Bursting at the Seams

by Chloe Taylor

  Marcus was in a rock band called the Space Invaders. They were good—so good that they’d been accepted at a rock camp over the summer and played at its finale beach concert. Marcus played the drums in the band, but he’d been learning the guitar, and he turned out to have a natural talent for it. Aunt Lulu had asked him to play an acoustic version of “Here Comes the Sun” for her walk down the aisle. Zoey got the feeling Marcus was uncharac­teristically nervous about it.

  “You’ll be great, Marcus,” Zoey said encouragingly. “Aunt Lulu wants to keep everything really personal and special. You playing guitar and me making her dress will be perfect!”

  Mr. Webber cleared his throat. “I have to say, Zoey, I’m very impressed you’ll be making her wedding gown. That’s a big job. Plus your own junior bridesmaid’s dress.”

  “I can do it,” Zoey said confidently, finishing the last two bites of her breakfast. “We saw a bunch of dresses yesterday, and I did a lot of online research. I have some terrific ideas. We’ll get fabric this week, and then I’ll be off and running!”

  Marcus got up to start clearing the table, and Zoey glanced at the time on his phone. “Uh-oh!” she said. “Speaking of running, I need to hop in the shower and get dressed. Lulu’s picking me up in half an hour!”

  “We’ll clean up,” Mr. Webber said. “You go get ready for more preparation for you-know-what.”

  “Dad, I’m starting to think you just like saying ‘you-know-what,’ ” Zoey teased.

  “You-are-right,” he replied.

  Cupcake tasting was every bit as fun as it sounded. Zoey and Lulu tried all different types of cake and several different frostings before Lulu decided to be somewhat traditional, by going with white cake inside and vanilla butter-cream frosting outside. The cupcakes would be stacked on a tiered cake stand in the shape of a wedding cake but would be much more fun for the guests than a traditional cake. Zoey saw several displays of the “wedding (cup)cakes” in the window of the gourmet bakery and agreed with her aunt that cupcakes were the way to go for a backyard wedding.

  Next, they headed to a florist Lulu often used when she was staging rooms for her clients and needed fresh flowers. After a quick consultation, which included Lulu pulling several magazine ads of bouquets she liked from her purse, the florist and Lulu settled on a scheme that was “modern autumn,” with some traditional fall colors, like gold, orange, and red, mixed with bold pinks. The bride’s bouquet would be all white, but wrapped in gorgeous gold ribbon, and there would be small bouquets of seasonal flowers placed strategically throughout Lulu’s house, including the powder room, and mums lining the front walk up to her house. Zoey and Sybil would get their own bouquets of brightly colored flowers.

  Zoey and Lulu left feeling very pleased with themselves. Two wedding errands down, only a handful more to go! Suddenly, planning a wedding in just a few weeks didn’t seem quite so daunting.

  “The stationery store is just up the street in the shopping complex,” Lulu said. “I know I want an invitation with a photo. I just need to find one that’s simple and elegant and goes with our look.”

  As they pulled into the parking lot, Zoey saw a large bookstore in the same complex and had an idea.

  “Aunt Lulu,” she said, “would you mind going to the stationery store alone? I’ve been dying to look through some wedding magazines for ideas for my design, and I’m feeling so inspired from our cupcakes and flowers that I’d love to go into that bookstore now and take tons of notes!”

  Aunt Lulu smiled. “Of course! It’s never wise to delay a designer when’s she’s caught the scent. Just make sure your phone is on, and I’ll text you when I’m coming to pick you up, all right?”

  Zoey agreed, and Aunt Lulu let her out in front of the bookstore. Zoey patted her back pocket to make sure she had her phone and then went inside. Zoey had been in this bookstore many times, but usually it was to browse the young readers’ section or to buy a gift for a friend. She’d never spent much time in the magazine area.

  The bridal section was overwhelming. There were magazines for modern brides, traditional brides, local brides, destination brides, homemade “crafty” brides—everything imaginable! Zoey didn’t see anything for brides having surprise weddings, but then maybe there weren’t quite enough of those happening to merit a dedicated magazine. Zoey picked out several of the more modern-looking magazines and found a place at a large table nearby, where she spread out with a sketchbook, pencils, and her inspiration magazines. She really wanted to get the design finalized as soon as possible, so she could begin sewing.

  After looking through several of the magazines, and comparing them to her initial sketches, Zoey realized she had a problem. She needed to make sure Lulu’s gown was a wedding gown, and not just a long white dress, but without covering it with stuff. Lulu wasn’t into jewel-encrusted bodices, or lots of pearls and sequins, and for many of the dresses in the magazines, that’s what designated them as wedding gowns. It wasn’t the cut or style at all.

  Zoey frowned, stumped. She thought back to the dresses she’d seen the day before at the salon. They had all felt very weddingish, and some had not been overly beaded or encrusted. Felt, she thought. Felt. They all felt weddingish because of the luxurious materials used and how they hung on the body.

  That was it! It was the fabric that would make the dress. Even if Zoey designed a relatively simple, square-necked décolletage with a flowy skirt for her aunt, it would be a wedding dress if it was made of the right fabric. Zoey didn’t need to worry about the embroidery and beading. She decided to suggest to Lulu that they use a fabric with a gorgeous pearly sheen, because that was not only bridal, but very flattering to her aunt’s coloring.

  With a sigh of relief, Zoey began refining one of the sketches and was working so hard, she nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard someone nearby say in a loud whisper, “Zoey!”

  Alarmed, she looked up, wondering who on Earth was calling her name. Over by the magazine display stood her friend Gabe from school, waving to her.

  Zoey smiled with relief. “Hi, Gabe!” she said. “How are you? What are you doing here?”

  Gabe came over to the table and sat in the empty chair beside Zoey. “I’m going to a movie later, but I’m early, and I like to come here sometimes and browse the photography books. Most of them are so expensive, I can’t afford to buy them.”

  He glanced at the wedding magazines spread out in front of Zoey and did a double take. “Don’t tell me you have big news to share?” he asked, arching his eyebrows in a teasing manner.

  “Big news?” Zoey asked. She thought of the surprise wedding. Gabe couldn’t know about it; he’d just sat down!

  “All the wedding magazines—are you . . . engaged?” he joked.

  Zoey laughed with relief. “No. Obviously. But my aunt just got engaged, and she’s asked me to make her dress, so I thought I’d come in here and do a little research. It’s not the kind of design work I usually do, so I want to get it right.”

  “That’s awesome, Zoey! Congratulations. You just keep on doing cooler and cooler stuff, don’t you?”

  Zoey blushed. Gabe had a way of making her feel like a million bucks. Maybe that’s why she’d always considered him a close friend. Recently, she’d started to think it would be nice if Gabe was a bit more than a friend, but of course, as soon as she’d thought that, he’d started dating their school’s visit­ing student from France, Josie.

  “Thanks, Gabe,” she said. “You’re always so—”

  But Zoey didn’t have time to finish her sentence. Josie appeared behind Gabe, placing a hand on his shoulder and saying, “Voilà! Je suis içi.”

  “Hi, Josie,” Zoey said warmly. “How are you?”

  “Très bien, merçi! Gabe and I are seeing a movie at the cinéma nearby. And I thought if I came early, I might find him here. . . .”

  He looked up at Josie, and she winked at him. For a second, Zoey felt a prick of jealousy. They were so cute together, and they knew ea
ch other so well that Josie had guessed Gabe would come to the bookstore before the movie. Zoey’s jealous pang quickly relaxed into something more comfortable, like a touch of envy, because Josie and Gabe were so well suited. Josie was a really nice girl, after all, and far away from her home outside Paris. Zoey resolved to continue to be friendly and kind to her.

  The three of them chatted awhile, until Gabe and Josie had to leave for their movie. Then Zoey got back to work in earnest. With so many projects always going on—like her Sew Zoey online store, designing for celebrity clients, and now, making a wedding dress—it’s not like Zoey had time for a boyfriend, anyway! She and Gabe would stay good friends, and she was mostly happy with that.

  CHAPTER 3

  Hardworkin’ Dresses!

  So I’m trying to really study wedding gowns to learn how to make one for my aunt. And there’s a lot more to it than just picking a design and sewing it up! Wedding dresses generally have more structure in them than regular dresses. Partly because of the length, and because some have trains, and some are A-line or ball gown–shape, but also because they need to be able to be sat in, eaten in, and danced in! I watched a ballroom dancing competition on TV last night to get ideas from dresses that really work hard and allow their wearers to move freely. I learned that many have a high hem on one side to allow the legs to move, or lots of crinolines. I don’t think my aunt will like either of those on her wedding dress, but they did inspire me to sketch this foxtrot dress. Does anyone know how to foxtrot anymore? It seems like a very funny-looking dance to me! And aren’t horses the ones who trot, not foxes?

  On Monday morning Zoey was back at school and happy to see her friends. She’d been so busy over the weekend with Lulu’s news and helping with wedding errands that Zoey hadn’t even had time to run up the street to the house of her best friend Kate Mackey. Her other two best friends, Priti Holbrooke and Libby Quinn, gathered in the hallway with Zoey and Kate to compare stories about their weekends.

  “I read your blog, Zoey, so I know all about Lulu’s wedding!” Priti shrieked. Priti was always excitable, but happy, romantic things made her particularly excitable. “I’m so thrilled that you get to make her dress!”

  “And be a junior bridesmaid,” Libby added. “So much fun.”

  Zoey filled them in on a few carefully chosen details, so as not to let on about the surprise wedding. The bell rang, and everyone grabbed their backpacks, ready to head off in different directions.

  “I can’t wait to start our new electives!” Kate declared. “I’ve always wanted to learn woodshop, and I never thought I’d get the chance right here at school.”

  Their school, Mapleton Prep, had recently implemented a new electives program, where students were able to choose a special area of study for part of the semester. Kate would be taking industrial arts, Zoey and Priti were taking home economics, and Libby was taking computer science. As the year went on, they’d have the opportunity to try other electives as well.

  The bell rang, and the girls went their separate ways, with Zoey and Priti walking together toward the home ec room. Zoey wasn’t sure if home ec was a good choice or not, since she already knew how to sew, but she heard it involved cooking and crafts, and she wanted to learn how to make more than pancakes.

  “I just looooove baking,” Priti said as they walked through the door. “I can’t wait to start. I wish we could take electives all day!”

  As Zoey and Priti took their seats, their teacher introduced herself.

  “Welcome to home ec, students. I’m happy to have you all here. My name is Mrs. Holmes. During the next few weeks, we’ll be learning the basics of sewing and cooking. If you have ended up in this class because you didn’t get into the elective of your choice . . .” Mrs. Holmes paused as a few boys, who were huddled together to Zoey’s left, mumbled and shoved one another. She cleared her throat. “Let me assure you, you will need these skills in your life. You might even enjoy yourselves.”

  Zoey and Priti glanced sideways at each other and smiled. They knew they would enjoy themselves.

  A boy named Carter Perry, who played on the school’s basketball team and was in the huddle of loud boys, whispered loudly enough to be heard, “I heard this class is a great place to meet girls.”

  All his friends laughed, but Mrs. Holmes just ignored him.

  “Simmer down, kids,” she said. “Now, our first class project is going to be—aprons! Aprons that we’ll be wearing and using throughout the session, particularly when we begin cooking. I have a basic template here for you to use as your pattern, but to make things a little more fun, I’d like you guys to find a way to upgrade your aprons. Make them a little different, a little more interesting or useful. In fact, it’s going to be a contest to see who among you can be the most innovative with your pattern or materials.”

  Zoey started to feel excited then, thinking about all the things she could do with her apron. What fun home ec was going to be! But her excitement was short-lived as one of her grade’s meanest girls, Ivy Wallace, along with her friend Bree Sharpe began whispering on the other side of Priti.

  Zoey tried to ignore them, but she couldn’t help overhearing Ivy say, “Zoey Webber should not be in this class. She’s, like, a professional sewer or seamstress or whatever. She’s just kissing up by taking home ec, and it’s not fair to everyone else.”

  Bree agreed, which she usually did. “Yeah, we should tell the teacher. They should put her in computer science or something.”

  Mrs. Holmes, who apparently had excellent ears and a low-tolerance for tween griping, said, “I’m well aware that one of your classmates is an excellent seamstress and designer. Zoey Webber has every right to take this class. The judging for the contest will be blind, so I won’t know whose apron is whose. It’s anyone’s game!”

  Bree and Ivy crossed their arms over their chests at the same time, looking both peeved and slightly embarrassed that they’d been called out.

  Mrs. Holmes continued, “Also, in my classroom I require students to show up ready to learn and to participate with enthusiasm. If you cannot do that, you are free to visit Principal Austen’s office. Now, if there will be no more chitchat, I’m going to teach you all how to sew. Let’s begin.”

  I like her! Priti scrawled on a piece of scrap paper, pushing it toward Zoey.

  Me too, Zoey wrote back. Bring on the aprons!

  Mrs. Holmes began demonstrating the basics of threading a needle, making and tying off stitches, and operating a sewing machine. Today, students would just play around with the machines and try to get down the basics. They would start the aprons in the next class. Zoey couldn’t help feeling a touch bored as she practiced running a length of scrap fabric through her machine, and she began to daydream about her plans for her aunt’s dress.

  Suddenly, her machine jammed with the needle stuck in the up position. Zoey, mad at herself for daydreaming when she knew better than to take her eyes off the machine while it was running, tried to get the needle free. But the school machines were very different from Zoey’s own machine at home, which had been her mother’s and was at least twenty years old. She did have a more modern machine, which she had received as a gift from the Speedman Sewing Machine company, but it always worked perfectly. It looked to Zoey like some internal mechanism on the school machine had jammed, but she couldn’t figure out how get it to unjammed.

  Red-faced, Zoey continued to try and fix the machine, conscious that a few other students nearby had noticed her problem and were probably wondering why the “famous” Sew Zoey was having trouble with a simple piece of scrap fabric. Out of nowhere a tall slender boy, with long bangs that hung in his eyes and a pair of burnt orange corduroys, appeared beside Zoey.

  “Can I try?” he asked quietly, motioning at the machine.

  Zoey looked up at him, surprised. “You can fix this?”

  He nodded, a smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. “I’ve got a similar machine at home,” he explained.

  Zoey ge
stured for him to try, and he quickly and deftly began to manipulate the needle and bobbin while holding down a reset button on the side of the machine. It worked. He was able to unlock the needle, and in barely sixty seconds he had the thread untangled and the machine ready to go again.

  Zoey was amazed. “How did you do that?” she asked. “I’m usually pretty good with sewing machines.”

  The boy shrugged. “I told you, I’ve got a machine like this at home. This brand is very temperamental, but they last forever. That’s why they use them in schools. Just be sure to keep your speed on the pedal smooth and consistent. If you get choppy, it’ll bind up your thread and lock your needle.”

  Zoey nodded, still slightly dumbstruck. She was so grateful, she nearly forgot to say thank you. “Th-thank you,” she sputtered finally. “I’m Zoey, by the way.”

  “I know,” said the boy. “I’m Sean Waschikowski, master sewing machine fixer, at your service.” He gave a small bow and then headed back to his seat.

  Mrs. Holmes, who had seen the whole thing, clapped several times, and said, “Thank you to our new resident technician, Sean. Everyone else, please keep practicing. And start thinking about your apron designs. Make yours special! You may end up using it for years and years to come.”

  Zoey heard Carter make another comment, something about planning to wear his apron to professional sporting events only, and Priti nudged her with her elbow.

  “Is he for real?” Priti whispered. “Too bad he’s so cute,” she added, and Zoey smothered a laugh.

  Zoey glanced over at Carter. He was sort of cute, but obnoxious. “Yuck,” she said. “No thank you.”

  “That Sean guy was really nice,” Priti said. “And cute, too. I can’t believe there’s someone here who knows as much about sewing as you!”

  “Me, neither,” said Zoey. “I wonder if his sewing is as good as his machine fixing.”