
Though this condition presented Nancy with unique challenges in her life (she was extremely self-conscious as a child), it couldn’t keep her from sharing her light with the world. Nancy often referred to herself as “the Poster Child for Bell’s Palsy,” a condition she acquired as a toddler due to an ear infection which caused her face to be partially paralyzed. With over 900 episodes filmed, Sewing with Nancy had run longer than any other sewing program in North America! In the early years, Nancy was the driving force behind the production, developing scripts and even taping the show in her own living room! She remained the host and executive producer of the show until just a few months before she passed away. It wasn’t long before the show was broadcast nationwide, making Nancy an icon in the sewing and quilting world. In 1982, she co-produced “Sewing with Nancy”, a half-hour sewing show that aired on Wisconsin Public Television. As she grew Nancy’s Notions from a small seed into a beautiful tree known by sewers across the country, she was also a well-known author and designer for McCall’s Patterns and Clover Needlecraft. Nancy’s Notions was born as a mail-order catalog in 1979, bringing sewers across the nations a unique and curated assortment of sewing notions and supplies. Many of the jobs early in Nancy’s career centered around her love of sewing, including working for a sewing store in Chicago and freelancing as a sewing instructor in Minnesota.

Nancy was born and raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin to parents Ralph and Barbara Luedtke, and later graduated with a double major in home economics and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Though she passed away in 2017, her legacy will abide in the millions that she taught and touched.

Nancy Zieman is an unforgettable woman and visionary who made an indelible mark on the sewing and quilting world. Our Library of Sewing Information is sure to have exactly what you are looking for! We are happy to announce that it is still exactly that! Stop by Nancy’s Notions to find more information on all things sewing and quilting.

For many years, Nancy’s Notions was the place was the place to find education and inspiration.
