Martha's Newsletter - June 16, 2008

MARTHA’S SEWING MARKET IS THIS WEEK! YOU CAN BUY TICKETS AT THE DOOR! DOORS OPEN AT 7AM THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, JUNE 19-21,2008!

We are so excited we can hardly stand it! The week we have been waiting for is finally here! Please if you do not have your tickets just purchase at the door! This is the event of a lifetime, I promise. See you in Arlington! TEXAS HERE WE COME!! WE HAVE THE FREE DAILY CLASS SCHEDULE ON THE WEBSITE! These classes are FREE after you pay your daily admission fee. Please click here to read the class schedule. Please click here to see the whole Arlington, Martha’s Sewing Market brochure. Tickets must be purchased at the door since pre-registration for daily tickets is closed. SEE YOU IN TEXAS!!

BRAND NEW BOOK FROM KARI MECCA! SEWING WITH WHIMSY!

Sewing with Whimsy is a fanciful treat in children’s sewing and embellishing. Each chapter begins with a classic pattern based on a simple silhouette then takes the sewing enthusiast on a magical journey, traveling down a path of originality filled with trims and techniques. Kari Mecca’s one-of-a-kind projects and ideas range from fun and funky to sweet and sassy. She teaches each new trim or embellishing technique using step-by-step directions that mesh by design with a simple construction approach. The Stitches & Techniques section provides clear, in-depth instructions using easy-to-follow photographed steps and detailed illustrations. Techniques include: creating magical rickrack flowers and trims, making and applying beautiful ribbon flowers, adding sparkle with beads, and the sewing artistry of machine and heirloom sewing techniques. Special tips and hints are highlighted throughout and are punctuated with inspirational photos to encourage readers to lend Kari’s touch to their own projects and patterns. Sewing with Whimsy is truly one of Kari’s most creative endeavors to date, and gives everyone pause to wonder; what sewing journey will she take us on next? 3 Full-sized patterns: Girls Sundress (sizes 2-6), Girls Puff Sleeve Dress (sizes 2-6) and Pinafore (sizes 18mo & 24mo). Soft-cover, full-color, 96 pages. Click here to order for $24.95!

BABY LOVE MACHINE EMBROIDERY CD

A cuddly little blessing has arrived in town and he comes surrounded by adoring friends. “Baby Love” is our newest embroidery cd and it comes with 23 full color, multi-format designs in a variety of sizes. Bright and cheerful colors will lift your spirits and these designs can fill a nursery with a playful menagerie. Besides the animals, word sentiments such as Baby, Joy, or Love among others can be used to create or personalize gifts for baby or provide a decorating theme for showers. A combination of some or all of these designs could be used in a quilt or on the border or a garment. You’ll find these child-like designs endearing as “Baby Love” and his friends invite you to come and play with them! Some of the designs are 4X4; others are 5X7. Click here to order for $40.00; IEC pricing is $30.00. Click here to view all the designs up close. These designs also make a lovely quilt:

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WENDY SCHOEN’S DVD:SHADOW WORK BY HAND

WOW I am so excited about this new DVD. So many of you have requested that Wendy make DVD's continuing her incredible stitches which you have seen for many years on Martha's Sewing Room. HERE IT IS! Wendy's first DVD unravels the mystery of her gorgeous shadow work, which as many of you know, is one of my favorite hand embroidery techniques in the whole world.

Learn the art of shadow work embroidery as Wendy demonstrates step-by-step how she builds upon basic geometric shapes to create simple or intricate heirloom embroideries. Her tips and techniques are invaluable as she discusses fabric and design preparation, how to begin a design and how to apply various stitching and finishing techniques that will make your embroidery a true work of art. Please click here to order for $39.00 and you can replay “Wendy's classroom” as many times as you want to perfect your shadow work stitching. Of course I know we don't rewind DVDs, but you get the idea! YOU WILL LOVE THIS DVD!

Check Out Our
OTHER NEW PRODUCTS!!!

The Delineator, October 1916

THANK YOU LETTER FROM FLORENCE MUGISHA FROM AFRICA NEW LIFE MISSION IN RWANDA

You might remember that the Bernina and Baby Lock licensed teacher groups gave very generous gifts to be used for the sewing ministry at Africa New Life Ministry in Rwanda. Our son John went there last year and will take a group from our church, Whitesburg Baptist Church, back there this September. The Orphanage keeps 800 orphans and has a women’s learning center which teaches sewing and hair dressing to women so they can have a way of supporting their children.

“Dear Martha,

We are sending some one to do the shopping from Uganda tomorrow, for we have found it to be cheaper than here in Rwanda. Some things are scarce and expensive. By the end of this week we shall be having all our machines with us and next week I shall send you the pictures. I can’t wait to have our new embroidery machines plus other machines of course.

We are so excited for what God is doing in the program through you and your women’s sewing group in America.

I wish you all the best from God our father.

With love,
Florence Mugisha”

From our readers

PRECIOUS SMOCKING IN THE HOOP FROM LINDA JOHNSON FROM TEXAS
Just wanted you to see my Granddaughter, Abigail, in a bubble that I made using a “Free” pattern from your magazine. It was from a couple years ago called Beaus and Bells. I have made this pattern at least 6 times. The smocking is from your embroidery CD called Smocking in the Hoop. I go a little crazy with the lace, but love it so much.

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Click here to order
On sale this week for only $67.50

Click here to order

GORGEOUS “SEW BEAUTIFUL SMOCKABLE” CHRISTENING DRESS PICTURES FROM JOAN STANTON, TEXAS

Click here to order

GORGEOUS QUILT FROM DIANNE MONK USING THE OLD TESTAMENT IEC 2008 QUILT DESIGNS
Thank you for the great designs. These could not have come at a better time. My Sunday School teacher and his lovely wife became grandparents on May 6th. To honor their FIRST grandchild, I made this little quilt using your 4x4 biblical designs. I was thrilled when I saw you included all the designs in a 4x4 format. Otherwise, this quilt would not have been possible for me. Thank you for keeping those of us that cannot afford the newer machines with their larger hoops in mind when creating your designs.

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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 ABOUT INSERTING A ZIPPER FROM GINNY
I’ve always had trouble using a zipper foot to stitch a zipper to a garment. I could never get my stitching straight. One day, I decided to try using my pintuck foot, and it worked wonderfully! I move my needle so that when I place the outside groove of the foot over the closed zipper, I am stitching 1/4” to the right or left of the zipper teeth. No more crooked stitching lines when inserting zippers!

HISTORIC SNIPPET FOR THE WEEK: From The Delineator, September, 1907

“Lace For The Baby”

Many women who would not feel that they could spare the time to make a bit of embroidery or dainty lace for their own personal use, do not hesitate to spend hours of patient labor on clothes for their children.

(Note From Martha: After reading the introduction to that article written in September, 1907, it seems to me that nothing much has changed in the lives of women who also happen to be mothers.)

ORGANIZING TIP FROM JUDY EDMONDS OWENS, WISCONSIN
Sharon Smith from California asked about organizing the patterns. I am organizing my magazines by making a card file catalog. I get the chance to re-read my magazines and then write the article, author, magazine, date and a note about the article. At the bottom of the card I have general categories, i.e. Heirloom, hand embroidery, machine embroidery, smocking, etc. I index the patterns the same way with a reference to the sizes and my category on the bottom of the card is either “children”, “infant” or “adult”. I store the cards in a file box with dividers according to the category. I know I can do the same thing on the computer, but I get to take my magazines and index cards with me on car trips, or airplane rides.

SEWING TIP FROM NORMA WHITING FROM TENNESSEE
Well it is wedding season again and I just realized while I was working on something I had not seen it mentioned before. My granddaughter is getting married and I am working on the handkerchiefs for attendants, mothers and grandmothers....of course the bride too. They all have a beautiful lace edging put on with entredeux stitch and then I use the initial you designed for Viking. Of course any of the alphabet designs would work but I have become a creature of habit. These have become popular with my family for weddings so I keep busy.

Martha's Letter

Dear Sewing Family,

I simply cannot wait to see you in Arlington, Texas this week at Martha’s Sewing Market! The classes, the vendors (many, many new ones), the evening and Saturday special events, the booths, the contest with its fabulous prizes, the sale prices the vendors will have just for this occasion, the pre-day classes-ALL ARE JUST FABULOUS!! We are going to have the sewing vacation of a lifetime. Of course you can purchase tickets at the door at 7am-well actually all day. The special event celebrities are ready to entertain you-John Flynn (Thursday night), Sue Hausman (Friday night) and Eileen Roche (Saturday)! A Janome machine will be the door prize for Thursday night, a Viking felting machine for Friday night and a Baby Lock Elegante for the machine embroidery fashion show on Saturday. YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN THESE DOOR PRIZES!!

The first shipment of Kari Mecca’s book, Sewing with Whimsy, arrived in the warehouse last Friday and I simply could not put it down. Oh, it is gorgeous. It is probably the most beautiful book which we have ever published. Each page is gorgeous and has color throughout. I SIMPLY LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT and of course so will you. The e-mail orders are flying in the door and we all thank you. The step by step illustrations are fabulous, and her patterns are so cute! Full-sized of course! The little to the waist, Sassy Sundress, is sized 2-6 years. It is the perfect basic sundress for Kari’s trimming as well as almost any trims you could want. The puffed sleeve dress (2-6 years) is so cute. The Simple Pinafore is the perfect pinafore or tie on the shoulder sundress! It is sized 18-24 months. Charlotte Potter’s daughter Rachel said when she looked at this book, “Oh, Mom it makes me want to learn to sew.” Rachel is an engineer here in Huntsville. Some of Kari’s famous techniques with gorgeous full color photography step by step directions are Rick Rack Blooms, Rick Rack Posies, Rick Rack Fiesta Flowers, Rick Rack leaves, Rick Rack Roses, Folded Ribbon Leaves, Silk Petal Flowers, Rolled Roses, Ruffled Ribbon leaves, and making flower pins. Those are just a few of the FABULOUSLY ILLUSTRATED TECHNIQUES. Kari, thank you for this new book. Click here to order.

The new Baby Love CD is precious! Since we have a new grandbaby on the wa,y of course you know I plan to use it! It looks like Joanna and Ron’s new baby is a GIRL, so you can just imagine my excitement! Of course if it turns out to be a boy we would be just as pleased. Charlotte Gallagher made an adorable quilt which we used on TV with the Baby Love CD. She had embroidered in large letters “Train up a child” on the quilt and then had the animals riding in the train cars on several blocks. The little rabbit, giraffe and tiger have the words faith, hope and love embroidered on their train card. Of all the designs I love the train with the “train up a child” on the wheels. I am commissioning Charlotte to make Joanna and Ron’s new baby this exact quilt for her special “welcome to the world” quilt. You might want to use the design “Little Blessing” which measures 1” by 7” across a baby pillow with the baby’s name, weight, etc. for a new baby gift. When Joanna was born, Joe’s mother had a Peter Rabbit quilt made for her. Regular price for this adorable CD is $40. If you are an IEC member your price is $30. It just might be time for you to join the IEC if you haven't already! Please click here to join the IEC for just $59 per year. Please click here to see all of the designs you will receive immediately for joining. Of course you will get more each month until December 2008! And of course we have the most exciting year ever planned for you next year!! And the next!!!

Click here to order

    I am really looking forward to the School of Art Fashion this summer, July 21-27, at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It is time to register for yourself and your little one who loves to sew or who wants to learn to sew! Some of the classes are full already, but many of the classes still have space for you. We will be celebrating my 65th birthday and have a wonderful week with some of the world’s best teachers, sewing machine companies, and staff. By the way, I am not retiring and I am asking your presence, but not presents. You can read the whole brochure on line!! Click here.

    I am very excited about the huge lace and batiste orders we have had coming in! I think many of you are making christening dresses during your summer sewing time. That is wonderful! We are getting lots of international orders. Just to tease you a little, we have another fabulous hard cover book plus 2 CDs in our “antique mode” coming late this summer. I promise you will be thrilled. As always, I am going to sign the first 1,000. More info later!

    My heart is broken for all of the weather tragedies, tornadoes and floods which have occurred in the Midwest recently. I pray for the families who have suffered such losses. Please pray hard for our friends and neighbors in this devastated part of our country and for those who have lost loved ones. I also pray for those who have been injured. I pray for our men and women serving in harm’s way and for their families. I pray for our world leaders and their decision making. I pray for the people of China and Burma and pray that food, water and medical supplies have reached most. Lord, I thank you for our blessings. Always know that I send my love through this newsletter and pray that it will bring joy and encouragement to everyone receiving it. You are truly my sewing family, and I never take you for granted.

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.

News and Sales
June 16th - 23rd, 2008

Retail: $90.00
Sale: $67.50

Click to order

25% OFF
Smocking in the Hoop
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.

JUNE 2008 DESIGNS!
2008 IEC designs

Rainy Day (2.83 x 3.53 in.)
Rainy Day Redwork (2.84 x 3.52 in.)

Members, click here to download your designs.

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

Luke 10:29, 33
He asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ...But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

I re-read Suzanne Crocker’s (my missionary daughter in law) book Pig in a Taxi over and over. This week I was reading, again, her story about Premature Labor where a missionary was possibly going to deliver a baby-WITH NO MEDICAL FACILITIES WHATSOEVER-at 32 weeks. Suzanne, a registered nurse, and another missionary-an EMT-were called to this family’s home in the middle of the night.

“An obstetrician in the US had given Mike (EMT) a kit of various medications and instruction on their use if he ever found himself in this situation. We started an IV and began to administer the various medicines. ...we asked her husband to make arrangements for evacuation by plane (private when daylight dawned), then continued to talk and pray with her and administer the medicine.”

“Mike and I were really getting worried because it looked like the baby was coming and we didn’t have any life support equipment for it. Mike and I would try to put on a calm face in front of our patient and then quietly say to each other, “Can I speak with you in the hall?” We would then go out in the hall and have a minor panic attack, then straighten our faces and walk back in the room to try to reassure our mom to be. We made a small baby warmer out of a trunk and hot water bottles. Mike had the equipment we needed to intubate the baby so we could manually help her breathe, but we had so little compared to what we needed.”

The baby did not come that night. They were evacuated to Lome and then got to France for the baby’s birth. God saved this baby‘s life. If you do not have this book you might want to get in touch with Suzanne at johnsuzannecrocker@hotmail.com. I think it is $11 plus shipping.

Suzanne closes with the questions: “Do your neighbors know they can come to you for help? Be willing to take the time to be a Good Samaritan.”

RECIPE FOR THE WEEK from the editors of 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 visit TasteoftheSouthMagazine.com, or call, (888) 411-8995. Click here to subscribe to Taste of the South.

Pole beans cooked with bacon are one of the best tastes of summer. For more recipes like these, see the April/May issue of Taste of the South.

Western Kentucky Pole Beans
Yield: 6 servings
Preparation: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes

2 pounds pole beans, stemmed and snapped
1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste
8 ounces bacon, chopped (approximately 8 slices)
1 onion, diced
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
Ground black pepper to taste

In a stockpot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add pole beans and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until almost done. Drain beans. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add onion; cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add pole beans; cook, uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter pieces, stirring until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

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