Friday Chats with Grandma Behind the Scenes on the Sewing with Nancy show and a giveaway!

Happy Holidays everyone and thanks for coming back to hear more of my adventure of being on the Sewing with Nancy show.  I have to say when I first got a call from my publisher telling me I was invited to be a guest on Nancy's show I about fell over.  I grew up watching her and couldn't believe she wanted me as a guest for her show!  I was even more amazed to get a call from her personally, but after just a quick minute my amazement turned straight to comfort as she was so friendly and genuine, I just knew I would be in good hands.  I have to say though, the idea of being on camera terrified me a bit, and I am not used to traveling solo, nor do I drive very much, and this trip involved multiple flights, a car rental, 2 different hotels- I found myself extremely nervous and feeling not so confident about the idea of it all.  I reached out to my Mom who asked my wonderful Grandma to join me.  When Grandma called me to tell me she would be able to go with me I was so relieved.  I knew I needed a buddy for this trip and she was the perfect companion.  Grandma lives in the Seattle/Tacoma area in Washington state and I live in Southern California, but we met in the middle and traveled on to Madison Wisconson together.  Seeing her absolutely made my day- It had been over a year, and she looked so saavy and ready for an adventure... as her granddaughter I couldn't have been more impressed with her.  From there got a car rental and headed out to the small town in Wisconsin that Nancy's offices are located in, as well as Nancy's Notions (but more on that later).

We started the next day following Nancy's right hand woman Donna to the offices.  We were warmly greeted by all the staff at her offices, as well as given an amazing tour of the space, which was filled to the brim with beautiful projects and quilts that has been on the show over the years.  After that it was straight to business, but not before being treated to Nancy's homemade zucchini chocolate chip bread- she shares a version of the recipe in her book Seams Unlikely, which I highly recommend as an excellent read (and the bread was delicious).  We spent the rest of our morning having a meeting about the show, and then were taken by Nancy and Donna to a beautiful lunch, then a scenic tour through the historic downtown, finally to then spend the afternoon touring Nancy's Notions, and getting to shop!  Yay!!  Then it was a fantastic dinner with Donna and off to bed early for filming the next day.

We had to travel into Madison early the next morning for filming, and Nancy rode with us.  Grandma drove and she and Nancy really had a nice chat which was great for me as I was so nervous I wasn't feeling quite up to chatting.  Once I got there we went to the green room and I got to meet the makeup artist who was very nice and put me at ease.  We filmed the first segment of the show in the morning and it went very smoothly.  Nothing is perfect and I sure didn't give a perfect performance, nerves were a definite factor, but Nancy is a pro, and she makes it easy for all the others she works with, she got me through it.  Later we had lunch and then filmed the second segment, which will be available to view next week.  It went even smoother and faster, and we were done by the early afternoon.  Working with Nancy was truly an honor and such a privilege.  It was a very enjoyable time, and by the time it was over I was a little sad it had gone by so fast.  Grandma and I celebrated that evening with a wonderful dinner and drink- and had a great time talking about how fun it all was.  I am so grateful I got to do this, and the best part is that now all my readers can get a visual reference of what I am doing on film, which is a great accompaniment to the book!  I  am giving away a signed copy of the book this week, comment below to win, tell me what your favorite Nancy Zieman book or episode of Sewing with Nancy is.  I will select the winner randomly next Friday.  I asked Grandma to share about the trip for her experience, here is what she had to say.

In the Pacific Northwest we are fortunate to have a Public Television station that every Saturday morning shows a  lineup of sewing and quilting shows. They have done this for many years and I am a faithful watcher. When you watch these shows for such a long time you begin to feel like these celebrities are your friends, but never in my wildest imagination did I think I would actually get to meet one of them. Then I got the call from Molly telling me she was going to be on the Sewing With Nancy show and would I like to come along with her and watch the process. Well, I couldn’t pack my bags fast enough. We traveled to Beaver Dam Wisconsin and spent two very wonderful days doing the two shows.

I don’t know exactly what I expected, but I know I felt as giddy as a teenager. We were greeted by Nancy herself and she made us feel very welcome and allowed me to be part of everything that went on. They saw to our every need and Nancy, herself, treated us to a delicious sweet bread she had made that morning herself. The suite of offices that make up Nancy Zeiman Productions is lined with many of the quilts that we have seen on the various shows. I was especially thrilled to get to see the landscape quilts Nancy had done a series on.

Getting to go to the TV studio and watch the process unfold from the makeup to the final taping was an indescribable thrill. I had never seen the inside of a TV studio. It is full of technology and equipment and yes, it does have a green room. I was allowed to sit in the control room for the entire day of taping and that way I could see everything that went on and what the “behind the camera” process is like. It takes many people to make a show happen.

There really aren’t words I can think of that adequately explain what I felt during our two day stay. To watch my granddaughter get the recognition she so deserves was a moment of profound proudness. To be treated with the kindness the entire staff showed us and to be allowed to tag along on such an important event is a memory I cherish. Thank you to Nancy Zeiman and her staff, and most especially to Molly for making this all possible. Hugs to you all.  

Grandma Pat

Grandma and I when we met up at the airport

getting ready for makeup

grandma got to view the taping like this, which she found fascinating

Donna is sitting in my chair prepping the sewing area and Nancy is behind her machine

Nancy and I

More Quilt Market fun!

I promised I would be back with more about the exciting things I saw.  I was totally wowed by Tula Pinks booth of course with her new line Elizabeth.  Did you know that it was Tula's Full Moon Forest fabric line that made me step out of the big box retailer exclusively for my fabric collections and start shopping quilt shops?  It is also the first fabric that made me want to design a quilt more basic than patchwork.  I have loved every single collection she has had since, Neptune, being my very favorite- but this new one and all the gothic inspired arches and geometry... swoon... Just love love love this collection! 

I also got to play in the BERNINA booth with their new longarm!  Okay, calm down, I am not planning on moving from my beloved domestic machine quilting to longarming- even though it would be a bit easier! LOL.  I couldn't teach domestic machine quilting without quilting that way myself, so I plan to stay loyal to sit down quilting, that said the new longarm will be available as a sit down quilting machine eventually, so it was a lot of fun to get to play with it.  I was shocked by how smooth and easy it was to use, even for a novice like myself... I had fun quilting with it- and even though I would say my results would look better on a domestic, it was pretty impressive considering it was one of my very first attempts.  I took pictures for you!

One of my favorite things about being at market was getting to show my quilter friends my brand new leather bag that I quilted.  I wish I could say there would be tutorials or patterns but this bag isn't easily repeated and I have 15 broken needles to prove it.  To me the deduction in my needle stash was worth the results... yummy soft lambskin quilted with feathers... yum.  I have been waiting to share it with you all and can only say I wish I could somehow have a way for you to feel it.  The texture and soft leather.... sigh.  Here it is. 

In other news I will be back on Friday with Grandma for a chat on stippling and the trials and tribulations and any tips she and I have gained to make it easier.  Also I am giving away lots of cool patterns I got in my swag bag at Quilt Market on my facebook page so be sure to stop over and leave a comment to enter to win!  I am also kicking off a blog tour for Free Motion Quilting for Beginners (and those who think they can't) very soon, so stay tuned for more info on that! 

Friday Chats with Grandma week one Project Size for Beginner Free Motion Quilters

straight line quilting on a pillow I made 3 yrs ago

I have a confession to make.  Though I am a "quilter" and have designed, pieced and quilted several quilts, I really prefer to make small projects.  There I said it.  Cat's out of the bag!  I have always loved sharing my quilty love with others for holiday and birthday gifts, but I have a big family and making quilts every time just never was practical.  I grew a deep love of the small project- pillows, placemats, table runners, pot holders, purses, zip bags you know- all the little things.  They had tons of impact without the huge investment of time and money.  Typically I could utilize scraps and not spend a dime- and not spending much became a source of inspiration for me.  If I didn't have much to spend I could see it as a hindrance or a fun creative challenge.  Being a sunshiny optimist I preferred the latter.  This is something I really found was an asset when I started learning FMQ.  I had tons of go to projects I could first quilt and then make as usual- with some small clever adaptations that gave me lots of little things to work on instead of being stuck on one big quilt.  There is no pressure to perfectly quilt a small free project for your niece or sister- and if they love it (which my family thankfully always does) your confidence gets a nice boost.  That mentality was my basis for teaching myself free motion quilting- and it worked so well for me that I am sharing it all with you in the book.  By starting small I feel you have the chance to work out the rhythm, the design, the tension, and build confidence so when you are ready to move to something larger you are only dealing with the one new element of moving a larger piece instead of many potentially overwhelming elements at one time.  I asked Grandma to give her thoughts on project size and what she thought was good to begin quilting on.... I really loved what she had to say and I hope you all do too!

a tote bag I made for a friends birthday early in my FMQ days

Whether you start with a big project or a small one is purely a matter of personal choice. What is more important is that you choose a project that matches your skill level. If you are a beginner you probably don’t want to choose a bed-sized quilt with the Lemoyne star pattern. There is nothing wrong with challenging yourself to make a project using a new skill, but unless you have practiced that skill you may waste a lot of time and money if it doesn’t work out, not to mention causing yourself a lot of frustration. I like the idea of making a practice square of a pattern before actually starting a project. I have a stash of material called “what was I thinking”. I use it to make a practice square and this allows me to find out ahead of time what  problems I might run into with the project. Another practical way to prepare is to make a place mat or table runner using the pattern I have chosen. That is something I can always use and is another great way to practice the pattern.

Human nature being what it is, most newbies want to make a bed quilt. If that is your passion, go ahead. A few tips if you go that way. Find a quilting buddy. When you get overwhelmed or frustrated you will have someone to work through the problem with. Practice the pattern first – it could make a big difference. On the other hand, if you are a patient person wanting to work on your skill level, then find small projects with quilt patterns that help develop your skills. Honestly, if I had it to do over I would not have made that bed quilt first. I would have taken the time to learn more techniques before tackling a big project. There are so many cute small projects out there – like the ones in your book, Molly – that are skill builders and then when you start that big quilt you will be ready. Now here is the most important part of all. If you aren’t having fun, don’t do it. Quilting should be a fun, relaxing time. It should never be the dread in your life. Build your skills and enjoy.

Grandma Pat 

Had fun practicing swirls on this pinwheel pillow - some of my first ever swirls!

Please make sure and stop by my facebook page to join the conversation!  What project size did you start learning free motion quilting on?  If you haven't yet tried to learn and are planning to what project size do you think would work best to start?  Have you tried to learn free motion quilting and been overwhelmed by a large quilt and quit?  Let me know what you think and if you have any questions you would like Grandma and my thoughts on for upcoming weeks.