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Sewing tip for the week Wash away basting thread tips: 1. When using wash away basting thread, it seems to work better in the bobbin than in the top. Some people use this thread in both the top and bottom; we usually suggest one or the other. When you have stitched with this thread, REMOVE the bobbin thread and mark this bobbin carefully. Store in a plastic baggie in a dry place. 2. Be sure not to lick your wash away basting thread when threading the needle, if you use it in the top. It does not taste good. 3. It is a good idea to store your wash away basting thread in the same baggie with the clearly marked bobbin. Using a permanent marking pen, mark the baggie as wash away thread and bobbin. It is also a good idea to put the package in that same bag - the packaging which says wash away basting thread. 4. When using the gathering foot to make gathers, put wash away basting thread in the bobbin and gather to your heart's content. After attaching the ruffle to the garment (using regular thread, of course) simply wet the gathering rows which might still be showing and you have a perfectly gathered ruffle with no gathering threads showing. Letter from Martha Dear Friends, Last week in Arlington, the sewing market was just too fabulous. We had several thousand people who honored us with their presence. I heard nothing but happy bubbling remarks about how much fun people were having. We had several anniversaires celebrated last week at the market - two of the anniversary husbands brought their wives to Arlington to the market. Those were good husbands to celebrate an anniversary at a sewing event. The ladies at the sit and sew were the fastest I have ever seen. Nearly everybody wanted to try "pinless lace shaping" and that is so quick and easy to do. Even beginning sewers were making pinless hearts and diamonds with French lace. Everybody made the magic Madeira double scalloped pillowcase, and most not only finished the pillowcase but also the little "slip" pillowcase which goes underneath the Madeira pillowcase. I think everyone was amazed at how easy the wash away basting thread Madeira technique really is. By the way, everything you ever wanted to know about the wash away basting thread Madeira technique is in the book, Heirloom Sewing for Jack and Jill. We had so many different types of classes, and loads of people who wanted all of the classes. We had hand work, machine embroidery, heirloom sewing, fitting and pattern adjusting, fitting the larger woman, computer pattern making to fit your body exactly, tailoring garments and embellishing garments and many others. If you want to read about the complete schedule, please go to www.marthapullen.com If you are going to come to Orlando, next January, you can get a "somewhat, sort of" idea of the types of classes you will get to choose from. The two shows are very similar in class offerings but different according to the vendors who have booths. It would be hard to tell you what items from our booth were the best sellers because everything was snapped up. I signed lots of books, and the lace and fabric were marching out of that booth like crazy. Joe sold all of his Dr. Joe pleaters that he had taken. We were so thrilled that Joe's booth sold more Sew Beautiful subscriptions than we have ever sold before at a market. The Anna Garrin Baptismal Gown book is brand new, so of course that was snapped up. Many people are thinking about starting a business making christening dresses and first communion dresses so the Grandmother's Hope Chest and Elegant Sewing for Baby were best sellers, too. Many people told me they are getting ready to sew for the Sew Beautiful talent search contest, so Heirloom Sewing for Jack and Jill was one of their choices. If you are interested in entering the Sew Beautiful contest, please go to the website and read the information. We are having so many prizes that I hope each of you will win. How can I thank all of you who came to the market? We are already thinking about how to make our Orlando market even more exciting than it was last year. We have the Tupperware Center already rented and the dates (including the sit and sew) are January 22 - 26,2002! Please put it on your calender. This would be a good excuse for you to fly to Orlando in January, don't you think? I met so many of Internet Embroidery Club members while I was in Arlington. Thanks for loving the club so much! Everyone I talked with loved the extra 5X7 machine embroidery design you got in June. If you have a machine that embroiderers¸ I think you would love being a member of our club. We have so many wonderful designs planned for the rest of the year and anytime you join you get a beautiful Victorian alphabet. Then, you get a beautiful design each month, snippets from yesteryear, and antique poems and sewing tidbits. Each month you get a fabulous sale from items in the Martha Pullen catalog. You get exclusive rights to our brand new machine embroidery disks for four months and you get to purchase the $90 embroidery disk for $49 if you are a member of the IEC. Please go to the website to join the IEC or call David at 800-547-4176 ext 104. Christopher is completely alright and I thank each of you for your prayers. They arrived back in Africa Thursday night and they are packing for their month of extensive training in Singapore right now. They spend the month of July in Singapore. They arrive home for 10 months furlough on September 1, and I can't wait. I am saddened to tell you that Margaret Boyles' husband, Barry, died earlier this month. He had fought a long fight with cancer. Margaret was surrounded by family and friends and has made it through this most difficult time. I received permission from Margaret to send you her e-mail address if any of you would like to get in touch with her. It is margaretboyles@worldnet.att.net - I know she would appreciate hearing from her many sewing friends around the world. We at the Sew Beautiful and Martha Pullen family send our love and sympathy to our precious friend of many years, Margaret. They had been married over 50 years. What a tribute to love and commitment. We have a wonderful message board on the web site as well as a prayer board. Please feel free to post anytime you have prayer needs or sewing messages. Both are very meaningful to me. We passed out a Sew Beautiful survey in Arlington which will be tallied by the SB staff. We asked many people to evaluate and to suggest things for SB. I can't wait for the results to come in. Please fill out the e-mail sewing machine survey we sent out last week if you haven't had time to already. We are planning new teacher licensings and need input concerning your machine choices for future licensings. We were just curious to know what kinds of machines you already own and what kinds you are dreaming about owning in the future. Thanks to those of you who have taken the short time it takes to already fill out the e-mail survey. http://polls.marthapullen.com/ is the address I appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks for letting me come to visit you in your home each week. May God Bless You and Those You Love, Martha SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK I am praying so hard for many friends who have cancer. I feel sure you are doing the same thing. Suzanne's sister-in-law, Jessica, has breast cancer. Mrs. York who works in our wholesale department has colon cancer. Louise Baird's sister has breast cancer. A lifelong friend, Joyce Shelton from Scottsboro, has breast cancer. The list could go on and on. I am positive that some of you receiving this e-mail have cancer. These words of comfort are for all of our friends who have cancer and for those who love them and are suffering also. May our precious Lord hold all of you, who are suffering from anything right now, very tightly. He is sufficient to meet all needs. Isaiah 45:2,3 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by name, am the God of Israel. Psalm 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirstest for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. John 10: 27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. FOLLOW THESE LINKS FOR INFORMATION ON EXCITING MARTHA PULLEN EVENTS! The Internet Embroidery Club - FREE designs and SPECIAL SALES! http://www.marthapullen.com/EmbroideryClub/index.html New Inspirations CD - Only available for Embroidery Club members 'til the fall http://www.marthapullen.com/EmbroideryClub/embclubCD2/clubCD2.html Teacher Licensing - Slots are filling fast! Check it out. http://www.marthapullen.com/Licensing%20Pages/teachlic.html Bonnet Kits - Heirloom projects simplified - Great Directions! http://www.marthapullen.com/Web-bonnets/bonnetguide.html Elegant Sewing for Baby - A runaway bestseller thanks to you! http://store.marthapullen.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=1293&category_id =2 Sew Beautiful Talent Search - Print out the forms to enter! http://www.marthapullen.com/SBContest/Official.html Anna Garrin's Baptismal Gown - Check out the sketches! http://www.marthapullen.com/books/aggown.html Sew Beautiful Subscriptions - subscribers get discounts on catalog items in every issue! http://www.marthapullen.com/sewbeau/pmag.html The London Trip - London at Christmas time - Join us for the time of your life! http://www.marthapullen.com/london2001 The West Coast Sewing Extravanganza - You can see the classes and teachers here! http://www.marthapullen.com/schools/calschooletter.html Martha's School of Art Fashion - July is just around the corner - here is where you can see the classes and teachers - http://www.marthapullen.com/schools/School.html SALE OF THE WEEK - June 25 - July 2, 2001 For our e-mail subscribers only, for one week only, we are offering the brand new Anna Garrin's Baptismal Gown ($12) plus Christening Gown Ensemble (Cecils gown, bonnet, slip and blanket $12) plus Antique Embroidery Designs book (51 hand embroidery stitch instructions plus 39 pages of antique embroidery designs $12) all for $15 plus $5 shipping charges. Total $20 for $36 worth of gorgeous books -- one is brand new!! Call 800-547-4176 ext 117 to order or e-mail toni@marthapullen.com PREVIEW OF BRAND NEW SEW BEAUTIFUL WHICH IS MAILING SOON!! The new Sew Beautiful is gorgeous. Anna Garrin is on the cover in her gorgeous smocked silk duipioni and embroidered dress by Cheryl Davidson. Gail Doane did a lovely article on matching smocked dresses and duplicate stitched sweaters. Dana Littleton smocked the most adorable smocking plate I have seen in a long time. It shows four little children jumping rope. Angela Pullen designed and Daralyn Elkins stitched a gorgeous pumpkin patch smocking plate. Lisa Meyer Briscoe smocked a great geometric design on a tartan plaid back-to- school dress. There is a fabulous photo shoot by the Queen City Chapter of SAGA from Cincinatti. Janet Marshall designed a precious boy sweater for duplicate stitch called Slippery salamanders with 5 lizards - sure to please any boy. There is a cute halloween applique. You are going to love the Sunday school diaper bag pattern on the centerfold designed by Donna Marcum. Joanna has one of these Sunday school diaper bags for both of her babies. Wonderful hand and machine embroidered collars are designed by Sandra Glenn. Sue Johnson designed the turn of the century little girl dress (sized 12m-4) which you can embroider by hand or machine. The complete pattern is on the centerfold. In our Sew Fun for Kids section there are pieced applique t-shirts designed by Jo Leichte. The hand embroidery for kids is a bookmark with backstitch hearts. Sue Says has a complete dictionary of techniques for double needle pintucks. Connie Crawford has an article on making a custom dress form with paper mache - to fit just you! There is a very informative article on Wild Ginger Software's Click and Sew perfect fitting patterns. It tells how Click and Sew patterns work. (You know we have a children's line of Click and Sew coming as soon as possible.) There are some gorgeous women's dresses stitched and embellished by Connie Palmer. Carol Laftin Ahles has a wonderful article on machine hemstitching. Lynn Weatherhead designed a gorgeous Victorian blouse with not only the instructions for recreating this beauty but also the pattern sized 4-20 on the centerfold. Janet Luce designed a gorgeous stumpwork hydrangea basket picture. Complete instructions for stumpwork by hand are included. To complete the handwork portion of the magazine, Janice Stewart created a tablecloth with drawn thread and lace squares. Carola Russell of Canada created the most elegant machine embroidered/serger flatlocked, patchwork vest in shades of ecru with pink, green and lace touches. One size vest pattern is included on the centerfold; but you can use your own vest pattern and use her fabulous techniques. PLEASE SEND ME YOUR SEWING TIPS AND RECIPES! My personal e-mail at the office is marthap@marthapullen.com - Please send me sewing tips and recipes. I love getting them and best of all sharing them with lots of other people on this list. You are the greatest e-mail friends anyone could ever hope to have and I do appreciate each of you so very much. Try not to use info@martha pullen.com - you will get a quicker reponse by using the list below. Save these email addresses! orders@marthapullen.com (for order questions) RECIPE FOR THE WEEK CORNBREAD SALAD From Lottie, one of our valuable staff members 1 (1 oz) package Hidden Vallen Ranch dry mix Combine sald dressing Ranch mix, sour cream and mayonnaise; set aside. Combine in a medium bowl tomatoes, peppers and onions. Pace 1/2 the crumbled cornbread in the bottom of a large serving bowl. On top of cornbread, put a layer of beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, 1/2 of the bacon and cheese. Top off with dressing mix, then start another layer of cornbread, beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, bacon dressing mixture, then cheese. Refrigerate overnight or 3-4 hours before serving. From a cookbook, Cooking with Homemakers, published by Norma's homemakers group here in Madison County, Alabama. The cost of the cookbook is $10.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling. If you would like a copy you can write to Norma Colbath, 7803 Hilton Dr., Huntsville, AL 35801 and send a check for the total amount. Toni Duggar and Patsy Vaughan are also in this homemakers group and this hardcover cookbook is really fabulous. Go to: Martha's Home Page Go to: June 18 Newsletter Go to: June 11 Newsletter Go to: June 4 Newsletter |