Featured Guest: Nancy Zieman

Our guest blogger this month is Nancy Zieman, producer of Nancy Zieman Productions, author, pattern designer, business woman, home economist, national sewing authority, and host of the popular television show Sewing With Nancy. She also partners with Clover to develop unique, high quality sewing and quilting tools.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “How do you find the time to sew?” I have the same problem you have – there’s not nearly enough time in a day, which is why I write books and develop products that are timesaving to the sewing and quilting process – like the Trace ‘N Create Templates I developed with Clover. They’re reusable quilting templates including the Dresden Plate & Fan Collection with block sizes 6″ to 40″ and the Lone Star Collection featuring my fast no-pivot method for block assembly – 12″ to 36″.

I enjoy spending time in my sewing room early in the morning. Many times I’m working on my latest quilt. What I love about quilts is that every one is different – and each quilt comes with its own “story”.

Here’s a photo of a quilt I created while spending time in my sewing room. Using the Dresden Plate & Fan Collection, this quilt is made from twelve Dresden plate blocks. The Dresden wedges are made from five yellow, gray and black fabrics. I placed 8-1/2″ circles in the center of each block. Charcoal sashing was added between the blocks. Borders were added in the same light gray fabric as the background fabric. The most fun I had was adding the circles at the sashing intersections. The circles are made from the Dresden Circle template that’s included with the Dresden Template. The Dresden Circle template has die-cut openings for 4-1/2″, 6-1/2″, and 8-1/2″ circles. I placed the 6-1/2″ and 4-1/2″ circles at the sashing intersections, alternating the circle sizes in each row.

Next time I’ll share a quilt I made using the Trace ‘N Create Lone Star Collection.

In stores this summer, you’ll find the all new Grandmother’s One-Patch Collection with Tumbler Blocks sizes 4″ to 10″ and Faux Hexagon Blocks sizes 2″ to 8″ — all in one package! Choose the Tumbler or Faux Hexagon template and make a dramatic quilt from just one block! Best of all, the sewing will be straight seams!

Please share a story about your latest quilt for a chance to win one of Clover’s Trace ‘n Create Quilt Template Collections.

Learn more about Nancy at http://nancyzieman.com/blog/.