About Martha

NICE TO MEET YOU

I'm Martha Campbell Pullen, PhD

Isaiah 41:10

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my  righteous right hand.”

Dear Friends

Welcome to my new online teaching venture, Rockstar Sewing!! I think I already know many of you and it is so good to be communicating with you again. Having had the privilege of meeting so many of you since 1981, I am honoured to have so many sewing friends. My guess is that many of us have met in person either in Huntsville or around the world. I feel that I know many of you from Sew Beautiful magazine which I published for 27 fabulous years. I have written 70 books! Maybe I met some of you through the pages of these books. For 17 years I hosted Martha’s Sewing Room on PBS which aired in every state in the United States, parts of Canada and Puerto Rico. Thirteen episodes were translated into Japanese by Japanese Public Television. So welcome my American, Canadian and Puerto Rican TV friends also. I have had the privilege of teaching sewing on six of the seven continents. Teaching in Brazil and Africa was when I was on mission trips with my church. I have loved teaching sewing all over the world. Travelling to Australia 28 times to teach was one of the great joys of my life. I have led teaching workshops in several places in England. I had so much fun teaching in Sweden too. With the popularity of online classes, I am back! I taped many teaching videos which went all over the world.

I have been somewhat retired for a few years. Some of you know that my beloved Joe was sick and I cared for him at home until his death in 2015.  Since that time I travelled with Ricky and Kay Brooks’ fabulous teaching team from R&K and Floriani, to places all over the United States. They are two of my real heroes in the sewing business.  They have supported me in every step of all my businesses since the very beginning.

You are my precious customers have been one of the main rocks of my business. Without you, there would have been no sewing business. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and we are going to “do it again.” Oh, how I thank my family who helped me so much and did without me while I travelled all over the world. They did learn to cook and run the washer and dryer.  I have had the most fabulous team members to help me since the opening of my first business, Martha Pullen Company in 1981. To them goes great thanks and appreciation. Most of you know God owns my business and it is to Him that the honour and glory go, totally,  for all of our successes. Second to God for the success of my business I have to share that it was my beloved Joe that kept the business going financially for the first years. Then his encouragement and love kept me going through years of massive travel and events. He loved having the thousands of ladies and a few men who came to Huntsville to our schools. He always welcomed them to our home for a meal.  I could never thank him enough. I thank God for that day, nearly 50 years ago, when a crown fell off my tooth and I started searching for a dentist in Huntsville. I lived in Tuscaloosa and I had just come to Huntsville for a consulting job with the Army. It was about 7 at night when the crown fell off and I began searching for a dental lab to get some glue to stick it back on. I drove down Madison Street and low and behold I saw a dental office and it still had the lights on. I went in, Joe fixed my tooth, and that was the beginning of the second greatest event of my life. Shortly after that event, I married him. The first and most important event was when I met my Lord and Savior, Jesus  Christ, personally. I know that the crown’s falling off was not an accident. God had it planned that I would meet, Joe that night. I thank God daily for leading me to that dental office and for giving me, Joe. This new business is dedicated to my beloved Joe with great love and thanks. As I said, next to God’s goodness and love, it is Joe that is the rock of this business. Joe, we are starting a new business and you are with me every step of the way my love.

May God Bless Each of you and Welcome to Rockstar Sewing!!

Martha

My Story

When Martha Pullen was in the 5th grade, a company came to her school to talk about selling magazines.  Martha loved reading magazines!  She sat up in her seat and listened carefully to what the man was proposing.  By the time he said, “One of you sitting in this auditorium today will be the top salesman for the whole school, I wonder who it will be?”  Martha wanted to jump up and shout, “It’s going to be me!”   She raced home that day and told her mother to call their family and neighbors to let them know Martha would be visiting soon and they should not buy magazines from anybody else!  That day, 10-year-old Martha strapped on her roller skates and started to visit every house in her neighborhood.  

Young Martha WAS the top salesman for two years in a row.  Nobody could know that her early success with selling magazines would plant the seed that would eventually blossom into a sewing business empire.

The enthusiasm Martha had for selling magazines is just one of the lessons she writes about in her book, G.R.A.C.E. Keys to Entrepreneurship.  (God, Resilience, Action, Creativity, Enthusiasm)

When she was 14 years old, Martha started a dance school. By the time she was a senior in high school, she had 100+ students. Every dollar she earned was put in a local bank for her college fund -- and that money paid for the first two years of her college education.  

In her book, she writes, “the last four letters of the word enthusiasm i-a-s-m.  stand for “I Am Sold Myself”.   And I am absolutely enthusiastic about sewing.  I love it.  I get excited about it.  If someone with just a little interest in sewing asks me about it, I can easily sell them on the joy of it, the sisterhood of the people involved, the passion, and the history.  I can sell you on the benefits of sewing because I am sold myself.” 

Anybody who’s ever worked with Martha Pullen or attended one of her classes can attest to her enthusiasm.  It’s beyond an attitude --it’s more like a core value that informs her life.  Her genuine smile and interest in people propelled the Martha Pullen Company from a one-woman storefront to a sewing industry corporation doing $6.5 million in annual sales.  

Martha is quick to credit her business success to her faith in God and the support of her late husband, Joe Pullen.  But it’s pretty clear she was the one with boots on the ground, coming up with ideas and plans -- and then doing the work.  And it was an incredible amount of work.  If you look up the word indefatigable in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Martha Pullen.  

When Martha married Joe, they each brought two sons into the marriage.  It was the birth of their daughter, Joanna, that re-ignited Martha’s love of sewing.  In the hospital, after giving birth, Martha was dreaming of the beautiful Christening gown she wanted to sew for her baby girl.

At the time, she had already earned her PhD, and was a college professor -- a job she loved!  But that little girl who sold all those magazine subscriptions, and started her own Dance School at the age of 14 -- saw an opportunity. She could teach heirloom sewing, and wouldn’t it be good to be her own boss?  Wouldn’t she have more time to spend with her own little girl?  

When asked to describe herself, Martha will say she is an entrepreneur and a teacher.  Teaching is definitely in Martha’s DNA.  She is proud to be a third-generation Alabama teacher.  Her Grandmother was a teacher during the Great Depression, during a time Alabama couldn’t even pay their teachers.  Martha’s mother had two graduate degrees from George Peabody College for Teachers.  Although she never would have boasted about her accomplishments, Martha is fairly certain her mother had more education than any other woman in Scottsboro, Alabama at that time.

In 1981, with Joe’s encouragement and investment, Martha opened a small sewing shop next to Joe’s dental office.   In 1983, she wrote her first book, French Hand Sewing by Machine. Her idea was to take hand-sewing techniques and convert them to machine stitches.  That book sold more than 50,000 copies, and Martha knew she was on to something.  Martha started Sew Beautiful, a bi-monthly magazine that brought new awareness of top designers to the sewing market. In print for more than 30 years, this magazine was a staple in the homes of sewists who loved to make beautiful garments. Thanks to Martha, many designers got their start in the pages of Sew Beautiful and launched successful careers in the sewing industry. 

Then, she had the idea to launch the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion, which attracted hundreds of women to Huntsville, Alabama twice a year.  The schools were so successful, that she took her show on the road.  She taught workshops in 47 States and conducted schools in Australia, England, Sweden, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand.  

Martha still wasn’t reaching as many people as she wanted -- so she began her PBS TV series, Martha’s Sewing Room, which aired in all 50 states for 17 years.  

While doing all this, and so much more -- Martha also raised five children and wrote 70 books.

Martha Pullen is a legendary teacher in the sewing world.  Her classes were always the first to sell out at any consumer sewing show.  Her devoted students became loyal customers because she made them believe they could do anything -- even the most intricate and delicate heirloom sewing technique.  Her teaching methods were simple.  At the beginning of every class, she would say, “My name is Martha Easy Pullen.  You all get an A plus in this class, and what you sew will be perfect...and you all will GRADUATE with honors... whatever you do, we’ll have fun and I promise -- you will learn something today.  If you make a mistake, it’s my fault, not your fault...and I never made a mistake that didn’t teach me a lesson....”.

Joe Pullen was Martha’s biggest supporter, and when she was tempted to quit -- he encouraged her to keep going.  For the first six years of the business, Martha didn’t take a salary and the company wasn’t making a profit.  “I was working 7 days a week, and could not make a dime...”  Joe brought in some business experts who analyzed the business, and things soon turned around.  Part of the problem was that Martha was trying to be all things to all people. She brought in many products that simply didn’t sell (like blue rubber bakeware?).  Martha says, “Joe always believed in me more than I believed in myself.”

After 34 years in business, Martha and Joe sold the Martha Pullen Company in 2005.  But there was no way Martha could sit in a rocker on her front porch.  Joe was sick and needed her.  And she was busy with her large family, volunteering in the community and doing her church work.   In 2014, she wrote her business book, G.R.A.C.E, Keys to Entrepreneurship.  She is as passionate about sharing her business knowledge and expertise as she ever was about teaching her heirloom sewing techniques. 

During the pandemic, she was busy curating her incredible body of work.  Martha Pullen has received many honors and accolades throughout her life -- but the State of Alabama is about to step up that game.   The Alabama Department of History will mount an exhibit devoted to Martha Pullen’s lifetime of work.  They asked her to round up all the books she’s written and provide them with one of everything.  That’s when she realized she’s written 70 books.  She gave them many of the prized dresses that were featured in Sew Beautiful magazine -- including her mother’s wedding dress.  Her Grandmother was a schoolteacher in 1906 for the State of Alabama, and she kept meticulous records of every penny she spent.  Martha gave the Alabama Department of History her Grandmother’s diary.

The Alabama Museum of Archives and History is located in the Capital and the Martha Pullen Exhibition will be open to the public sometime in 2022.

When asked what’s next for her, Martha indicated there is a whole new chapter coming.   She said, “It’s going to be a whole new Martha Campbell Pullen, and I think people will be surprised.  I love learning almost as much as I love teaching, and it feels like technology has finally caught up with my desire to teach everybody in the world.  Thanks to the wonderful people at Bernina -- I’m going to have a professional studio built right in my own home.  I’ll be able to teach people all over the world without ever getting on a plane.  Bernina has asked me what my favorite sewing notions are...and they think it’s time for me to design my own line of fabric and lace....”

Martha’s excitement is no surprise.  It’s a way of life for her.  There are many things that set Martha apart.  Her energy is legendary...and when you talk to Martha, within the first two minutes, you feel like you are visiting an old friend.  Her eyes light up and her smile is genuine.  Her depth and breadth of knowledge is simply amazing.  But maybe the thing that stands out the most is her incredible work ethic.  She gets up early and works seven days a week, often long into the night.  And it sounds like Martha is ready to do it all over again -- in a different place, in a different form.  But this time around, she probably won’t try to sell blue rubber pots and pans to women who want to learn heirloom sewing. 

The mission statement for the Martha Pullen Company was:  To serve the sewing public in such a gracious manner that it brings glory to God, profit to the business, respect and admiration to Martha Pullen Company and joy and enthusiasm to those who participate.

Those two words pretty much sum up Martha’s philosophy of life.  Joy and Enthusiasm...

Why I Do It

Robert Browning

“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”

When I ask women, “Why do you sew?” the most common replies are as follows:

1. Stress relief
2. Creativity
3. Saves Money

We all usually laugh out loud when someone says it saves money. Since most of my ladies have at least $25,000 or more in sewing machines, a stash of fabrics, and many notions and patterns it might not make sense to some people about the saving money part. Let’s look at it this way. Some fabulous christening dresses cost $8000 for an excellent sewist to make them. Sewing heirloom clothing for your children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren costs money but nowhere near the cost of beautifully made garments from an excellent seamstress. Many people make fabulous home decorating products. Have you priced custom drapes or bedspreads from the top designer houses??? Custom drapes for a living room can cost up to $12,000 or more to purchase.  For women who sew for themselves, one can make a Ralph Lauren dress or suit for a fraction of the cost. It is possible to copy Gucci clothing or Burberry clothing. Those items from the big designers cost thousands of dollars.

So you see it really can save money. Now saving money is usually not the main reason most people love to sew. 

Many of my friends that I have asked this question, answer, “It is cheaper than a psychiatrist.”  I can truly tell you that stress relief is a very real reason many people sew. 

Now let’s get to the main reason people sew I think. It is a creative outlet that is like none other for me. It is engineering in a way—taking a flat object and turning it into a beautiful three-dimensional object. Just the joy of working with beautiful fabrics and seeing them become something usable and wonderful is purely thrilling. 

In one sentence, I sew and teach sewing because I love the people who love to sew. I love seeing their faces when the light goes on after I have been teaching and demonstrating. I love the JOY it brings to my students!! I love the excitement when I have made something for someone I love!! I feel that I am making memories that will last for a lifetime like the memories I have of my Mama and my Aunt Chris teaching me to sew. Some of my happiest childhood memories come from learning to sew with these two family members. Sewing is LOVE to me!! Real love and joy. I remember almost all of the clothes my Mama made for me. I remember the joy of making clothes for my little boys and my only daughter. I loved soooo much making clothes for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When I go to my sewing machine the troubles of the world go away for me. I believe God gave me sewing for so many reasons.

I love love, love teaching sewing. The thrill for me when my students “get it” is beyond my Happiness!!!! It is really a joy for my heart. I get such a blessing when my students love what I am teaching. My joy far exceeds their joy!! Maybe all of these reasons answer the question, “Why do I do it?”