Swatch Out!

by Nancy Zhang

  “Aunt Lulu?” she said. “I have a few small favors to ask you.”

  Lulu smiled and then dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “You can ask me a few big favors, if you want to.”

  Zoey grinned. “Well, first, I’m making a dress for my friend Libby’s sister, Sophie, and Mrs. Flynn wants to come over on Monday to talk about it. And second, my friend Priti—you know Priti— Her parents have just split up, and her dad has a new apartment now. And he said she can decorate her new room any way she wants. But she doesn’t know where to begin! So I said I’d help her, but I think I’m going to need a lot of advice from you to do it right. I want this room to be perfect for her, so she feels at home when she’s staying with her dad.”

  Lulu agreed immediately. “Of course the Flynns can come over and of course I’ll help! I adore Priti. Such a cheerful spirit. We’ll have to use lots of bright colors for that girl. How about you start getting some ideas from her, and then we’ll make a plan when you come over this week. Sound good?”

  Zoey nodded and leaned toward her aunt again, except this time for a hug. It wasn’t just a thank-you hug, either, and Lulu seemed to sense that.

  “You’ll always be my girl, Zoey,” Aunt Lulu whispered. “No matter who else comes along.”

  It was a lovely brunch indeed.

  CHAPTER 4

  Summer Lovin’, Happened So Fast . . .

  I can’t believe it! My aunt Lulu is in luuuv. I can tell even by the clothes she’s been wearing—bright and cheerful and feminine! She’s still Aunt Lulu, though, and she’s agreed (thankfully!) to help me with my brand-new project—decorating my friend Priti’s new bedroom! To celebrate my new side career as an interior decorator, I’m making this awesome decorator’s dress, complete with fabric samples attached to it, and lots of baubles and zippers. It’s like a concept board, right on the dress! Yes, it’s more whimsical than practical, but then shouldn’t all great design have a note of whimsy? I think sew!

  On a side note—mission accomplished—I finally mailed that letter to the person I think is Fashionsista. Full disclosure: My brother mailed it for me. Now the waiting begins for a reply . . . but at least I can say it’s in the mail!

  On Monday Zoey went to Aunt Lulu’s, as she normally did in the summers when her dad was at work. Lulu popped in and out during the day, depending on how busy her schedule was, but her dog, Buttons, was there, and Zoey enjoyed taking him for walks and having his company while she sewed. She also loved to flip through Lulu’s stash of clothing and design magazines. She planned to ask Lulu if she could take a few home to study for ideas for Priti’s room.

  Zoey spent most of the morning working on her decorator’s dress, which she knew might not be something she’d wear a lot but loved the idea so much, she just wanted to try it. She was working in Lulu’s dining room, with fabric samples and buttons everywhere, when Mrs. Flynn, Sophie, and Libby arrived to discuss Sophie’s back-to-school dress.

  Zoey flew to the door to greet them. She loved meeting with customers and having the chance to feel like a real designer. Libby gave Zoey a big hug, as if thanking her in advance for what Zoey was doing for Sophie.

  Zoey ushered everyone into Lulu’s beautiful living room and then asked them to sit down.

  “Where do we begin?” asked Mrs. Flynn. She and Libby looked expectantly at Zoey, as if waiting for detailed instructions.

  Zoey smiled and turned to Sophie. “How about you tell me what you like,” Zoey said to her, sitting down with her sketchbook and pencil. “I’ve already thought a bit about what might work, but I want to make sure it’s what you want.”

  Sophie, who hadn’t said a word since they’d arrived because she’d been so busy looking around at all the beautiful things in Lulu’s house, appeared delighted to suddenly have all the attention on her.

  “I’m not sure,” she began shyly. “But I like lots of colors. And patterns. And I want it to be comfortable, so I can do monkey bars on the playground, but also really cute, because all the girls wear cute dresses to school on the first day.”

  Zoey nodded and started moving her pencil across the paper. “Do you like ruffles? Buttons? Pockets?”

  Sophie nodded. “Yes, I like all those things!”

  “She does,” Libby confirmed. “Sophie reeeeally loves ruffles.”

  Zoey continued sketching for several minutes and then moved position so Libby, Sophie, and Mrs. Flynn could all see her sketch pad.

  “I’m thinking something like this,” she began, “so it’s loose enough for her to put a long-sleeve tee under it later this fall if she wants to, which will make it more casual. And then the top of the dress is one fabric, with a seam across here to the main fabric. At the bottom, there would be a third fabric, so it’d be three panels. Like color blocking, but with different patterned fabrics. It’ll be really cheery and fun and won’t look like anyone else’s dress!”

  “But what color will it be?” Sophie asked. “My favorites are white, purple, red, silver, and blue.”

  Zoey laughed. “It can be all of those, or just some. You can help me pick the fabrics! I’ll go to the fabric store and find a bunch of great swatches for you to choose from, and then I’ll start making the dress, okay?”

  Sophie nodded, looking pleased. Zoey noticed Libby smiling, too, like she was happy to see her little sister behaving so well.

  Zoey retrieved her tape measure from the dining room and started to measure Sophie, jotting the numbers down on the sketch pad.

  “Shall I give you some money now for the swatches?” asked Mrs. Flynn.

  “What’s a swatch?” Sophie asked suddenly.

  “A swatch,” said Zoey, “is a little sample of fabric that people use to pick and choose what will work for them without having to buy a whole yard. And fabric swatches are free! So don’t worry.”

  “Oh, that’s nice,” said Mrs. Flynn. “I was shopping for carpet for my bedroom last year, and I had to pay ten dollars for a carpet sample I could bring home and test with my paint colors. It’s a good thing I did, though, because the carpet looked hideous with my walls! So I guess samples are a good thing.”

  “And with fabric they’re free!” said Zoey. “Which is even better.”

  “I do want to pay you for your work, though,” Mrs. Flynn added hastily. “Whatever you charge customers on your Etsy site is fine.”

  Zoey shook her head. “No, thank you. It’s a pleasure to make an outfit for my friend Sophie! And you did take me to the amazing Cody Calloway concert the other night.”

  Mrs. Flynn nodded slightly. “Well, all right. But if you end up making another outfit for Sophie in the future, I insist on paying. It’s important to support young artists.”

  “Young artists!” Sophie giggled. “That sounds like Zoey is painting or something.”

  “There are many forms of art,” Mrs. Flynn explained, “and clothing design is certainly one of them!”

  Zoey nodded and smiled. She was thrilled to be referred to as a young artist. After all, that’s what she was. And she was proud of her work and how much she’d been able to accomplish so far.

  Zoey picked up her sketch pad again to jot down a few more notes, and Mrs. Flynn stood up and strolled around Aunt Lulu’s living room.

  “This house is really beautiful,” Mrs. Flynn said. “You know, I gave up on my bedroom redo after that carpet sample didn’t work out, and I just love your aunt’s taste. Do you think . . .”

  Just then the front door opened and Aunt Lulu walked in, home from a client meeting. She looked surprised for a second to see so many people in her living room, as if maybe she’d walked into the wrong house by mistake. Then she slapped her forehead, suddenly remembering that Zoey had asked her if she could have the Flynns over.

  “Hello, everyone!” Lulu said. “Sorry to look so shocked. I was in a fog thinking about a client. You must be the Flynns.”

  Zoey quickly introduced her aunt to everyone. “Aunt Lulu, this is my friend Libby and her mother, Mrs. F
lynn. I’m making Libby’s little sister a back-to-school dress, and we were just discussing our plan.”

  “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Lulu,” said Mrs. Flynn. “I can’t stop admiring your house!”

  “Thank you.” Aunt Lulu smiled broadly and shook Mrs. Flynn’s hand. “Compliments are one thing I can never get enough of. Make yourselves at home! Look around.”

  “What’s this?” asked a small voice coming from Lulu’s office.

  With Aunt Lulu’s sudden arrival, Zoey had completely forgotten about Sophie, who’d darted off to Lulu’s office, unnoticed.

  The group all headed into the office to find Sophie enthralled with a large inspiration board Lulu had created for a client.

  “That’s a concept board, or inspiration board,” Lulu explained. “I cover it with pictures of furniture, art, lamps, and samples of fabric, as well as wallpaper scraps and paint colors. It makes it easier to imagine how a room will look when it’s done if I can make it out of tiny scraps and pictures first!”

  “I love all the little pictures and fabrics. It’s so beautiful!” Sophie said breathlessly.

  Sophie kept touching one piece in particular, a sample of a herringbone material representing the rug that Lulu intended to use for the client.

  Seeing this, Lulu went to one of her books of swatches and located the herringbone fabric. She cut out a neat square and presented it to Sophie.

  “This is for you,” Lulu said, “to start your own inspiration board at home. All right?”

  Sophie was so thrilled, she could hardly speak. She held the swatch in her hand like it was a giant cone of cotton candy. Her eyes glowing, she whispered “thank you” to Aunt Lulu.

  “That’s very kind,” said Mrs. Flynn. “You know, I’d really love to talk to you about redecorating some rooms in my house. Do you have a few minutes now?”

  Aunt Lulu clapped her hands. “Absolutely! Let’s go back to the living room, and I’ll make some coffee. Zoey, Libby—why don’t you take Buttons outside for some playtime? He’s been chewing on the kitchen table’s legs lately when he doesn’t get enough exercise.”

  “Can I go outside with the girls?” Sophie asked her mother hopefully.

  Mrs. Flynn looked at Libby, who shook her head slightly. Zoey wasn’t sure why Libby didn’t want Sophie to come, but she assumed Libby needed a break from her, as she’d mentioned before. Zoey sort of enjoyed Sophie’s six-year-old enthusiasm and sweetness, but maybe it was hard to take all day, every day.

  “Stay inside with us, Sophie,” her mother said. “I’ve got some crayons for you to color with while Lulu and I talk.”

  “Okay,” said Sophie, somewhat offended. “I’d rather color, anyway.”

  “I’ll set you up in the office with scissors and paper, Sophie,” Lulu said nicely. “And maybe some cookies, too.”

  The next day Zoey was at Aunt Lulu’s again, sewing an item for her Sew Zoey store on Etsy. She didn’t keep a stock of items to sell, so whenever an order came in, it had to be made especially for the customer and then shipped out. She had a few different designs on her site that were available to order, and after doing each one several times, she was getting pretty fast at making them. But it still made her feel frantic sometimes when she saw that a new order had come in and she’d have to make a whole piece and ship it out within a few days!

  Lulu happened to be home and was working on a new inspiration board for someone. She sat near Zoey and her sewing. This was one of the things Zoey loved about working at Camp Lulu’s. There was a camaraderie in working alongside someone else, especially when both were doing creative work, and there was nothing more fun than when Aunt Lulu suggested they run out to a café for lunch together. Zoey was glad that having a boyfriend hadn’t changed Camp Lulu.

  “How’s John?” Zoey asked.

  Aunt Lulu took a breath before answering, and smiled. “Oh, he’s just, well, wonderful. I hope you liked him.” She looked at Zoey searchingly, as if the answer were very, very important.

  Zoey smiled back at her aunt. “Of course I liked him. I thought he was great! And he definitely seemed to adore you. Although, why wouldn’t he? You’re Lulu!”

  Aunt Lulu laughed. “Oh, Zoey, I hope you have a niece someday. There really is nothing better.”

  “I hope so, too,” Zoey said. “I’d love to have my own Camp Zoey for her! I’ll probably still be working on this Etsy order. . . .”

  Aunt Lulu leaned over to inspect the blouse that Zoey was carefully basting together. “How’s the Etsy site doing these days?”

  Zoey frowned, pensive. “Not as well as I’d like. I had to take some time off while I was at camp, and I only have a few pieces on there, ones I’m really good at making, so I don’t have very many customers. It’s nowhere near as easy as the accessories site.”

  Lulu nodded thoughtfully. “Well, it’s much harder for people to buy clothing online. They have no idea if it will fit, especially if it’s not a regular store brand that they’re used to. So it makes sense you’d have fewer orders.”

  “Mostly, I keep getting requests from this one customer—Dakota Brown. This shirt is for her, actually. She seems to be my biggest fan!”

  “One fan, especially a devoted one, isn’t bad,” said Lulu. “It sure beats none!”

  She and Zoey laughed together. Zoey knew Lulu was right—it was great to have someone who kept buying clothes from her site. That obviously meant that what she was making was being worn and enjoyed by someone. But Zoey couldn’t help wanting more for her Etsy site. Though how she’d do it, she didn’t know.

  “Let’s plan a business lunch soon,” Aunt Lulu suggested. “Just you and me. We’ll go out and talk about some marketing you could do for your site, or ways you could beef it up. Sound good?”

  “Good? That sounds awesome!” Zoey said. “Thanks, Aunt Lulu!”

  “And in the meantime, remember that you have a second devoted fan right here, got it?”

  “Got it,” said Zoey.

  It was a very pleasant day at Camp Lulu.

  CHAPTER 5

  Projects Here, Projects There, Projects, Projects EVERYWHERE!

  This sketch is for a six-year-old girl who’s tall for her age and likely to grow even more this fall! I’m trying to find the right style of dress to work for her, while also being fully functional on the monkey bars (her request!). I love the color-blocking style of the patterned fabrics—it feels fresh and young and fun for this little lady!

  Even though it’s summertime, when most people hang out and relax by the pool, I’ve suddenly found myself working on this dress for a friend, designing a bedroom for another friend (!), and filling two orders from my Etsy site! It makes me think: I’ve been dying to get some more business for my site, but if I do, when will I find time to make the clothes, what with school starting again soon? I guess that would be what my dad calls “a good problem to have.” Readers, if you have ideas for how I can improve my Sew Zoey store, please comment and let me know! I’d love your advice!

  Zoey and Aunt Lulu decided to visit their favorite fabric store, A Stitch in Time, the next day. Zoey needed swatches to show Sophie for her dress, as well as a bunch of fabrics and buttons and accessories for the concept she and Aunt Lulu had discussed for Priti’s bedroom. Luckily, the store’s manager, Jan, was there and was able to help them select a ton of great options. Zoey left with a giant bag filled with beautiful samples and swatches to show her friends.

  Aunt Lulu offered to drive Zoey to Mrs. Flynn’s house right after their shopping trip, so Zoey could get approval on fabrics for Sophie’s dress. Aunt Lulu also wanted to take a look at the rooms Mrs. Flynn was considering redecorating.

  While Aunt Lulu toured the house, taking notes, Zoey plopped down on the sofa with her bag of goodies and began showing fabric samples to Mrs. Flynn and Sophie.

  Mrs. Flynn was impressed. “They’re all so beautiful, Zoey! I just know this dress will be amazing.”

  “A Stitch in Time has the
best fabrics,” Zoey told her.

  Sophie pulled out about seven of the swatches and spread them in front of her. She kept touching each one in a row, over and over again.

  “I can’t decide,” she said, looking to Zoey for help. “I like them all!”

  Zoey grinned at her. “I like them all too. But don’t worry—even if we don’t use some for this dress, they’ll still have the fabric at the store. We could always make you something else later with one of the swatches we don’t choose. Okay?”

  Sophie nodded, her eyes huge from all the options before her.

  Zoey picked three of the fabrics and held them up together. “I was thinking maybe these three,” she suggested. “With this one on top, this one in the middle, and this one on the bottom. Wouldn’t they look nice together?”

  Sophie nodded, and Mrs. Flynn quickly agreed. “We’re lucky to have you, Zoey,” she said.

  “Very lucky,” Libby echoed.

  Zoey blushed slightly. It was nice to have clients so appreciative of her work, and she hadn’t even made the dress yet! She’d really have to make it one of her best ever.

  “I’m going to buy the fabrics and start sewing, and then let’s have another fitting next week to make sure it’s perfect, all right?” Zoey asked.

  “I agree,” said Mrs. Flynn. “I just measured Miss Sophie against the kitchen wall last night, and she’s already a teeny bit taller than she was at her last checkup!”

  Sophie shrugged, still enthralled by all the fabrics in Zoey’s bag.

  Mrs. Flynn looked at her fondly. “You know, Zoey, since we came to your aunt’s house, all Sophie has talked about is becoming an interior or fashion designer. I think you’ve really sparked something in her!”

  Zoey turned to Sophie, who was looking down shyly, much like her older sister, Libby, often did. “That’s great, Sophie!” Zoey said encouragingly. “You’re never too young to start.”