By Mary Beth Krapil

I’d like you to meet Allie Aller. She has been stitching, sewing, knitting, and writing since she was a child….and that child is alive and well in the joyful work she creates today in the field of crazy quilting and stained glass quilting. Allie quilts on an HQ Sweet Sixteen. She keeps busy creating award winning quilts, blogging, authoring books, writing patterns, teaching classes worldwide and on Craftsy. Allie has been an HQ ambassador for 3 years. I had the chance to interview her and would like to share what she had to say.

HQ: What does being an HQ Ambassador mean to you?

AA:  I love showing the possibilities of what my HQ Sweet Sixteen can do, by adding quilting to a heavily embellished surface.  The Glide foot especially has made this possible.  I never dared quilt around beading and 3-D embellishment on a large quilt before!

HQ: What is the most fun thing you have done as an Ambassador?

AA: I love getting my social media friends excited about the possibilities of the HQ Sweet Sixteen.

HQ: Of all your quilts, which is your favorite?

AA: That is impossible to say, except that the most recent one is always the favorite! Below is “Mandala in the Woods”, 60″ X 60″

HQ: Do you still have your first quilt?

AA:  I picked a hard one for my first quilt!  It is hand quilted and quite wonky.  It is a harbinger of my willingness to spend a lot of time on one quilt, though!

HQ: Who is your inspiration or muse?

AA: My cousin Tracy Seidman started me quilting in the 1970’s, and has always been an inspiration and mentor to me in the art she creates: pine needle baskets, illustration, and of course, quilts.

HQ: Of all the “tasks” in creating a quilt, which is your favorite and least favorite?

AA:  Favorite is assembling the blocks or collages with gorgeous colors and fabrics. I truly love the freedom that my HQ Sweet Sixteen has given me in designing complex surfaces.  It is such a joy to sit at my machine!
My least favorite is the binding.

Here are some of Allie’s quilts for you to enjoy:

Allie’s latest book is Allie Aller’s Stained Glass Quilts Reimagined: Fresh Techniques and Design.

Readers can contact Allie at  email: aaller@gmail.com. 

Instagram @alliealler

Facebook as Allison Aller. 

Her  blog is https://alliesinstitches.blogspot.com/