Sew inspired — Flathead High student goes to nationals with repurposed sewing project

Flathead High School student Cassidy Hanson has a creative flair for her approach to sewing, baking and art projects. 

Recently she was the first FHS student to compete at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America National Leadership Conference held in Seattle this year. 

To win a spot at nationals, she first competed at the state level in March where she showcased her fashion and construction skills with an outfit made of repurposed clothes.  

“When they called my name, I had to go back and ask Ms. Strong, was that me? I was so full of anxiety. This was like a crowd of all different kids, and I had to walk up onto the stage,” Hanson said during an interview on June 25, just a few days before heading off to nationals in Seattle. 

In designing the outfit, Hanson was inspired by a previous middle school project where she repurposed volleyball jerseys, cutting them in half and sewing the halves together to create a new top. 

For the outfit entered at state and nationals, Hanson used two different styles of football jerseys. This time, she decided to create a jacket after eying a zipper long enough to sew in the front. She then found a denim jacket and cut off the sleeves, joining them to the jerseys by sewing them to bands of gray sweatshirt material. Using the remaining denim jacket, she created a button-up denim skirt. 

With asymmetry in the top, the different color combinations and a mix of fabrics, the resulting piece is a fun outfit with a punkish vibe. 

“You don’t always have to buy the item,” Hanson said about owning a unique piece. 

For Hanson, she enjoys the process of sewing from idea to completed project. 

“Every step of the way there’s a different process you have to do,” she said. “And it’s OK to make mistakes. You can hide those mistakes sometimes. Sometimes you can’t … and that’s what makes it special to people,” Hanson said, noting what may be viewed as a flaw to one person is the perfect imperfection of a unique piece to another. 

Hanson’s eye for clothing construction also translates to making alterations. During prom season she helped a relative by altering the bodice of a prom dress to improve the fit. When adding fabric, Hanson said she wanted to conceal the additional fabric and thought about placement. 

“For me, I like to try and hide where you do add onto the fabric and so I was like the best place to hide it is in the armpits,” Strong said. 

When selecting fabrics for an outfit, Hanson is drawn to materials with a sheen or sparkle. 

“Anything really shiny draws me in,” she said. “And afterward I have to check if I like this feeling of the fabric.” 

“But sometimes Cassidy just likes looking in the bucket of fabric and she could just create ... make all kinds of stuff,” Strong noted. “She's super clever.” 

ATTENDING THE national conference was a big decision for Hanson. It was her first trip out of the state, so along with Strong, she invited a friend to come along for support. In addition to the competition and conference, the itinerary included seeing the Space Needle, taking a harbor cruise and visiting an aquarium. 

Working through her anxieties and taking chances on new opportunities is something that Hanson works hard at. 

After her state win, Hanson was named athlete of the week at Flathead for her performance and was interviewed on the radio. She donned her repurposed outfit and returned to KMS to present to students in the Life Skills program she had once attended, talking about the experience. Hanson also offered the middle schoolers advice about attending high school, which Strong said was a personal highlight. 

“You said ‘Be brave and try new things,’” Strong said turning to Hanson. 

Hanson also advised students to find a teacher they trusted to seek out when challenges or concerns came up. For Hanson, that has been Strong. 

Strong has been a key person in Hanson’s support network since taking her classes in middle school, along with her grandpa. 

When Hanson started her freshman year at FHS, Strong coincidentally moved to the high school. When Hanson found out she was elated. It meant there would be a familiar face at her new school. 

In addition to sewing and fashion, Hanson is active in the culinary arts and fine arts, taking as many classes as possible. 

“She just has such a creative brain,” Strong said. 

Strong, who has a few of Hanson’s art pieces, took them off a wall and laid them out on a table, noting she was surprised to learn that Hanson didn’t take art classes until this school year. 

Hanson also brought examples of other artwork. One piece was a realistic depiction of her cat, Mr. Kitty, on scratchboard. Typically, scratchboard is black which an artist scrapes away with a sharp tool to reveal the contrasting white beneath. Another piece was an acrylic painting where she used loose brushstrokes to create a tree-covered mountainside. 

“On our way to the [state] competition, Cassidy had this assignment where she was supposed to take a picture of nature, so actually the picture came as we were driving around Flathead Lake,” Strong said. 

Flipping through the pages of her sketchbook, Hanson stopped at a pencil drawing of a bridge over water joining empty fields. She said the drawing was inspired by the film “Bridge to Terabithia,” which is based on the novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson.  

“My grandpa has the movie. I used to watch it a lot as a kid and my favorite part was at the ending when he built the bridge for his younger sister so she wouldn’t fall in and die.” 

There are other examples of her art, including ones using alcohol-based and water-based markers, the latter looking like watercolor. 

“I like the challenge of working in a new medium,” Hanson said. 

Strong also pointed out a sheet of printed labels Hanson designed for cookies she baked as part of a fundraiser. Hanson incorporated a blue butterfly to represent her grandmother on the label. 

“My grandma liked butterflies … and was actually one of the first elderly people I have ever trusted,” she said. “Her name was Emily.” 

She said her grandpa, Wayne William, was one of the first to notice her love of drawing when she was around 5 or 6 and has continued to encourage her endeavors ever since. 

ACCOMPLISHING WHAT she has academically, artistically and personally in building her self-confidence is something she hadn’t imagined previously. 

“I never thought I would be able to do any of this,” she said. 

She shared taking that first big step of overcoming her anxiety of talking to new people, by looking to her brother’s example. She thought to herself, “I should try.” 

“I tried,” Hanson said. “I finally got out of this state like halfway through my eighth-grade year. This was a difficult part for me because when I was younger, I used to be bullied by every classmate and even some teachers. I was kind of like keeping to myself.” 

“I always adored you,” Strong said smiling at her. 

Academically, Hanson made tremendous gains in high school, namely reading. She began her freshman year at a second-grade reading level, but after spending most of the following summer reading jumped up to a 10th-grade reading level.  

“Yep, so she is like rocking it,” Strong said with a nod. “Things are just kind of clicking for her.” 

One of her motivations was an incentive offered by her grandfather. 

“I loved cooking since I was young,” Hanson said. 

After moving in with her grandparents, her culinary horizon was expanded. Strong asked her to share about her grandpa’s cookbooks. 

“He said, as you get better at reading you can go through all my cookbooks. And you and me, or some of the other family members, will cook from that cookbook,” she said. 

Strong added, “I love Grandpa ’cause he’s kind of a foodie. He always gives us good recipes. So the goal was to read the cookbook.” 

Despite struggling to read recipes, Hanson’s baked goods are among the first to sell out at school performances where they are sold as fundraisers. Strong said the cupcakes she baked and decorated with edible glass were a hit at the schoolwide performances of Disney’s “Frozen.” 

She said her grandpa is encouraging her to take woodshop so they can work on projects together, but that doesn’t mean she will put sewing on hold. 

“I would love to continue with sewing because there’s so much to learn to do,” Hanson said. 

On July 3, the results weren’t yet available from the national conference but whatever the outcome, it was an experience she will not soon forget. She also wanted to thank all the KMS and FHS teachers who supported her in getting to nationals. 

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com. 

    Flathead High School student Cassidy Hanson's sewing projects using repurposed athletic jerseys. The outfit on the right, which includes a skirt made from a denim jacket, won her a spot to compete at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America National Conference held June 29 through July 3 in Seattle. The outfit on the left is an earlier version of the style Hanson sewed in middle school. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Flathead High School student Cassidy Hanson's depiction of her cat named Mr. Kitty on scratchboard. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider