Allie Aller

Allie Aller

May 10, 2021

QSOS-214

video

Allie Aller

Michele Muska

5.4 Allie Aller QSOS-214 Quilt Alliance quiltalliance Allie Aller Michele Muska 0 https://youtu.be/G73DqPGod2Y YouTube video 0 Touchstone quilt Hi, I'm Michelle Muska and I'm conducting an interview of Allie Aller for Q.S.O.S. Today is May 10th, 2021. Allie would you introduce yourself? Aller's touchstone quilt is entitled "Mandala in the Woods." After many years of constructing mandalas with real flowers, Aller decided to make a mandala designed to last using "fabric flowers," In this quilt, Aller combines several "genres" of quilting with which she has worked extensively in the past: She says, ""it's got stained-glass work, it's got, uh, traditional quilt layout, and it's also got a lot of crazy quilting in it." It is important to Aller to experiment and to challenge herself. She felt that this quilt was, indeed, challenging, but that she while she satisfied some of the challenges inherent in the construction of this quilt, she fell short in others. Aller describes the quilt as a "culmination quilt" in several areas with which she had been working. She discusses the primary experiments she undertook in this quilt, including the techniques her experimentation brought together and her assessments of the experiment's success.. raw edge applique ; Stained glass ; Crazy quilting ; Free motion quilting ; Machine quilting 0 232 Interest in quiltmaking Tell me a little bit about your interest in quiltmaking? How did you get started? What interests you? Aller had no childhood exposure to quilting or quilters, but she somehow absorbed the idea that rites of passage, such as birth, marriage, and graduation, are marked by gifts of quilts. As a high school junior, she put together roughly forty bandanas in two different colors, two army blankets, and a sheet to successfully create a very heavy quilt for her brother's wedding. Aller had some sewing skills, from an eighth grade Home Economics class, and thinks that the idea that a quilt must have three layers was part of her general cultural knowledge. She credits her cousin, Tracy Seidman, with being "really the one who got [her] started..." Seidman created applique for her work as a freelance illustrator. Because Aller was enthralled with Seidman's work and interested in doing similar projects, Seidman let Aller have her choice of fabric from Seidman's fabric stash. At that time, in the 1960s, suitable cloth for quilting was had to come by. Tracy Seidman ; Album quilts ; applique ; Learning quiltmaking ; General Electric (GE) ; Home economics 0 429 First quilt memory / Learning to quilt So, what is your actual first quilt memory? Maybe not of you making a quilt, but do you have a quilt memory of -- [?] quilt or seeing a quilt? With the exception of an picture of a quilt in a children's book, which captivated her, Aller remembers essentially no experience with quilts growing up, until her cousin Tracy Seidman "kind of turned [her] loose," During Aller's college years, her mother was ill, and hospitalized, and eventually died. Quilting was Aller's coping mechanism. She took a quilt with her everywhere, inside and outside the hospital. She feels that this project helped her weather this difficult period. Aller studied in the Design and Apparel program at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). A fair number of weavers, designers, and sewers were also part of that program, so Aller's understanding of what can be done with textiles expanded. She was impressed by an appliqued quilt made by one of the other students. Aller's major was Design. She worked very hard for not terribly good grades in her design studio classes, but has found what she learned from that program very useful. Illness ; Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) ; Art education ; Design process ; Tracy Seidman 0 592 Favorite and least favorite parts of quiltmaking What do you think brings you the most joy when you're quiltmaking? What part of quiltmaking is the most joyful for you or, brings you--? Aller finds "putting fabrics together" the most joyful part of quilting. She does not limit herself to cotton fabrics. Her touchstone quilt includes wool, silk, and velvet. She includes cloth with different weaves and textures. The interviewer suggests that Aller incorporates her interests in gardening and nature and "the different, maybe textures and layers that [she] find[s] there" into her quilting. Aller agrees, but adds that incorporating contrast is "basic, um, design principles." Aller finds "the precision technical end of it," such as lining the borders up correctly and getting the corners right, difficult. She thinks that the experimental nature of much of her work may make it more difficult to get those elements right, but continues to try to improve that aspect of her quilting. She submits her work to quilt shows with the goal of improving her skills, because she knows that entering her work will motivate her to do the best work she can. She sees this as "good discipline." Design process 0 772 Influence of technology There's been a lot of advances in technology in quilting. Um, have any of those, influenced your work? Aller finds that the Internet is a significant influence on her work. Without it, she would not have the chance to see so much work done by other quilters, especially as she lives in a rural area and does not belong to any quilt group. The rotary cutter and mat have also been important tools for her, as has fusible web. With the exception of transferring photographs to fabric to be used in quilts, Aller does not make use of computer programs designed to help quilters. For a long time, she was uninterested in free motion quilting, but eventually decided that it was a skill she should have. For her free motion quilting, she uses a Handi Quilter Capri 18, which she says is a good machine, but not programmable. An area of developing interest for Aller "is using, using the quilt medium as illustration." To some extent, this makes her feel like she is circling back to the type of work her cousin used to do, but their approaches are different. Technology in quiltmaking ; Internet ; Rotary cutter ; Fusible web ; Free motion quilting ; Handi Quilter ; Tracy Seidman 0 1000 Sewing room / What makes a great quilt Um, would you describe the place, um, that you work and create, your studio. It doesn´t just have to be one fixed place, um, you might have a few at home. Aller describes her sewing room, a corner room in a daylight basement, as "the best room in our house." Since the house is on high ground, her view is very good. In particularly good weather, she will sometimes sew at a table in front of the house. When asked what makes a great quilt, Aller replies, "It's all about the approach of the quiltmaker," including the quiltmaker's "commitment," "passion," and unwillingness to "compromise on their vision, even if it takes, you know, forever to do one little corner of it,.." This attitude gives rise to great quilts. Unfortunately sometimes less-than-ideal technical skills undercut the potential greatness of the quilt. Aller stresses the need to maintain technical skills at as high a level as possible. The interviewer suggests that the quilt's intended destination may have some impact on all of this, and Aller agrees. She talks about a quilt she is making for her sister. Aller is less stressed about this quilt than she sometimes is when making one. Work or Studio space ; Quilts as gifts 0 1314 Artistic influences Do you have some artists or quilt artists that have influenced you throughout your career? Aller thinks that the interviewer's question about artists or quilt artists who have influenced her is really two questions. That said, she counts Louis Comfort Tiffany as the biggest artistic influence on her, in large part because of the way he uses color. Another artist who has influenced her is British artist Amanda Richardson, who makes textile collages. Quilt artists who Aller considers influences on her include Martha Green, who does crazy quilting ; Terrie Mangat, who started making art quilts fairly early and was also an early embellisher ; and Cynthia Collier, who creates quilts using Broderie perse. Louis Comfort Tiffany ; Amanda Richardson ; Martha Green ; Crazy quilts ; Broderie perse ; Terrie Hancock Mangat ; Cynthia Collier 0 1514 Personal importance of quiltmaking Why is quiltmaking really important in your own life? Aller thinks that quilting is central to her being. That said, she thinks quilting has two purposes. She describes the gift of a quilt as "the meaningful way to express your love to someone." She has made many quilts for her family. Aller also sees quilting as a way of pursuing "the artistic quest." That said, she does not really think of quilting as "an art form" or "a form of self-expression." She identifies more as a designer and a problem-solver than as an artist. She also finds quilting very meditative. Part of what she considers when working on a project is what type of feeling or mental state working on it will evoke in her. To some extent, the quilt is "a nice by-product" of being in calm state of mind. Aller briefly mentions reading about a program for Type A heart attack survivors that teaches the patients knitting. Quilts as gifts 0 1690 Importance of quilts in American life today In, in, how do, what do you think the im-, importance of quilts are in American life today? Aller quotes quilter Joe Cunningham as saying "Quilting is in America's DNA." Aller agrees with him. She thinks that quilts are culturally significant, in part because they represent many positive qualities. She is unable to conceive of a United States in which no one quilts. She thinks that the fact that many millions of people in the country quilt unites us. The interviewer notes from the viewpoint of the Covid pandemic, when the interview takes place and people are largely at home, that seeing quilts displayed on the walls of various people, including people on the news, is not uncommon. Aller notes that clothing constructed from quilts is currently fashionable. The interviewer points out that quilted clothing tends to go in and out of fashion Covid pandemic ; Joe Cunningham ; Wearable art 0 1834 Portrait quilts Recently, you, um, went on a journey in your own work, a, a kind of a new, very, um, a journey, a very personal journey, but you shared that with, the quilting community, um, on social media. I, I always feel like you're a very, um, generous artist, you know, sharing your, your work, your technique, and also. um, your deep emotions about your journey. Um, so, do you want to, um, talk a little bit about your, your new, um, quilting genre, your portraiture. When asked about recent developments in her work, Aller talks about working on a children's book with her preschool teacher sister. She took photographs of her nephew's wife, and daughter, to use as models for her book illustrations. Shortly after the photos were taken, her nephew's brain cancer was diagnosed. Working on this project and sharing what she was doing became a way for her to maintain her connection with her nephew and his family during his illness. At the time of the interview, her nephew has died and the project is in his memory. Aller had a difficult time with the technical aspects. Showing facial expressions on very small pieces of cloth is not easy. Aller is anticipating a similar project in her future. Prior to this project, Aller had already been working on portraits, with a lot of "trial and error" during the previous fall. She felt she was not doing well, but eventually "found a combination of techniques that worked." Portraits on quilts ; Illness ; Techniques ; Family 0 2120 What happens to her quilts Do you know what has happened to all those quilts that you've given to family and friends? Do you keep track of who you give things to or are you just kind of, do most -- people appreciate them? Aller keeps loose track of what happens to her quilt, but over the course of fifty years, she has made many, many quilts. Aller tells a story concerning one specific quilt. Her nephew had health problems requiring a bone marrow transplant at age fourteen. She made a tiger quilt with him before his hospitalization for that procedure. It went with him to the hospital. Later, when he had recovered and went to fire fighter training, the quilt went with him. It was on the bed he shared with his wife after they married. When he became ill again, the quilt went with him every time he was hospitalized. Eventually, while he was in hospice, he still had it on his hospital bed and it was covering him at the time he died. He left instructions that Aller's sister should get it. Aller says that that story epitomizes what quilting is for her. Quilts as gifts ; Illness ; Family 0 2252 Biggest challenge facing quiltmakers today Aller thinks that the biggest challenge facing quiltmakers today is an overwhelming amount of choice, both of techniques and of fabric. Speaking of people who send all their time shopping for fabric, rather than quilting, she says, "You've got to just stop all that, pick a few things, and get to work." When asked if there is anything else she would like to talk about, Aller says, "You never know who you're going to impact with your quilting." She recommends having on-hand a container with "basic quilting tools, you know, a nice collection of fabric, media book or a pattern..." to give to someone newly and passionately interested in quilting. This is a way for "older quilters" to encourage new ones. Fabric 0 All rights to the Quilters' S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories (QSOS) oral history project, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred from the Quilt Alliance to the University of Kentucky Libraries. Please contact the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History regarding rights pertaining to individual interviews. video 0 https://quiltalliance.net/ohms-viewer-master/render.php?cachefile=