friends as they headed off to our local high school, where we always assumed CC would go. But it was worth it to her (and to their credit, her friends fully supported her decision).

But first, she had to be accepted. We took a tour, talked at length to a junior who is in the Costume Design program, and read everything we could find on the audition. CC did her homework and dutifully answered all the essay questions. She was also required to bring in two items she'd made. We were told that last year, one person brought in a scrunchie. Well, there were no scrunchies here! CC brought in two entire outfits, complete with accessories. 

The first one was her Halloween costume, the Queen of Hearts. It included a dress, ruffled overlay (that had been dyed black), headband crown, and several appliques. The second was the dress she was wearing -- a patchwork dress made from many pairs of old jeans she'd cut up.

The dress was quite complicated to make, because it was the first time she'd used a pattern. But the end result fit her like a glove, and now she knows how to incorporate things like darts into her designs, and how to use bias tape for the seams. She finished it off with a purse she'd made out of quilted material left over from the comforters I'd made for Sweet Pea and Little Man years when they were in toddler beds. It was adorable with little silver fasteners she'd sewn on, and the chain strap she'd cannibalized from a toy purse.

She sailed into the audition, supremely confident about her pieces and the additional outfit sketches she was required to bring with fabric swatches and idea inspirations. And she wowed them! She returned to me in the school auditorium with a face-splitting smile, waving the "accepted" slip like an American Idol contestant. 

We are incredibly proud of her, not only of her abilities with a sewing machine, but also because of her hard work to get in, and her determination to be accepted and to try this new school, even though she won't know anyone there. We will be by her side every step of the way, and we hope she has an amazing high school experience. 

**Special thanks to Memere, who helped CC so much with the pattern for the dress. She spent quite a lot of time over Thanksgiving and on the phone, explaining the process!