Martha Pullen, host of PBS-TV series Martha’s Sewing Room announces that Wendy Ann Wood of Portland, Oregon, has recently completed training in Huntsville, Alabama to become a Martha Pullen/Janome Licensed Teacher. This title has been awarded to a very few, select sewing teachers across the United States, England, Canada, Mexico and Australia. Pullen heads a sewing empire, Martha Pullen Company, Inc., based around the concept of heirloom sewing, which includes the publication of an international magazine, Sew Beautiful. Sew Beautiful, Founded in 1987, enjoys a readership of over 100,000 people six times a year. Each licensed Martha Pullen-Janome teacher is allowed to sell all of Pullen’s twenty-nine books written to promote this art as well as the Martha Pullen brand of imported fabrics and laces.
Pullen has been conducting The Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion in Huntsville, Alabama for eighteen years. The need arose to have very specialized teachers to teach the Martha Pullen methods when she began receiving hundreds of invitations to teach that she simply could not accept.
It became a new objective to carefully choose a few individuals who could travel for Mrs. Pullen sharing the joy and techniques of heirloom sewing and quilting. Wendy is one of the very small number of people who will be doing just that – traveling and teaching for Mrs. Pullen.
What is heirloom sewing? Heirlooms are hand made and meant to be treasured by families for generations to come. Handmade family pieces, such as the products Wendy is licensed to teach, are always sought after and carry warm memories of the person who made the garment. Heirlooms are stitched knowing that probably they will be around much longer than the person who made the garment or other item. Heirlooms, which Wendy has been licensed to teach, are fashioned after elegant Victorian clothing, which was extremely popular around 1900. The revival of heirloom sewing started around 1970 and is more popular today then when it began. At one time heirlooms were completely made by hand but with today’s computer technology advanced sewing machines and sergers; almost all of this type of sewing and embroidery is done by machine. Certainly the lack of time for today’s busy individuals who sew has necessitated that the process be faster. Janome has been one of the leaders in helping people who love to sew have the luxury of returning to their sewing machines to create these masterpieces.
From Pullen’s research, people are sewing for two main reasons today. First, sewing offers stress relief in a very fast moving world. Second, individuals love the creative aspect of making art pieces, the category into which these heirlooms certainly deserve to be placed. The classes Wendy will teach offer both of these elements to her heirloom sewing students.
The Janome Sewing Machine Company is headquartered in Japan where the sewing machines are manufactured; they are sold worldwide. Classic embroidery has been considered very aristocratic for centuries. With the new Janome sewing machines, elegant embroidery can be done with the touch of a button. With this new computer technology, making museum quality heirlooms has become very easy. Pullen has designed heirloom embroidery cards for Janome as well as other ones under the Martha Pullen Company brand. Many individuals enjoy the embroidery aspects of these computer machines to embroider numerous items, not just delicate heirlooms.
Classes which Wendy is certified to teach include an elaborate christening dress, an heirloom portrait dress for a little girl, several home decorating projects, and eighteen inch doll dress, angel fairy ornaments, custom pincushion and a museum quality quilt. Each Martha Pullen teacher is licensed to conduct classes anywhere in the world. With Wendy’s classes she will certainly facilitate her students to be able to create family heirlooms and memories using modern technology. One of the best-kept secrets of the sewing world is how easy it is to stitch a beautiful heirloom.
Anyone can take a Martha Pullen Heirloom class. All you need is a working sewing machine that can do straight and zigzag stitches and basic sewing knowledge. For more information on Wendy’s upcoming classes in our area you may visit her web site at: http://heart2hand.home.attbi.com/ and click on the ‘workshops’ button. Or contact Heart To Hand at: 503-884-1953.
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