I Sew For Fun Blog Tour

When Deanna Springer, VP of Marketing at Nancy Zieman Productions, LLC. and long time friend of mine, contacted me about participating in their upcoming Blog Tour to promote Nancy Zieman's new book, I Sew For Fun, and coordinating line of kid-friendly sewing notions for Clover, I had a full range of emotions. I felt honored to be asked, excited to participate, and nostalgic about the thought of Nancy not being here with us to witness this momentous occasion. Nancy passed away last November after a long battle with cancer, but her memory will live forever in the hearts of her family, friends, and the hundreds and thousands of people she touched with her unending creativity and unmatched kindness. I was lucky enough to be able to film a couple of episodes of Sewing With Nancy back in 2014, and it is an experience I will never forget.

One of Nancy's last projects, and I'm sure one of her most favorite ones, was writing this book, I Sew For Fun, which is dedicated to her granddaughters and focuses on adults and children sewing together. The book includes 20 DIY projects, ranging from small quilts, to garments, to bags. She takes you step-by-step on how to create each projects and which one of her I Sew For Fun sewing notions to use. 

After much deliberation, Sydney chose to make the Drawstring Bag, which is project #13, because she always needs new bags to carry her dance shoes and accessories. She quickly ran to the studio to choose fabrics and trims for this project.

She chose a Teal Dot from an older collection of mine, Textured Basics (no longer in print) and paired it up with the Gray Scalloped Dot from Flit & Bloom, my newest fabric collection for Riley Blake. We used 3/16" cording instead of ribbon for the drawstring.

Since Sydney has been sewing for a couple of years now and knows her way around a sewing machine, I let her take the lead on this project. 

She loved using all her new sewing notions, with fun colors and shapes, but said she found this Seam Gauge especially helpful in helping her keep a straight line when stitching and topstitching, which is something she often struggles with.

Sydney thought pinning the outer pocket on her drawstring bag was extra fun with her new heart-shaped pins, which come with their own heart-shaped magnetic holder.

Just check out how pretty these I Sew For Fun sewing notions are!

This new book and kid-friendly sewing notions certainly take sewing to a whole new level for kids! I know Sydney will want to go through the whole book and make a few more projects with her friends!

Hope you'll check out the I Sew For Fun book and coordinating notions for your child! And don't forget to follow along with the full blog tour dates here.

Monday, February 5

Nancy Zieman Productions, LLC

The Sewing Loft

The Cottage Mama

Tuesday, February 6

Fabric Mutt

Diary of a Quilter

Wednesday, February 7

Amy’s Creative Side

Thursday, February 8

Simple Simon and Company

SewHere.com

Designer Joi

Friday, February 9

Stitch This! The Martingale Blog

MODKID

Saturday, February 10

Transient Art

Sew Positively Sara

Lindsay Sews

Seams Unlikely Book Review

I am so honored to have been asked to participate in Nancy Zieman's Blog Tour for her new autobiographical book, Seams Unlikely. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Nancy last Fall when I went up to Wisconsin to tape a couple of episodes of her popular TV show, Sewing With Nancy, and I found her to be one of the most genuine people I have ever met... she was warm, welcoming and humble, which is something you don't usually get from high-profile people.

So, of course, I was curious to learn more about Nancy's life. Like most autobiographical books, this one begins at early age. I was fascinated to learn about farm life because it was so different from the way I grew up. Nancy really makes you feel like you were there... milking the cows, feeding the chickens and tending to the vegetable gardens. A far cry from my urban upbringing. From the very first few chapters of the book, you already start to get a sense of what shaped Nancy's personality... from the family values instilled by her parents to the health problems that plagued her since infancy. My heart broke when I read about the onset of Bell's Palsy and the myriad of knee surgeries that left her not only physically but also emotionally scarred. Nancy's writing style is so conversational, so frank, that you feel like you are sitting across the table hearing her tell you these stories over a cup of coffee.

When I was up in Beaver Dam last Fall, Nancy and I had an hour to kill during the drive down to Madison to film the TV show. At the beginning of our drive, I asked Nancy to tell me how she got started in the business. She explained how she used to travel with some of her favorite notions and people would often ask her where she got them, and how this evolved into her company, Nancy's Notions. Then she went on to tell me about how hesitant she was about appearing on TV because of her facial paralysis. Well, in the next part of her book, she goes into every detail you would ever want to know about how she started her business and grew it to what it is today.

Now, this is where I began to feel a bit more connected to her story. It was exciting to read about her husband, Rich, leaving his work to join her new endeavor (just like Jon did when he joined MODKID back in 2010). Then reading about how they moved the business from their cramped basement quarters into their first facility (just like we did a couple of years ago!). And hiring their first employees (just like we did!). And attending trade shows (helloooo?). Need I say more? I felt like this book was written just for me because I could identify with so much, but yet with every new chapter I was learning something new...something that hopefully I could apply to my own business. Nancy doesn't just tell you the good... she tells you the bad and the ugly too! The trials and tribulations of running a successful business while juggling a personal life are all spelled out right there in the pages of Seams Unlikely.

Of course, MODKID is still at its infancy stage, so I can only hope that one day I can achieve the level of success that Nancy has accomplished with both Nancy's Notions and Sewing With Nancy. More than 30 years later, they are still going strong and have a fan base as loyal as can be! Here's a funny anecdote: when we were wrapping up the taping of my second episode for Sewing With Nancy, the floor manager, Greg, said that I was a natural and totally belong on TV. Nancy looked at me and jokingly said "Oh-uh, should I be worried?". I responded, "Hmmm... 'Sewing With Patty' does have a nice ring, doesn't it?" We all had a good chuckle!

I jest, but honestly, I can only dream of building something like what Nancy has built here. She has surrounded herself with wonderful and supportive people who believe in her because she treats everyone with utmost respect. This and so much more can be found in Nancy's book, Seams Unlikely. I urge you to run out and get your copy today... you won't be disappointed!

GIVEAWAY!! 

Nancy is giving away twenty copies of Seams Unlikely. Please leave a comment on Nancy's blog HERE to qualify for book giveaways. Twenty random winners will be announced February 18, 2014.


If you'd like to read what the other reviewers had to say, check out the full blog tour here:

February 4 Nancy Zieman http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog
February 5 Eileen Roche http://dzgns.com/blog/
February 5 Pat Sloan http://patsloan.typepad.com/
February 6 Melissa Stramel http://melissaslilaclane.blogspot.com
February 6 The Long Ladies http://www.mariemadelinestudio.typepad.com/
February 6 Tori Thompson http://totallystitchin.net
February 7 Amy Barickman http://www.indygojunction.com/blog/
February 7 Melissa Mora http://mellysews.com
February 8 Shari Butler http://www.doohikeydesignstudio.com/blog/
February 8 Vicki Christensen http://www.sewinspiredblog.com/
February 9 Carolina Moore http://alwaysexpectmoore.com
February 9 Kate Mclvor https://theconfidentstitch.squarespace.com/blog/
February 10 Amy Ellis http://amyscreativeside.com/blog/
February 10 Melissa Mortenson http://www.polkadotchair.com
February 11 Ilene Miller http://happyvalleyprimitives.blogspot.com/
February 12 Liz Hicks http://blogerisms.blogspot.com/
February 11 Julie Herman http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/
February 12 Bill Gardner http://www.quiltersnewsletter.com/blogs/insideqn/
February 12 Elizabeth Evans http://www.simplesimonandco.com
February 13 Amy Webb http://www.amylouwhosews.com/
February 13 Lindsay Wilkes http://thecottagemama.com/blog/
February 14 Gertie Hirsch http://www.blogforbettersewing.com
February 14 Veronica Philips http://cloverusa.wordpress.com/
February 15 Jenny Gabriel http://www.sewvacoutletblog.com
February 15 Laura Wasilowski http://artfabrik.com
February 16 Frieda Anderson http://www.friestyle.com
February 16 Rita Farro http://ritassewfun.blogspot.com
February 17 Cindy Cloward http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/blog/
February 17 Joan Hawley http://www.lazygirldesigns.com/blog/
February 17 Patty Young http://modkidboutique.blogspot.com
February 18 Nancy Zieman http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog/

Sewing With Nancy
Sewing MODKID Style, Part 2

Friends, Part 2 of my Sewing With Nancy segments is finally up online for you to watch. Also, you can check your local TV listings to see when it will air on your PBS channel. (P.S. I had better luck getting this to play on my iPad than on my laptop, not sure why, but I thought I'd pass that along in case anyone else had the same issues.)

http://wpt.org/SewingWithNancy/Video/sewing-modkid-style-part-2

If you'd like to read about my journey to meet Nancy and view Part 1 of our show, please see my previous blog post.

Sewing With Nancy
See end of this post to view this show!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season and are looking forward to a year full of creativity and fun. We are starting the year off with a bang here at MODKID!  To back up a bit, last November, I had the amazing opportunity to film 2 episodes of the popular PBS TV show, Sewing With Nancy. I traveled up to Beaver Dam, WI and met up with the delightful Nancy Zieman for a day of planning, then the following day we traveled down to Madison to film in the PBS studios. The focus of both shows was my book, Sewing MODKID Style, so we shared lots of techniques, tips and tricks for sewing with knits. Oh, what fun it was!!

If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, you probably saw these photos already, but for those of you who missed it, here is my "quick & dirty" recap of my experiences while filming Sewing with Nancy. Excuse the dark and blurry photos... that's Instagram for ya!

Here I am at Nancy's studio with the sweet and delightful, Nancy Zieman. Everyone at the studios was so great! I had a wonderful time there.

That afternoon, I had tour of Nancy's Notions. What a wonderful place that was!

The following morning we got up bright and early and drove down to Madison to film in the PBS studios. Here I am getting ready for hair & make up. Yes, I felt like a super star! haha

I went into a little room to practice reading my lines from a teleprompter. There's a first time for everything! If you look closely on the far right monitor, you can see the lines I say at the beginning of Episode 1.

When I finally walked into the set, I was not prepared for what I saw! WOW! It was HUGE... and gorgeous!! I must've looked like a kid in a candy store. I just kept spinning around in delight and walking from one place to another asking silly questions. Everyone there was so sweet and totally humored me.

Here is a shot of Nancy and I filming one of our segments. I was incredibly nervous, but I didn't need to be. They made it so easy for me. The crew is so professional. They have been doing this for over 30 years so it's like a well-oiled machine. We barely had any re-takes and were completely done filming both episodes by 3 p.m.

Floor manager, Greg, was a pleasure to work with! Here he is waving goodbye at the end of the show. I will cherish this experience forever!

And now.... the moment we've all been waiting for! Episode 1 is live on the Sewing with Nancy website. Below is a screen shot of the page. Click HERE to view the show. If you are having issues viewing it there, you can also find it HERE. Both episodes will also air on PBS stations nationwide, so if you'd like to watch the on your TV, check your local listings to see when they will air.

But wait, there's more (said in my best Billy Mays voice, haha). The folks at Nancy's Notions have put together this awesome bundle for you which includes a copy of my book, Sewing MODKID Style, a copy of the DVD with both episodes, plus all the notions (elastic, pins and needles) you will need to begin sewing with knits. It is a great price too! Check it out HERE:

http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/sewing+modkid+style+starter+set.do?sortby=newArrivals