Nancy Zieman, host of public television’s Sewing With Nancy, died Tuesday at her home in Beaver Dam, Wis., after a recurrence of cancer. She was 64.
Zieman had announced her retirement due to health issues in September.
“Nancy was an entrepreneur, a talented television host, a dear friend to so many people at Wisconsin Public Television, and a true Wisconsin treasure,” said Jon Miskowski, director of television at Zieman’s longtime presenting station.
He added that Zieman “made hundreds of hours of programs sharing her love of sewing and quilting — work that reflects the essence of Nancy’s legacy in passing the love of sewing, a passion she held very dear, on to the next generation.”
The program’s distributor since 2003, the National Educational Telecommunications Association, said in a statement that “appropriately, the final episode Nancy taped, ‘I Sew For Fun,’ was fed Tuesday. It sums up Nancy’s philosophy perfectly: Just have fun — it’s all about creativity!”
Her program debuted in 1982 and remains the longest-running sewing show on television. It airs on 233 public TV stations in 137 markets in 41 states, according to NETA, and is among the distributor’s most-carried programs.
Zieman also founded Nancy’s Notions, which sells sewing books, notions, fabrics and quilting products. And she helped create WPT’s annual Quilt Expo, which draws more than 20,000 visitors to Madison.
Laurie Gorman, Sewing With Nancy producer at WPT, called Zeiman “a savvy entrepreneur, talented colleague, and dear friend.”
Zieman is survived by her husband, Richard, and their two sons, Ted and Tom. Her grandchildren appeared in the program’s final episode.
Her family is planning a private funeral. Memorial donations may go to WPT or Hillside Hospice in Beaver Dam. Friends may leave messages on Zieman’s blog.
Nancy was a wonderful educator and human being. She is thought of often when I am sewing. Prays for all of you and especially Nancy.
I first started watching Nancy when I was quite young and loved her show especially when she showed how to sew clothing to fit you properly. being a very petite person I could never find anything to wear and everything had be altered. Thank you Nancy you are now in a better place. You had a wonderful life. You made many people very happy.
I just became acquainted with Sewing with Nancy. I loved her simple style and loving way she had with fabrics which I love so much . I just turned on the tv tonight to watch Create and was surprised to find a show totally devoted to Nancy. I did not know she had Bells Palsy. I knew nothing of her program that was on public tv for decades. And I also did not know she had passed away. I thought the shows I had watched were current and that I would continue to see her each week, teaching and comforting me with her sweet ways.
My heart is broken. I had come to love watching her as I used to do a little quilting many years ago and hoped I would learn to finally finish the baby quilt I had started for my then unborn baby boy.
There is nothing left to say except GOD BLESS & KEEP YOU NANCY. You are truly L<3VED.
Danielle Stecky….xxx
I truly loved watching Nancy, I learned so much from her, I started sewing when I was 8 years old, she was like a mentor to me, I was heart broken when I heard she had passed away, I am seventy one years old , I still love watching her one PBS, she is truly missed, God bless you Nancy, RIP❤️
Wanda Johnson—-Fla.