Seams Unlikely: The Inspiring True Life Story of Nancy Zieman

From the Publisher

Joanne Ross

Founder and Director, Sewing & Stitchery Expo

Appearances are not always as they seem. As you read Nancy Zieman’s story, you’ll understand that there’s more to the life of this calm, professional woman who makes not only sewing but thirty years on television look easy. It’s an amazing revelation of carrying on through humble beginnings and serious life challenges to impressive achievements and business success with credit always to the support of others. Oh, and she is humble and able to laugh at herself too. Keep calm and carry on, Nancy–we can all be inspired by your example and life story.

Mary Mulari

Sewing teacher, author, and "Sewing with Nancy" guest

Along life's journey there seems to be only a handful of people you meet that have the desire and ability to encourage and lift up those around them. The evidence of this gift is not just heard in their words, but fulfilled in their relationships with family, friends, colleagues and those in need. Nancy’s creativity, professionalism and success in business deserve to be studied, but it is in the richness of her relationships that you will be most rewarded. Through the pages of Seams Unlikely, you walk with Nancy through an inspiring an incredible life journey of faith, family and perseverance that will make you not only a fan, but also a friend.

Ed Moore

Founder, Koala Studios

Nancy Zieman, an artful business woman and educator, has done more for the sewing industry than any other. Her enormous success is a result of very hard work and boundless enthusiasm for sewing, education, and for helping others. Seams Unlikely, although an autobiography is another example of Nancy’s strong appetite for teaching and sharing. A great example of how to succeed in business.

Joanne Ross

Founder and Director, Sewing & Stitchery Expo

If you've ever watched 'Sewing With Nancy' you will love this book! Nancy shares her childhood on the farm, her physical challenges, her growing career, and does it all with honesty, clarity and humility. I found the book spellbinding and couldn't put it down.

Natalie Sewell

Landscape Quilting Artist and Author

I was immersed in Seams Unlikely from the beginning. Well-known television talent Nancy Zieman writes of her life and of her work in this autobiography which lets the reader understand her determination, her creativity and why she is so popular, respected and loved.

Joan Lence

Television Broadcast Consultant

Not one to let life’s challenges derail her ambitions, Nancy Zieman has risen to the top of the sewing and quilting world through not only business acumen, but also kindness and humility. Her forthrightness and down-to-earth telling of her story in Seams Unlikely reveals her true modesty and genuine gratitude for blessings, especially family, that have come her way.

Bill Gardner

Editor-in-Chief

Quilters Newsletter

I am humbled by the experiences Nancy offered to my life and the millions of the beloved friends she's inspired. WOW, her book is a great read and brings back many great memories for all of us that have been involved in Nancy's business and life...Her inspiration to the sewers and quilters of the world will continue forever. Young or older will enjoy the many products she developed along with teaching how to use them...her book is inspiring to read.

Jan Carr, Clover Needlecraft, Inc. USA

This book is pure Nancy! She’s inspired so many of us, and in Seams Unlikely, Nancy invites you into her life just as she invites you into her show, with wit and wisdom and humility and joy.

James Steinbach

Director, Wisconsin Public Television

My first mistake in reading this book was starting it late at night – I couldn’t put it down and had an early flight the next day. My second mistake was in reading it on the plane where I uttered sympathetic groans, shed crocodile tears and let a few peals of laughter rip from my lungs in the company of a planeful of strangers. My third mistake was in assuming I knew everything about Nancy Zieman. Her success has been built on true grit, honesty and control of her destiny. She is the American success story.

Eileen Roche, Editor, Designs in Machine Embroidery magazine

Here is your window to the world of PBS star, Nancy Zieman: Her struggles, her strategies, her heartaches, her triumphs. Beyond Nancy’s television fame, you will discover a real person who refused to be limited by facial paralysis, chronic pain, or financial and business challenges. Woven through each page is Nancy’s constancy— and inspiring message: “If I can do it, so can you.” Read it and believe.

Gail Brown

Author, columnist and frequent "Sewing with Nancy" guest

Essential reading for lovers of family, tradition, sewing, and the entrepreneurial spirit. Nancy provides an insider look at the life that built the longest running sewing program in the US. Seams Unlikely a fascinating look at the family, tradition, and entrepreneurial spirit that built a sewing career that has reached the hearts of Public Television viewers around the country. Nancy proves that she can stich a story as well as a lined wool skirt.

Libby Peterek

Director of Web Services KLRU and Chair of PBS Digital Advisory Council