Nancy Zieman of 'Sewing With Nancy' dies at 64 after battle with cancer

Nancy Zieman, longtime host of Wisconsin Public Television's "Sewing With Nancy," died Tuesday at her home in Beaver Dam after a long battle with cancer. She was 64. 

According to Wisconsin Public Television, "Sewing With Nancy" was the longest-running sewing series on TV, going on the air in 1982. Hundreds of hours of episodes are still available online at wpt.org/SewingWithNancy. 

"Sewing With Nancy" currently airs on 233 public TV stations in 137 markets across 41 states, including WPT affiliates and WMVT-TV (Channel 36) in Milwaukee. 

Zieman also was the founder of Nancy's Notions, a business that sold sewing books, DVDs, fabrics and more, and she helped develop Quilt Expo, an annual Madison event that drew more than 20,000 people. 

"Nancy was an entrepreneur, a talented television host, a dear friend to so many people at Wisconsin Public Television and a true Wisconsin treasure," Jon Miskowski, Wisconsin Public Television's director of television, said in a statement.

Zieman announced she was retiring in September, more than two years after she was diagnosed with osteoscaroma, a form of bone cancer. She continued doing the show, with help, for more than two years after the initial diagnosis.  

According to her retirement message on the Wisconsin Public Television website, the last episode she recorded was called "I Sew for Fun." 

Zieman is survived by her husband, Richard, their two sons, Ted and Tom, and her grandchildren. A private funeral service will be held.