Mia's Recipe for Disaster Read Online Free PDF Page A

projects, and design students will help you with them.
    The school is this tall, cool-looking building with long, glass windows going all the way up. Dad dropped off Ava and me by the front entrance.
    â€œSee you at one,” he said, and I gave him a kiss on the cheek.
    â€œThanks for the fabric,” I said, and Dad smiled.
    â€œAnything for mija ,” he said, using his pet name for me. Then he waved, and Ava and I walked through the front doors.
    â€œI can’t believe you’re going to sew that dress,” Ava was saying as we headed to our workroom. “I’m still trying to get the pockets right on that denim skirt I started three weeks ago.”
    â€œAnd it’s going to be adorable when it’s done,” I told her. “But I have to do something ambitious for the contest. Can you believe Katie told me the dress was boring? We had, like, kind of a big fight over it.”
    Ava stopped and looked at me, surprised. “I didn’t think you and Katie ever fought.”
    â€œWell, she insulted my dress, and then I asked Emma and Alexis if they wanted to model it, and then Katie got all mad because I didn’t ask her, too,” I explained. “I mean, why would I ask her to model a dress that she doesn’t even like?”
    Ava shook her head. “She’s crazy if she doesn’t like it. It’s gorgeous, and you are so going to win!” she assured me as we pushed open the workroom doors.
    â€œHey! It’s a Mia week!” a cheerful voice said, and I looked up to see one of the design students, Millicent, standing there.
    I totally adore Millicent. She’s twenty-one and has this perfect caramel skin and curly black hair that she sometimes puts up in all these crazy ponytails. And every time I see her, I’m surprised by what she’s wearing.
    This morning, she had on hot-pink-and-black–striped tights, a pink tutulike skirt, a fitted black tank top, and a short white cardigan over it. She had her hair in two puffy ponytails on top of her head, with a pink ribbon tied around one of them.
    â€œTokyo street fashion?” I guessed, and Millicent smiled and nodded.
    â€œI had sushi last night, and it got me in a Japanese mood,” she said. “So, what are you working on today?”
    â€œI’m finishing those pockets!” Ava said, emptying her backpack onto one of the worktables as some of the other students started streaming in.
    â€œActually, I really need your help,” I told Millicent. She motioned me to follow her to an empty table, and I laid my package of fabric on top. Then I took out my sketch to show her.
    â€œI’m entering this design contest,” I said. “It’s my fantasy dress. What do you think?”
    Millicent picked up the sketch. “Wow, Mia!” she said. “This is really sophisticated. And you’re liningit with satin? That won’t be easy to do.”
    â€œI know,” I said, opening my package. “But I got the fabric, and it’s so beautiful, I just have to use it.”
    Millicent felt the fabric between her fingers. “Yeah, I get it,” she said. “Okay, so first things first. You know what measurements you want?”
    I nodded. “Yeah, my friend Emma is going to model it for me.”
    â€œThen let’s get you started on a pattern,” she said. “It’s going to seem like a really big deal to make this dress, but if you just take it one step at a time, you’ll be fine.”
    I took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do this!”
    With Millicent guiding me through it, I felt pretty confident making the pattern. I used this really thin paper and draped it over a dress form that basically had the same measurements as Emma. Millicent reminded me to leave enough room for seams as I cut out the pattern.
    By the time one o’clock came around, I had all the pattern pieces cut out. Millicent high-fived me.
    â€œNice