Tying to Make a Statement…My Meeting with Martha Stewart

Talk about Pressure!

Some people are afraid to speak in front of crowds, dive off a high-dive or meet your future- mother-in-law. I like to think I do well under pressure. I can handle speaking in front of large crowds, appearing on television, meeting almost impossible publishing deadlines, falling and breaking off my front tooth in front of 200 audience members 10-minutes before a presentation and going on with the show. That’s probably the most pressure I’ve felt in the past few years until Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

I had to tie a bow on a small package that I was going to present to Martha Stewart in a private meeting. To be honest with you, I was a bit nervous about the whole thing. Okay, really nervous. My first thought was, what should I wear? It had to be embroidered, tasteful and businesslike. I solved that fairly easily with one of my Little Black Tees stitched in Robison Anton’s rayon Wicker thread on a cream t-shirt and paired with a linen skirt and jacket. Subtle, mature and embroidered! Solved. And I had to remember, it’s not about me, it’s about her. So I moved on to the next thing. What am I going to ask her? What do my readers want to know?

I came up with a list that would definitely fill the short time frame. But I wanted something more, I wanted her to understand the Designs reader. I wanted her to know that the Designs reader is an avid embroiderer, on the cutting edge of the hobby, an educated and talented woman. Since Martha’s such a creative person, it might be easier to show her than tell her with an embroidered gift. One that is symbolic of the Designs reader. I had just the thing! I monogrammed Martha a set of my favorite Print’ n Stitch note cards on Eileen’s Stitchable Paper. But that’s not where the pressure was. No, I’m confident in my embroidery skills, even to Martha’s standards. Stitching was easy; tying the bow on the package threw me into a tailspin.

I had to tie a bow on a small package and present it to Martha Stewart. Have her stare at it. Accept it, hold it and try to open it. A million thoughts are spinning in my head as I’m in my hotel room trying to tie the PERFECT two ribbon bow! Aren’t there people who specialize in this task? Surely she PAYS people to just tie perfect bows! Oh heavens, I can embroider, I can sew, I can even cater a wedding for 200 in a cornfield but tie a bow for Martha Stewart? Shoot me. But I did it, in perfectly coordinating ribbon, the right size and shade with the loops symmetrically balanced.

And she loved it! Martha thought the cards were great. She loved how the paper held the embroidery stitches, how the stitches were dimensional yet the card was still intact. She loved the personalized message it conveyed. The cards will be one of many perfect landing spots for her newest product, Classic Embroidery Patterns for VSM Sewing, a collection of gorgeous, traditional typefaces and frames. Martha might have been the celebrity at the Husqvarna Viking Convention in San Antonio this week but the star was the Husqvarna Designer Diamond sewing/embroidery machine. VSM’s latest product offering, the Diamond has 51 new and unique features for sewers, quilters and embroiderers. You’ll be impressed by the stitch quality, the huge sewing field (360x350mm), the exclusive Sensor System™ along with the 4D software. Stop by your local Viking dealer for a demo because machines are shipping this week!