Quilt Expo preview with Nancy Zieman

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show

Larry Meiller talks with the host of Wisconsin Public Television’s “Sewing with Nancy” about the upcoming WPT Quilt Expo, and the more than three decades of the show.

Featured in this Show

  • No Rules In Quilting Other Than To Have Fun

    Quilting is such a wonderful art. And not only does it produce lovely items, but it can be a social occasion, and a way to pass cultural and family traditions from one generation to another.

    Nancy Zieman has been the producer and host of “Sewing with Nancy” for over thirty years, and for over twenty on Wisconsin Public Television. She has seen a lot of change in sewing over those decades. Sewing machines are still mechanical, but they are “filled with computers,” Zieman says, “There’s probably more computer power than in the first Apollo space capsule!” So the technology involved has changed the field dramatically.

    Looking specifically at quilting, Zieman sees that it has gone from a way to fill a need for some families to a “purely creative outlet.” People are hooked on quilting because it’s so tactile. The quilter is physically involved in the process of creating a quilt.

    It may seem like such an “old-fashioned” pastime would be waning in interest, but Zieman says it’s just the opposite. There is a growing interest among young people. And they are bringing the technology that they use in other parts of their lives with them. “The blogging sphere of quilting is immense. Gals in their late 20s, 30s, early 40s … there are hundreds if not many a thousand blogs on sewing and quilting. And that’s where the new interest lies. Every day going on-line and seeing what you can learn.”

    For her part, Zieman particularly enjoys landscape quilts. Each one is unique, and the process each time is different as well. Zieman explains “If you go somewhere on a vacation, or if in your backyard you have a special flower bed, and you take a picture, you can garden during the wintertime by creating a landscape scene.” She makes three or four a year, and finds it very relaxing.

    Especially with modern quilting, there is a style and technique to appeal to everyone. Zieman says “As far as design goes, you can just do whatever your heart desires. And if you like it, and you enjoy it, that’s the whole key. It’s for self-satisfaction and enjoyment.”

    2013 marks the ninth annual Quilt Expo, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Television. The Expo will be held from September 5-7, 2013, and features lectures, workshops, vendors and a juried quilt competition.

Episode Credits

  • Nancy Zieman Guest