July 16, 2001To unsubscribe, please go to http://www.marthapullen.com/newsletter/addme.htm and select the remove me option. Remember, you will need to respond to the "friends-help" confirmation message you will receive in order to be removed from the list. When that message comes, just click reply and then send, and you will be removed. Blue marker tip (from Becky Hournbuckle who teaches at Nostalgic Needle Works in Mobile, Alabama) When spraying out blue washout marker markings, I have found that the blue sometimes comes back to haunt me. To avoid this until the garment can be washed, I spray with a good amount of water, then use a paper towel to soak up the water & marker solution. This really helps!! Just keep a roll of paper towels at the ironing board for "quicker pickups"!! PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER IF YOU THINK THEY WOULD LIKE IT! I would appreciate you telling your friends about this newsletter ifyou think they wuld enjoy receiving it.I love writing it and from many of your comments, you enjoy receiving it. Thanks for sharing the news with friends. PERSONAL LETTER FROM MARTHA Dear Friends, First, I want to tell you that I took Mama for a routine eye examination with the opthamologist thinking she needed new glasses. Upon arriving, we found out that she has glaucoma and the surgeon sent her immediately to Crestwood hospital for some laser surgery in her worst eye. The other eye will be done in ten days. The pressure in her eyes is normal now (with drops). I would beg all of you to get your older parents to the eye doctor. Mama has never had glaucoma until now. It has been two years since I made her an eye appointment and it was almost too late. If you have not had an eye exam in a while or if your parents have not, now is the time to get them in. I praise God that we made it in time. I will not let any of her check-ups go this long again. I have been thinking about what makes an object into an heirloom. Several people have asked me that question over the last year. Some of my thoughts about heirlooms are as follows: 1. An heirloom is something you make for someone that you love which will be passed down through the generations. It can be an embroidered purchased shirt, a machine embroidered set of purchased napkins, a christening dress, a beautiful pair of embroidered sheers for the windows, a tablecloth, or a suit made of lovely wool or cotton for a special occasion. It can be any type of sewing which you make which will not be discarded like the store bought things. 2. Mama has a ceder chest in her attic where she saved her treasures. I looked in it recently, and it contained many of the dresses I loved so much, which she made for me in high school. It contained an orange flowered print dress with an applique of one of the orange flowers on the bodice. I remember well she made a paste of flour and water to "glue" the applique design down while she appliqued around it. That was before wonder under or even glue stick. 3. Another heirloom saved for me was a green silk dupioni dress with ruffles on the skirt that my Aunt Eva made for my Christmas dress when I was twelve years old. What an heirloom. 4. I have another heirloom in my memory, which was stolen out of my closet while I was living in a sorority house at the University of Alabama. Mama had bought a McCall's pattern for a smocked dress for a grown girl. It had hand honeycomb smocking at the top of the dress and was gathered in to a "very small waistline" with a fabric covered belt. It was my favorite dress that spring. It was the only thing ever stolen out of my closet, I think, while I was at the University. Although I don't have this heirloom in my possession, it is still with me in my mind. 5. I made many little John John suits (named for John F. Kennedy, jr,) for my boys, Camp and John, when they were little. We passed those little suits down to my nephews Keith, John and David. Although I don't have those heirlooms either, I still have them in my memory. Sewing produces heirlooms for children, adults, homes and friends. Quilts, clothing, home decorating items, dolls clothes, and hand made toys - all are heirlooms. Heirlooms reach far beyond the description of "little girl's clothing and christening dresses," although these are still my favorite types of heirlooms. My original family heirlooms are in different categories than christening dresses. Mama learned to sew when I was a child and loved to make me baby dresses. However, the heirlooms which I remember best were the fashion sewing things she made for me in high school and college. Oh, the memories. We discuss these sewing memories quite frequently as her health is failing, and she certainly cannot sew anymore. These are lasting memories and make both of us very happy to discuss in these "do you remember" sessions. What kinds of sewing heirloom memories are you making? Remember, heirloom sewing covers every area of sewing and we must not limit ourselves in thinking heirloom sewing is christening dresses, although this is certainly my very favorite heirloom garment. I still have, upstairs hanging in my closet, the hand embroidered denim shirts I made for my boys when Joe and I first married. They were quite the vogue and if you did not have a mother who embroidered, you were out of luck. I made shirts for my two birth sons and my brand new stepsons. It built some bridges with this new family that I do not think would have been built as successfully with other means. My stepsons (who are really my true sons) still remember and talk about their shirts which I embroidered for them. I think sewing means love from a needle and thread and that is my definition of heirloom sewing. Mama always gave away the store-bought things to people who needed clothing. She always saved the handmade things which were our family heirlooms. She made me the wardrobe of doll clothes for my Toni doll. This is still my greatest heirloom collection. By anyone else's valuation, these things would not be too valuable. To me they are more valuable than diamonds or a fine automobile or a large house or antique furniture. Mama made me a cross-stitch tablecloth from a stamped kit. That is a true treasure. I would not use it for years for fear of getting a stain on it. In one of my moves, I misplaced it; it still is a family heirloom because of the hours I watched my Mama cross-stitch it. One of our most valuable treasures from Joe's mother is a hand-crocheted bedspread she made when Joe was a little boy. He remembers watching her make the blocks. So you see, I believe heirloom sewing is any sewing, hand or machine, which is motivated by love. I have been very philosophic today - thank you for listening to my definition of heirloom sewing. Please save all the precious things you make for your little ones. Tomorrow they will be treasured and they will be kept, probably, to be loved long after you are gone. I have bedspreads Aunt Chris made from ribbons from cemetery ribbons and satin and velvet. It is a yo-yo quilt. I have even more memories of her sitting for hours helping me make Chrismas stockings with sequins and felt. These are heirloom memories, for sure. Thanks to each of you for allowing me to visit with you each week. I appreciate all of you. God Bless You and Those You Love, Martha INTERNET EMBROIDERY CLUB NEWS It is never too early to begin sewing Christmas memories. One of the easiest gifts to make is our Christmas machine embroidery ball backed with felt and placed on your chrismas tree. You can personalize these, very quickly, by putting a person's name on it. What a joy to make a special machine embroidered Christmas ball for everyone in the family with a name at the bottom. Our new Christmas CD will be ready for IEC members to purchase around August 15. Members will be informed by a special letter. This is the time to join our IEC if you have not already. Please go to www.marthapullen.com and sign up. You get so many goodies just for joining, and then the whole year of things to download. You also get special rates on our new embroidery Cd's and other Martha Pullen catalog specials. You also get antique pictures, articles about sewing and fashion, and antique articles about sewing over the last 100 years. I think you will love the IEC. Please join today for only $59 for the whole year of membership. You can also call David at 800-547-4176 ext 104 and he will sign you up. NEW QUILT BOOK - ALMOST READY!! The new quilt book, "Martha's Quilts," will be ready, I believe, by August 15!! Trust me, you will love this book which features 3 nine square heirloom quilts and so many others! The cost is only $19.95 plus $5 shipping. It has nineteen projects in all. To place your order call 800-547-4176 ext 117 to speak with Toni. You can also e-mail her at toni@marthapullen.com with your order and information. WON'T YOU SIGN UP FOR OUR LONDON TRIP? The trip to London is filling nicely. What a wonderful group we have going!! We only have 19 or 20 places left and we hope you will decide to go on this trip of a lifetime coming up from November 28-December 7, 2001. Next year (2002) we will not be going to London at Christmastime since we have a trip to Australia planned. The deadline for getting your London Tour registration in is September 1, 2001; however, it would be a good idea to go ahead and register since we can only take a certain number of people. This year's trip is even more wonderful than last year's. Please call 800-547-4176 ext 109 and speak with Diane Bradshaw. Or e-mail diane@marthapullen.com to receive a brochure. The London trip is a great trip for husbands (or non-sewing relatives or friends) to go along because we are only sewing on one day - we'll be doing other things on all other days. If you love antiquing we are going to some of the greatest flea markets in the world - with real antiques, both inexpensive and expensive. I am especially excited about seeing Queen Victoria's wedding dress and some of her other personal things at Kensington Palace. Her wedding dress will only be on exhibition during this year. Go to http://www.marthapullen.com/Trips/london2001.html Our Australia trip (August 2002) is a real "sewing" trip with sewing or consumer sewing show for 8 of the total days. Husbands will certainly have a great time on the trip with a "pick and choose" menu of exciting experiences, but we sewers will be sewing until we drop! They will have to take these side trips without the sewing wives! MARTHA PULLEN/PFAFF LICENSED TEACHER WEEK!! OCTOBER 2-9, 2001! A FEW PLACES LEFT AND WE WANT YOU TO COME!! Please call Kathy McMakin 800-547-4176 ext 108 if you would like more information. If you love Pfaff and have wanted to start your own business teaching sewing, this is the time for you to come on to Huntsville. NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBER SPECIAL How about a killer price on the SewBeautiful notion black bags? Would you like that? This week only, call Toni at 800-547-4176 ext 117 to order one of these high quality and very handy bags for only $22 plus $5 shipping. TO CONTACT US To contact one of our departments, choose from this list: MARTHA PULLEN SCHOOL (I WILL BE TEACHING) IN NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 12-15, 2001! Plese call Altomari Sewing, Inside Joann's at 518-446-0437. If you live in the northeast section of the country, this is your chance to come to our of our schools where I will be teaching for two days. SCHOOL OF ART FASHION NEXT WEEK!! WE CAN'T WAIT!! I don't think I have ever seen Joanna so excited about anything as she is for the kid's school. Cecil is feeling a little puny this morning and Joanna is taking her to the doctor. Joanna said, "Mom, I am so glad this doctor's trip is this week, not next." I reminded her that we will have plenty of help next week if one of the children does indeed have to go to the doctor. Our students are coming from everywhere - and so are our teachers. It will be a week to remember for a lifetime. We are certainly going to enjoy the civic center for the adult classes and the Hilton for the children's school. If you need more information call 800-547-4176 ext. 105 or e-mail louise@marthapullen.com ( http://www.marthapullen.com/schools/School.html ) For those of you close enough to make a driving trip on Thursday through Sunday (July 26 - 29), you can shop at our retail store in the civic center during the hours of 8:30 to 11 in the morning and 2 to 5 in the afternoon. You will be able to take advantage of the wonderful discounted prices that our school students will enjoy. We have lots of folks who take day trips to Huntsville during the school time. You also are invited. CHECK OUT THE WEST COAST SEWING EXTRAVAGANZA http://www.marthapullen.com/schools/calschooletter.html gives the complete information! MY WEEK-END IN HIGHLANDS, NC My four best friends from high school and I go each year on a long weekend together to visit, talk, laugh, cry and pray together. "The girls" and I went to Highlands Inn at Highlands, NC, and had the most wonderful time. The weather was about 45 degrees in the early morning and warmed up to about 69 during the day. What a joy to walk down the streets visiting the little shops, to go to the Sudder's Auction at night, and to eat at some wonderful restaurants. The most fun, of course, was being together. We attended church Sunday morning at a lovely little Episcopal church on Main Street. We especially enjoyed God's handiwork in the beauty of the mountains as we drove up and home. CLICK AND SEW PATTERN COVERS ARE ON THE WEB SITE Our children's line of Click and Sew CD's by Wild Ginger are ready for you to see on the web site. ( http://www.marthapullen.com/clicksew/marthaskids.html )If you want the most variety of children's clothing in one CD you will not belive the variations on sleeves, collars, lengths, and other variations. You can have a loose fit, a medium fit or a tight fit. Using your child's measurements you can actually print out perfectly fitting patterns on a home computer printer on 8-1/2" by 11" standard pieces of paper. Then, you glue stick them together matching the lines and then cut it out like any pattern. The complete sewing directions are also on the CD and can be printed out. The cost is $24.95 plus $5 shipping. They will be ready for shipping later this week. You can place your order now with toni@marthapullen.com or 800-547-4176 ext 117, or order over the internet. SCRIPTURES FOR THE WEEK So many of my friends and acquaintances are having very difficult times. Some have cancer, some have lost a mother or father, some are broken-hearted over family relationsips, some are going through a painful divorce, some have children or grandchildren who are breaking their hearts, some have a job situation which is stressing them out, some are suffering other illnesses. I have good news. God has already addressed every problem any of you have over and over in the Bible. Let's turn to the holy word of God for strength. Joshua 1:9 Psalm 27:1 Deuteronomy 31-6 RECIPE OF THE WEEK EASY SWISS STEAK My children used to love Swiss steak and it is so very easy. Round steak cut into 3/4" thick pieces 1. Cut round steak into serving sizepieces. Live Don't Diet Cookbook Address Last week I forgot to tell you the address for the Live, Don't Diet Cookbook for $16 including shipping. Go to: Martha's Home Page Go to: July 9 Newsletter Go to: July 2 Newsletter Go to: June 25 Newsletter Go to: June 18 Newsletter Go to: June 11 Newsletter Go to: June 4 Newsletter |