Martha's Newsletter - April 14, 2008

THANK YOU LETTER FROM MARYANN ABOUT OUR PENNSYLVANIA/VIKING EXTRAVAGANZA
Thank you for the trip of a lifetime. I have been disabled from an auto accident in 2005 and the stress which followed had taken a toll on me. Being able to attend a seminar so close to home was a dream. Meeting you and Sue was “heaven.” Thank you for all you do. You are truly a “Precious Child of God.”

PLEASE SEND SEWING TIPS AND PROJECTS WITH PICTURES, ESPECIALLY PICTURES WHICH INCLUDE MARTHA PULLEN CD’S, IEC DESIGNS, GIFT OF THE MONTH DESIGNS, PATTERNS, PATTERNS FROM SEW BEAUTIFUL - OUR READERS LOVE TO SEE HOW YOU HAVE USED OUR PRODUCTS!! AND SO DO WE!! PLEASE SEND TO martha.pullen@yahoo.com.

SEWING TIP (MACHINE EMBROIDERY BOO BOO) FROM Linda Engelbrecht, Florida
Recently I machine embroidered a large design on a white knit T-shirt. After wearing it once, I put it into the "bleach load" by mistake! What to do? I decided to embroider the same design on a piece of subtle plaid fabric. I then cut out the rectangle the new design was now on, sewed it onto the shirt right over the bleached design with a half-inch seam allowance to the raw edges. After pulling the threads to make a fringe of this half-inch edge, the shirt looked even better than before and every time I wear it I get compliments! I may even make more designs in the same way, on purpose.

SEWING TIP FROM THE INTERNET
I have a carpeted sewing room and like to sew barefooted. So I borrow my husband’s magnetic bar (it is held with a long handle) walk around the sewing room and all of the needles are picked up without having to bend over. It is great. Thanks for all of your tips.

SEWING TIP FROM MICHELLE FROM ARIZONA
While reading your fabulous tiger tape tips, I noticed that one was missing. When I am doing the faggoting stitch (hand bridging stitch) for a christening gown pattern, I use the tiger tape as a guide to place my stitches. I place 2 approximately 6 inch pieces of the tape on the top and bottom pieces of my two elements to be joined, just lining them up with a clear ruler. I then have a perfect guide for my stitch spacing, I just stitch in line with the tiger tape marks. Once I get to the end of my pieces, I just move them over aligning one of the marks with my last stitch. Very useful for me as I have astigmatism and accurate spacing across a line is a challenge for me!

Click here to order for $6.00

Martha's Letter

Dear Sewing Family,

I have some HUGE, HUGE family excitement to share with you to begin this letter. Joe and I are going to be grandparents, AGAIN. Joanna and Ron are expecting a baby November 14! This will be their sixth child and our 18th grandchild. I have already smocked a baby daygown on the trips to Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. All I lack is smocking the sleeves and adding the little flowers and I probably will wait until we find out if it is a boy or girl to smock the flowers. Of course I can always make them yellow. The smocking is blue. OF COURSE, I smocked one of our Smockables, the new button up the front white daygown “already finished except for the smocking.” I also call our Smockables “ready to smock” and they are wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. After two plane trips, my first handmade item for our new baby is almost done!!! And it was “done” on an airplane. I never shall forget that when I was teaching at Athens State College when Joanna was a little girl, I carried a Baggie of Smocking in my purse and during my lunch hour I sat at my desk and smocked. Oh, here is a funny airplane smocking story-but it wasn’t too funny at the time. Years ago and for another grandchild, I smocked a gorgeous daygown on a very long trip, probably to Washington State and back. When I got home I did not have the daygown and realized that I had left it on a plane or in an airport somewhere. Several phone calls did not turn up this daygown. Oh, well, I enjoyed smocking it anyway. I did make it home with this new baby’s daygown!

Click here to order

    Our Baby Lock licensed teachers were simply a joy and a delight! They are so excited to be going home to finish their projects and to begin teaching them. The group named themselves “Martha’s Sewing Sirens” since a couple of times the fire alarm went off in the hotel-during the day luckily! I shared how I had climbed down stairs in the middle of the night in London several times. Once was when we took a group to London for our Christmastime In London trip with about 65 people. Joe and I were on the 14th floor that night.

    I want to thank all of our newly licensed teachers some of whom have come many, many times. I especially want to thank Baby Lock for sending Missy Billingsley and Kathy Stipe and Sulky for sending Evelyn Byler to help us. Of course we look forward to having them come over and over again and many have already signed up for another licensing. We are very honored to have students come many times to all of our events both here in Huntsville and around the world.

    Joe and I love having the licensed teachers for our final party here at our home. They love going to my “real attic” to look at my antique clothes. Joe always says, “Martha that is the biggest mess in the world. Why do you take them up there?” And my reply is, “Joe everybody loves my attic and they don’t care that it is a true attic and that it is messy.”

April 2008 Baby Lock Licensing Photos!

Click thumbnails to view more!

Before we had dinner we gathered in the living room for our blessing and Judy Haan said they had a present to give me. I simply cried when I read the card which everybody had signed and opened the bag which she also presented. It was a VERY, VERY generous donation for the sewing ministry at the Africa New Life Mission in Rwanda. I have written to Florence to tell her of this donation and she will be totally thrilled and grateful. You might remember that two other of our sewing groups have made donations to this precious group of ladies who are in “sewing school” there at the Africa New Life Ministry. As John said, “Rwanda is a country of widows and their children and orphans.” I feel that these are “our sewing sisters” in Rwanda.

This money donated to the sewing school, a ministry of ANLM, will help educate these students to be able to support their families. Florence, the director of the women’s school which also teaches hair dressing, has sent more pictures which I would like to share. Thank you Martha Pullen/Baby Lock teachers for your generosity and for your love. John, our son who is Minister of Missions at Whitesburg Baptist Church, will be taking a group to Rwanda this September to minister to the orphanage, the street children and others in Rwanda.

Africa New Life Mission Photos!

Click thumbnails to view more!

We had such a fabulous time in Tulsa last week-end at B-Sew-Inn with Mary Hess, Pam Mahshie from Baby Lock and many other dynamite, favorite Baby Lock educators. Of course our students are always the stars of every show. What precious ladies who came! It is so good to see all of my Oklahoma friends and I might add that I have been going to Tulsa for many years. Several members of the Martha Pullen Fan Club came as well as the Bartlesville group! I had so much fun telling my funny stories Friday night and sharing some of my antique clothing with the group on Saturday morning. I signed lots of books, CDs and MACHINES! The ladies purchased everything from the tiny little Baby Lock cover stitch machine to the incredible BMP embroidery machines! Thanks Mary Hess and Baby Lock for inviting me out once again. We look forward to another Martha Pullen/Baby Lock Celebration in Tulsa, April 1-4, 2009!

B-Sew-Inn Photos!

Click thumbnails to view more!

THE ARLINGTON COMPLETE BROCHURE IS UP ON THE WEBSITE! You can go ahead and call to register for your pre-day SIT AND SEW classes (June 18,2008) and to register for your admission tickets which will be mailed. To register for your sit and sew classes please call 1-800-547-4176 ext. 4 or 114. Please go ahead and put June 19-21, 2008 ON YOUR CALENDAR! These are our ARLINGTON, Texas dates! Martha’s Sewing Market, at the Arlington Convention Center, will be celebrating 11 wonderful years.

READY TO START SEWING TO WIN FABULOUS PRIZES IN ARLINGTON??? The judged categories for Arlington are 1. Christening Gown (or boy christening suit) 2. Quilts or Quilted Wearables (no larger than 45” by 60”) 3. Women’s Machine Embroidery (clothes or accessories) 4. Baby’s or Children’s Machine Embroidery 5. Machine Embroidery Embellishment on Purchased Items 6. Hand Smocking or Embroidery 7. Textile Creations (anything else such as doll dressing, home dec, hand embroidery, textile arts, beading, accessories.

    We are thrilled by your UNBELIEVABLE EARLY REGISTRATIONS for the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion in July! PLEASE CALL TODAY IF YOU PLAN TO COME. I DON’T WANT YOU TO BE DISAPPOINTED WITH A CLASS BEING FULL! It is my 65th birthday party celebration-AND I AM NOT RETIRING. No birthday presents please, just your presence is desired. You can click here to see the FABULOUS line up of classes including the classes the kids are taking. Call 1-800-547-4176 ext. 105 or 106. I am so sorry we cannot accept e-mail registrations-only phone or fax. We check the fax machines often.

    Always know that I send my love and the love of the Lord through this letter. We at Martha Pullen Company and I personally deeply appreciate your loyalty to Martha Pullen Company for nearly 27 years now. You are our beloved friends and you will never be taken for granted. Without God and you there would be no Martha Pullen Company to bring you, what we pray, are beautiful products, fabulous events and even a TV show! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

    I pray for our men and women serving in harm’s way. I pray for their families. I send Psalm 91 to each of you today. In reading this Psalm which is also called the War Prayer I would ask you to insert your name or the name of a loved one anywhere the Psalm mentions “my” or “I” or “you.” For instance read it outloud like verse 2: I (Martha) will say of the Lord, “He is my (Martha’s) refuge and my (Martha’s) refortress, my (Martha’s) God, in whom I (Martha) trusts. For each person reading this letter I would pray that you can remember as stated clearly in Psalm 91 that God is a shelter and a refuge. He is our protection in whatever situation we are in. I pledge my love to God and trust in his judgement for my life. I thank Him for protection and I ask him to protect you this week as you go about your lives.

May God Bless You,
Martha

SEW BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE!!!

SPECIAL SEW BEAUTIFUL OFFER: The regular price of a Sew Beautiful magazine subscription is already a bargain at $24.99, but for a limited time, you may order a one year subscription to Sew Beautiful for only $18.00! This fabulous offer applies to both personal and gift subscriptions and that means you and your friends will be receiving six issues of Sew Beautiful for only $3.00 each! To take advantage of this wonderful offer, click here for a personal subscription or click here to give a gift subscription! You can also call 1-888-825-5823 (U.S. only) to purchase a subscription.

We have a survey for Sew Beautiful readers. Please click here to give us some feedback on Sew Beautiful magazine.

News and Sales
April 14th - 21st, 2008

Retail: $12.00
Sale: $9.60

Click to order

Heirloom Tea Dress
Sew Beautiful Collection pattern
By Judith Dobson

While Supplies Last

Retail: $40.00
Sale: $32.00

Click to order

Heirloom Tea Dress
Machine Embroidery CD

While Supplies Last

You don't want to miss...

2008 Internet Embroidery Club

With your membership you receive:

2 or more embroidery designs each month

3 large (5 x 7) bonus designs during the year

Plus. . .
Martha Pullen and Sew Beautiful Embroidery CDs
released in 2008 at special IEC pricing

Reg. $90	–	IEC Special $54
Reg. $75	–	IEC Special $45
Reg. $40	–	IEC Special $30

And.....Special discounts each month specifically for IEC members only.

Click here to view all the designs, so far, for 2008!
Don't miss out, click here to signup today.

APRIL 2008 DESIGNS!

Sweet Pea (2.93 x 2.88 in.)
Sweet Pea Redwork (2.89 x 2.87 in.)

MARTHA PULLEN LICENSED TEACHER WEEKS

The licensing dates are scheduled as listed below:

Martha Pullen/Teaching Beginners Licensing - July 11-17. 2008
Martha Pullen/Serger Licensing - September 12-19, 2008
Martha Pullen/Husqvarna/Viking III Licensing - October 1-8, 2008
Martha Pullen/Pfaff Licensing - October 10-17, 2008

For more info, call 800-547-4176 ext. 107, 131 or 108. Or visit our licensing info page: Licensing Link

TO CONTACT US BY PHONE: 800-547-4176 ext. 2 or 256-533-9586

TO e-mail ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, choose from this list:
catalog@marthapullen.com (send your postal address to request a color catalog)
orders@marthapullen.com (for order questions)
wholesale@marthapullen.com (for wholesale questions)
SWBcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com (for Sew Beautiful subscriptions)
schools@marthapullen.com (for School of Art Fashion)
licensing@marthapullen.com (for teacher licensing questions)
embroidery@marthapullen.com (for Internet Embroidery Club)
markets@marthapullen.com (for our sewing markets)
martha.pullen@yahoo.com – MARTHA'S PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK

PSALM 23:1
1 The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that the Lord is our shepherd 24 hours a day 7 days a week? Isn’t it truly remarkable to know that He is sovereign and perfect and does not make mistakes? Isn’t it fabulous to know that He loves our family members even more than we love them? He even loves our children and grandchildren more than we love them! He is in control of this world. He will carry us through heartache, tragedy, uncertainty and illness. God understands our hearts and our pain. Every bit of it.

It just feels good to me to be in the shepherd’s care. With all of the horrid “new age rhetoric”--“Think and claim it and it will just appear-psychological” thinking RAGING in the books published today and on television self help shows, I find great comfort in knowing that “new age thinking” is simply untrue. The Lord is my shepherd and it is HE that provides my needs and takes care of me (not some psychological magic). If I am in want then I know to go to my Shepherd and tell him of my needs and I know for sure that He hears my prayers and will answer in HIS will. I thank God that I am not “into” the new age garbage which can only lead to anxiety and depression.

RECIPE FOR THE WEEK from the editors Taste of the South, a magazine about the food and rich food heritage of the South. Each issue of Taste of the South features more than 60 easy recipes, which we know you will adore. It’s published by Hoffman Media of which Martha Pullen Company is a subsidiary. Thanks to their editors for sharing these recipes with us. If you have questions concerning these recipes, please contact taste@southernladymagazine.com, or Hoffman's main number, (888) 411-8995. Click here to subscribe to Taste of the South for $15.98 a year.

Beef Stroganoff
Recipe courtesy of Elaine Polino
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes

2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10.5-ounce) can beef broth
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Sauterne wine
1 (6-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
Cooked rice

Cut meat across grain in 2-inch-long strips. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Melt butter in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add meat and green onions; cook until onions are soft. Sprinkle flour over meat and onions, stirring to coat. Add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add mustard, stirring well to combine. Cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Add sour cream, wine, and mushrooms, stirring well. Serve over rice.

To unsubscribe from Martha's email newsletter, click here or email: patti@marthapullen.com.
Remember, do NOT reply to this newsletter...Please use the departmental addresses!

Go to: April 7 Newsletter

Go to: Martha's Home Page

Go to: Martha's Online Store

Go to: Sew Beautiful Magazine

Note: All newsletter sale and bonus offers are for "in stock" items only, while supplies last. Shipping costs, where indicated, are for USA, international shipments extra. Martha Pullen Company reserves the right to correct pricing errors.