Cut from the Same Cloth (Volume 14) (Sew Zoey, Band 14) - Softcover

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Chloe Taylor learned to sew when she was a little girl. She loved watching her Grandmother Louise turn a scrap of blue fabric into a simple-but-fabulous dress, nightgown, or even a bathing suit in an instant. It was magical! Now that she’s grown up, she still loves fashion: It’s like art that you can wear. Chloe has written more than thirty books for children and lives, writes, and window shops in New York City.

Nancy Zhang is an illustrator and an art and fashion lover with a passion for all beautiful things. She has published her work in the art books L’Oiseau Rouge and Street Impressions and in various fashion magazines and on websites. Visit her at Nancy-Zhang.com. She lives in Berlin, Germany.

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Cut from the Same Cloth

CHAPTER 1

Secret Socie-TEA!

Hello, readers! I’ve been doing this blogging thing for a while now, and I’ve gotten sew used to telling you guys everything! But occasionally something happens that’s too personal for me to post about. And then I feel funny not telling you, because your comments are always helpful and positive and remind me that one of the biggest perks of being a tween fashion designer is having fans who care!

What I’m trying to say is: I got some news that I want to keep a secret for now. It doesn’t even have anything to do with fashion—it just relates to me. (That’s a “punny” clue, BTW!) However, I’m planning to tell my three very best friends today, and I thought, why not make it an occasion? So we’re meeting for tea and scones, and I plan to dress the part, in a full-skirted floral dress with a vintage fedora I got at the thrift store (since I don’t have a proper hat for tea)! Wish me luck!



Zoey Webber stood outside her favorite café, Tea Time, staring through the glass door. Her older brother, Marcus, had dropped her off, promising to be back in a little more than an hour. She knew she had to go in, but once she did, she’d have to tell her secret, and she didn’t know how her friends were going to react. She still didn’t even know how she felt about the news!

Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door and strode to the back, where her best friends, Kate Mackey, Libby Flynn, and Priti Holbrooke, were already seated at a table. Kate was in her customary postsoccer practice warm-ups, Libby looked effortlessly chic in skinny jeans and a ballet-neck top, and Priti—

Zoey stopped in her tracks. “Priti!” she shrieked. “Look at you!”

Priti stood up and did a twirl, giving all of them a chance to take in her purple, gold, and turquoise outfit, and sequined headband. It was very typical of the way Priti used to dress, before she’d gone into an all-black clothing phase after her parents’ divorce.

“Do you like it?” Priti asked, her cheeks flushed from twirling.

“No, I love it,” Zoey answered, giving her a hug. For some reason, seeing that her sunny and sparkly friend was back to wearing sunny and sparkly clothes made Zoey feel like all was right in the world again. “Priti, I love you no matter what, but I’ve missed your rainbow colors.”

“Me too,” Kate said, “and you guys know I hardly even notice clothes!”

“You always look nice, Priti,” Libby said diplomatically. “But you look more like you now.”

Priti laughed and sat down, pulling out the chair next to her for Zoey. “Thanks, guys,” Priti said. “I don’t know what happened. I just woke up this morning, and I thought, Okay, enough with the black clothes already! So I opened up one of the boxes under my bed with all of my brighter stuff, and it was like seeing old friends. Plus, I’ve tripled my wardrobe!”

Just then a waiter came by to take their orders. Soon, there were scones and personal teapots for each of the girls.

“To Priti!” Kate said, raising her teacup.

They all clinked cups. Zoey took a sip of her oolong tea. She was spreading clotted cream on a scone when she realized all three of her friends were staring at her.

“What is it? My hat?” she asked, assuming that’s what they were looking at.

“It is cute,” said Libby. “But, um, didn’t you have something huge to tell us?”

Zoey blinked. She couldn’t believe it. She’d forgotten the whole reason they’d come for tea because of Priti’s bright colors and sequins!

“Oops!” Zoey laughed. “?‘The power of distraction,’ as my dad would say.” She paused, and Kate, Priti, and Libby continued to watch her intently. Now that the moment had arrived, Zoey wasn’t sure she was ready to share the news.

“Is it about Ezra?” Priti asked breathlessly. The girls knew that Zoey and Libby’s friend Ezra had been texting and hanging out. Zoey wasn’t sure if she and Ezra were just friends or something more. “Did he kiss you?”

Flustered, Zoey stammered, “Um, n-no. Nothing like that. It’s not about my love life or lack of one. . . . It’s about someone else’s.”

“Someone else’s?” Kate asked. “Whose?”

“My dad’s,” Zoey said. Her friends’ eyes grew large, and Zoey continued, “I finally found out who he’s been secretly dating, and not letting me meet, and who wouldn’t come to Aunt Lulu’s baby shower. And you can’t tell anyone.”

“And . . .” Libby prodded her. “You’re torturing us!”

Zoey felt her ears get hot. It was still so strange to say it out loud! She leaned in to whisper, “It’s Ms. Austen.”

The jaws of her friends dropped open. Luckily, none of them had been chewing anything.

“What? You’re kidding,” Priti said. “Ms. Austen, our school principal?”

Zoey nodded.

“Your dad is dating our principal,” repeated Libby. “Wow.”

Seeing the shock on her friends’ faces was incredibly helpful. Ever since she’d found out, Zoey had been in a state of semi-shock herself. After all, she had a somewhat special friendship with Esther Austen, who’d always been so supportive of Zoey’s blog and had made it possible for Zoey and her friend Sean Waschikowski to start the Fashion Fun Club, among other things. Realizing that Ms. Austen had been secretly dating Zoey’s father for a while now just made everything feel complicated.

Finally, Kate spoke up. “I guess it makes sense,” she said slowly. “I mean, your dad and Ms. Austen probably talked when you had to miss school for fashion-related stuff, and she’s so nice. . . .”

Yes, that was how Zoey’s dad had explained it. It just happened, he’d said.

“And she’s got great taste in clothes,” Libby added.

“Yes,” said Zoey. “And that’s another weird thing.”

Zoey went on to explain that lately, Ms. Austen had been showing up at the house in increasingly casual clothes. Like the past Sunday, when she’d come over early to join the Webbers for their regular Sunday pancake breakfast—the secret ingredients were bacon and blackberries—and had worn workout clothes with her hair in a messy bun and no makeup on.

“I mean I barely recognized her!” Zoey said.

“That must be so weird,” Kate said. “Like when you run into a teacher at the grocery store.”

“Hold on! Is our principal going to be your stepmom?” Priti asked.

Zoey shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think it’s getting serious.”

“It could be worse,” Kate mused. “I mean, at least you really like Ms. Austen. We all do. And you have the fashion stuff in common.”

“True,” Zoey replied, finishing her scone. “And you know, I am glad my dad’s happy again. He’s been alone for so many years since my mom passed away. But at the same time, I’m kind of...