Download program descriptions as Word document»

Download guest photos»

NETA feed and contract information»

Prog. 1901: Simple Swing Jackets
(Uplinks Aug. 21, 2005, and Feb. 19, 2006)
Use two fabrics and a streamlined pattern to sew reversible jackets that have style and flair. Nancy Zieman uses two coordinating fabrics and a jacket pattern having only three or four main pattern pieces to make versatile casual jackets. She demonstrates simplified construction techniques as she makes a reversible print jacket with a collar. Then she shows how to add interest to a collarless reversible jacket by making and adding piping. Watch a sneak preview with RealPlayer.

Prog. 1902: Simple Swing Jackets
(Uplinks Aug. 28, 2005, and Feb. 26, 2006)
Combine serger construction and interesting fabrics to make single layer jackets. Using the same pattern as in the previous program, Nancy Zieman creates two serged jackets with totally different looks. She chooses a midweight woolen fabric to make a single layer jacket accented with serged stitching. Then she selects a sheer fabric and uses a serged rolled hem to construct and finish a jacket that has a collar.

Prog. 1903: Simple Swing Jackets
(Uplinks Sept. 4, 2005, and March 5, 2006)
Give a basic jacket personality and vitality with unique sewing techniques and accents. Small amounts of embellishment can give a jacket a new look. Nancy Zieman adds couched thread accents to the collar of one jacket, then finishes jacket and collar edges of another jacket with fringe. She simulates color blocking, using both sides of a reversible fabric on a third jacket, and adds elegant embroidery to a boiled wool jacket.

Prog. 1904: Quilting—It's All in the Cards
(Uplinks Sept. 11, 2005, and March 12, 2006)
Use fat quarter cuts of fabric to learn how to select and coordinate quilt fabric colorations. Nancy Zieman and quilting author/color expert Terry Atkinson use fat quarter "playing cards" to illustrate color selection principles for choosing quilt fabrics. They use Terry's Four Seasons, Go Fish, and King's Corner quilts as examples, with designs based on popular card games. Nancy explains how to construct the King's Corner Quilt and the Go Fish Quilt.

Prog. 1905: Quilting—It's All in the Cards
(Uplinks Sept. 18, 2005, and March 19, 2006)
Practice combining quilt prints by using fabric fat quarters. Guest Terry Atkinson and Nancy Zieman play a few hands of fat quarter poker to develop winning strategies for combining five prints of various sizes, values, and colors. They demonstrate timesaving techniques for making a High Five Quilt and a Royal Pairs Quilt, each patterned after a card game.

Prog. 1906: Quilting—It's All in the Cards
(Uplinks Sept. 25, 2005, and March 26, 2006)
Use a simple three step process to choose coordinating quilt fabrics to complement a print. Using folded fat quarter fabric cuts, Nancy Zieman and guest Terry Atkinson practice selecting quilt fabrics by considering three factors: print size, print variety, and value. They illustrate those principles, then give step by step details for making card game-based Texas Hold 'em and Four Seasons Quilts.

Prog. 1907: Sew Chic Chenille
(Uplinks Oct. 2, 2005, and April 2, 2006)
Make textured chenille; then add it to fashionable garments, accessories, and home accents. Chenille is no longer restricted to the bedroom. Nancy Zieman explains the simple process of layering, stitching, cutting, and laundering fabrics to create chenille. After showing how to make chenille scarves, she explains how to incorporate chenille into a favorite garment pattern. She also details how to make an ultra-soft chenille baby blanket.

Prog. 1908: Sew Chic Chenille
(Uplinks Oct. 9, 2005, and April 9, 2006)
Learn simple techniques for adding chenille accents to chic accessories. Nancy Zieman uses chenille to accent accessories rivaling those found in exclusive boutiques. She adds Stacked Chenille to a clutch bag, then incorporates chenille morsels on a cosmetic bag. She makes a chenille Peek-A-Boo Scarf using a stabilizer base, and adds fringed binding to jacket edges.

Prog. 1909: Sweatshirt Makeovers
(Uplinks Oct. 16, 2005, and April 16, 2006)
Convert ordinary pullover sweatshirts into fashionable cardigans. After demonstrating how to turn a pullover sweatshirt into a classic cardigan, Nancy Zieman and guest Mary Mulari construct three variations. They add twisted button loops to a front closure. They adapt a quilting technique to make center front prairie points. Finally, they use hemline ribbing to convert a sweatshirt into a vest.

Prog. 1910: Sweatshirt Makeovers
(Uplinks Oct. 23, 2005, and April 23, 2006)
Add style, comfort, and fashion to a sweatshirt by modifying the neckline and hemline. Host Nancy Zieman and guest Mary Mulari begin by adapting a sweatshirt neckline to include a classic placket opening. Next, they enhance the neckline with a zippered collar, and they include a handy zippered sleeve pocket using a simplified technique. They also add a buttoned-up side accent and neckline crossover ribbing to another sweatshirt.

Prog. 1911: Sweatshirt Makeovers
(Uplinks Oct. 30, 2005, and April 30, 2006)
Change the style of a sweatshirt with facings and appliqué. Nancy Zieman and guest Mary Mulari show how to remove neckline ribbing and make facing patterns. Then they add pleated inserts, vented or notched facings, and appliqué to sweatshirts. They conclude by converting a sweatshirt into a vest, using a zippered placket at the neckline and double facings to finish and trim the armholes.

Prog. 1912: Fantastic Fabric Bowls
(Uplinks Nov. 6, 2005, and May 7, 2006)
Use fabric to make bowls that serve as attractive home décor accents. Designer/sewing expert Kate Bashynski is Nancy Zieman's guest. She starts by making a basic fabric bowl by fusing two fabrics to interfacing, then shapes the bowl with darts and accents it with machine stitching. After making a confetti bowl, she and Nancy modify the shape of several bowls, making flat-topped, octagon base, chevroned, and 8-pointed versions.

Prog. 1913: Fantastic Fabric Bowls
(Uplinks Nov. 13, 2005, and May 14, 2006)
Take fabric bowl making to the next level with changes in shaping and fabrication. After reviewing basic bowl construction, Nancy Zieman and guest Kate Bashynski move on to more challenging variations. They make a bowl with a scalloped edge and a center medallion, a stand-tall bowl, a round bowl, a pagoda bowl, and a fluted bowl. For added interest, they also accent several of the bowls with machine stitching, fringe, and buttons.

Prog. 1914: Sew with Confidence
(Uplinks Nov. 20, 2005, and May 21, 2006)
Learn updated techniques for basic sewing techniques.
Host Nancy Zieman shows how to attain a professional look when you sew as she showcases timesaving techniques for basic sewing skills. She illustrates how to sew smooth, super-straight darts; shows how to gather fabric by zigzagging over double strands of thread; explains how to complete carefree facings; and demonstrates how to add a comfortable, easy elastic waistband.

Prog. 1915: Sew with Confidence
(Uplinks Nov. 27, 2005, and May 28, 2006)
Gain confidence in shaping pockets, sewing collars, and inserting sleeves.
After showing how to easily shape pockets with round or square corners and attach them to a project, Nancy Zieman demonstrates how to achieve crisp professional looking collars using her “wrapped corner” technique. She also explains how to ease in fullness on a set-in sleeve and how to insert the sleeve into a garment.

Prog. 1916: Sew with Confidence
(Uplinks Dec. 4, 2005, and June 4, 2006)
Master zipper insertion and learn a new approach to adding a sewn-on waistband.
Nancy Zieman shows a simplified way to use tape to achieve professional results when inserting a centered zipper. Next, she explains how to eliminate bulk and add a streamlined look to sew-on waistbands. She concludes by offering confidence-building instructions for inserting an invisible zipper that ends up truly invisible.

Prog. 1917: Sew Clever Bags
(Uplinks Dec. 11, 2005, and June 11, 2006)
Create quick, trendy handbags in an evening or two of sewing time.
A basic handbag pattern is the starting point for creating three attractive, easy-to-sew handbags. Nancy Zieman starts with a Windowpane Patchwork Bag, using favorite fabrics and nonraveling accent strips. Next, she uses a serger to simulate a plaid on a handbag. She concludes with a “Cut, Stack, & Sew” handbag, incorporating appliqués and satin stitching.

Prog. 1918: Sew Clever Bags
(Uplinks Dec. 18, 2005, and June 18, 2006)
Use a basic handbag pattern to make three bags, each showcasing a different technique.
Handbags don’t need to be dull or drab. Nancy Zieman makes a felted wool bag accented with Bohemian-style floral appliqués. The bobbin thread creates the design for a second bag featuring Bobbin Work. A third bag includes a dramatic geometric design created with fusible bias.

Prog. 1919: Sew Clever Bags
(Uplinks Dec. 25, 2005, and June 25, 2006)
Showcase expressive embellishment on three versions of a basic handbag.
Fabric squares folded to imitate patchwork are featured on the first of Nancy Zieman’s three handbag variations. She adds a flap and a “Tuck & Trim” closure to a bag accented with couched threads. Computerized embroidery stitched with a streamlined hooping technique and accented with fusible pearls stars on a third quilted handbag.

Prog. 1920: Newfangled Reversible Aprons
(Uplinks Jan. 1, 2006, and July 2, 2006)
Make attractive, functional reversible aprons that are as easy to sew as they are fun to wear.
Aprons are making a comeback! Mary Mulari is Nancy Zieman’s guest, as they showcase streamlined ways of creating Mary’s innovative reversible apron designs. They make adult, child, doll, and bottle size variations of a Hometown Café Apron using fabric fat quarters. They also make a TV Housewives half apron and a Blue Ribbon Apron which includes a bib and ties.

Prog. 1921: Machine Embroidery with Confidence
(Uplinks Jan. 8, 2006, and July 9, 2006)
Begin with the basics as you learn to machine embroider.
Host Nancy Zieman walks you step-by-step through the basics of machine embroidery, outlining how to select a machine, use built-in embroidery designs, purchase notions such as thread and needles, choose and use stabilizer, hoop various types of stabilizers, prepare templates, and position the embroidery.

Prog. 1922: Machine Embroidery with Confidence
(Uplinks Jan. 15, 2006, and July 16, 2006)
Explore embroidery design options as well as tips for embroidering on various fabrics. Take a step beyond the basics and review various sources of embroidery designs including memory cards, floppy disks, or CDs. Nancy Zieman shows how to download designs from the Internet. She also discusses specialty hooping techniques for embroidering on collars, pockets, and knit fabrics, and she explains how to stitch more extensive designs using multiple hoopings.

Prog. 1923: Creative Kindness Encore
(Uplinks Jan. 22, 2006, and July 23, 2006)
Volunteer your sewing skills to bring joy and hope into the lives of those in need. Gail Brown joins host Nancy Zieman in showing examples of how volunteers help worthy charities and explaining how viewers can help. They feature groups that make items for infants and preemies, dresses for underprivileged children, pillowcases for critically ill children, hats for chemotherapy patients, clothing for disabled service personnel, and diapers for needy Hondurans.

Prog. 1924: Cotton Theory Quilting
(Uplinks Jan. 29, 2006, and July 30, 2006)
Cut, stack, and stitch using fold and finish quilting techniques to make home décor accents. Betty Cotton, known for her unique reversible quilting technique, is Nancy Zieman’s guest. They begin by teaching the basics of The Cotton Theory: quilt first, then assemble the project using the fold and finish process. They demonstrate highway and one-way seams while creating a reversible table topper, placemats, and trivets.

Prog. 1925: Cotton Theory Quilting
(Uplinks Feb. 5, 2006, and Aug. 6, 2006)
Add interest to the center of fold and finish reversible quilt blocks. Again using the “quilt first, assemble second” process, Nancy Zieman and guest Betty Cotton add a new element to The Cotton Theory quilting by showing clever ways to add interest to the center of quilt blocks. Cotton illustrates using appliqué, outline quilting, quilted embroidery, and bobbin work to quilt the fabric layers. They make a reversible tote incorporating these methods.

Prog. 1926: Cotton Theory Quilting
(Uplinks Feb. 12, 2006, and Aug. 13, 2006)
Make a floor quilt using reversible fold and finish quilt techniques. Nancy Zieman and guest Betty Cotton detail how to make an attractive, yet functional floor quilt. Cotton’s signature reversible quilting techniques are perfect for this project. Nancy and Betty finish the project by demonstrating Cotton’s reversible quilt binding technique.