Cory Allender is quite an amazing
quilter!
It was kind of a happy surprise meeting her. I had gone to Las
Vegas to visit a local guild, and Cory had driven down from Utah to be part of
it all.
I knew almost immediately that she had ideas of her own, and I was thrilled
that she wanted to learn how my own Fast-Piece Applique methods could be used
to help bring her own designs into being. Then as our time together continued
she shared a bit of the long arm (award winning – mind you) quilts she had been
working on. I knew right away that Cory would be the right person to work on
quilt for the book….I even knew which one!
It was great to work with her on Aspen Dawning, and I am over the moon in love with the
motifs and quality of her stitching.
In the two photos below are the detail and full size views of the piece Cory worked on in my class.
As with most of us, things change from year to year – sometimes from day to
day, so I pleased to share here Cory’s own words about her quilt journey.
How
did I find quilting?
My mother-in-law taught me hand
piecing and hand quilting around 25 years ago and is probably rolling over in
her grave knowing what I do now. My husband's family goes back
generations up in the mountains of the northeast corner of West Virginia.
The quilting tradition is strong there and she was a purist. She was
still alive the first time I quilted a hand pieced top on my domestic machine
and spent the last week of her visit trying to convince me that wasn't quilting.
Was I
always drawn to the quilting?
Absolutely, positively, yes. I
immediately think of quilting designs when I first draw a design or hold a
pattern. It was a shock to realize not all quilters did. I taught
domestic quilting in Las Vegas for three years before I switched to longarming
and would ask my classes "while piecing do you think about the quilting or
your next project?". The split was 50/50. I view the top as a
canvass to add an additional design element too.
P.S. I got the longarm because
I have man-sized hands and found my design choices limited. 12 years ago
domestic weren't available with longer arms until the Juki came out three
months after my long arm was delivered.
What is my favorite thing, has it changed
and am I at a fork in the road?
It's a progression so my favorite
thing is what it's always been...the absolute blessing of working with
design, color and texture. It's been enhanced and refined by everything
I've learned in classes and from generous people who believe in passing
knowledge to those coming up behind them. The last dozen years have given
me the creative and technical knowledge to define the directions (note the
plural!) I am pursuing in this art. The time has also allowed me to
grow very comfortable in my own professional skin.
Below are a couple of photos of Cory's personal work.
My directions/interests now are art, modern and applique quilts, not
necessarily in that order.
My brain loves non-representational work and I think that's because it's not
distracted by a subject and can focus on the interaction of color, value and
lines. Modern interests me, again in the use of value, but more
importantly the place of quilting in the total design. I've always viewed
quilting as the final design element of the finished piece and knew I would
never make it the major element. Angela Walters perfectly demonstrates
making quilting an equal, as opposed to major, design element in her work on
modern quilts. Applique is my dirty little secret...i love hand work. I
also love trashing a traditional colorway, especially working with wool,
and choosing a colorway that puts the work on steroids.
As of last spring I made a major decision to
focus on my own work.
Below are two of Cory's latest:
In closing, I know that my answer to Cory's question --
While you are piecing, do you think about
the quilting or your next project?
YES, definitely yes.... How about you?
while
piecing do you think about the quilting or your next project?".
