Adventures

Excitement! Back in April, I was in Des Moines, Iowa to tape a pilot episode for for Sew It All, a new public television show premiering in the early part of 2012 with host Ellen March. See the preview below! Fast forward to several months later when Sew It All got all their fabulous sponsors rounded up and built a smart-looking new set in Golden, Colorado.

I flew out a couple of weeks ago so that Ellen and I could rework the segment on the new set, and in a slightly new format. Here are some highlights from behind the scenes! (P.S. That’s my sewing project on the dress form!) They taped for over a week straight, getting all of the first season episodes squared away–future guests include Carmen Webber (from Project Runway cycle 4), Crafty Chica Kathy Cano-Murillo, Suede (from Project Runway cycle 5), and more!

Editorial Assistant Kim Lee made sure everything ran smoothly off-set, from ironing samples to donning a headset and giving us those silent fingered countdowns to “action!” off-camera. Angela Lewis did our hair and makeup–here she is with host (and editor-in-chief of Sew It All magazine) Ellen March. Angela’s also responsible for the super curls I got to wear all over my head!

Here’s another shot from the super cute set — my tank top and Ellen’s cardigan…both made from T-shirts, of course.

Where on-set meets off-set: There were three cameras–operated by Layne, John, and Kevin–one on each side and one that swooped down from overhead to zoom in on what our hands were doing.

Flowers arrived on set for Ellen since it was the first day of taping!

Director Andi Coyle hunkered down off-set, making sure that we kept our energy up, that our mics didn’t get bumped during taping, that every shot was there and looked good! (And check out the cue cards Ellen prepared — I always love the phonetic pronunciation of my name: Meegan Nicol-eye!)

Angela and Kim also continued to keep a watchful eye over the on-set proceedings.

On the wall of the set: A simple, colorful reminder of what we are all there to do!

And, after a long day of taping, there’s nothing like ordering in a New York-style calzone to the hotel room! Yum.

Stay tuned for an air date! (Please contact your local PBS station to make sure they carry the show!  Click here to fill out a form to encourage them to make it happen!) I can’t wait to share my project with you all.

[ Posted on November 2nd, 2010 ]