Podcast with Michael Aaron McAllister

Maybe, like me, you first saw Aaron's fabulous stitched portraits years ago in either Cloth Paper Scissors Studio or Quilting Arts. I can't even remember which one was my first glimpse, but I do remember that I was completely entranced. There was the immediate recognition of a fellow traveler on the journey--you know, someone whose work just makes sense to you. I loved the detail and the humor, the intricacy and the evidence of someone's fascination with the subject matter. And I've got to be honest--I was completely taken with the fact that Aaron has used the exact same needle since he began stitching these portraits in 1989, and that he has an original DMC Embroidery Floss storage system and keeps it fully stocked with never fewer than three skeins of every. single. color.

This kind of thing, as you might guess, makes perfect sense to me and makes me very, very happy. So of course I had to talk to him. We've been in touch for years, and at one point, long ago, I even did a Q&A blog post interview. If I were A Good Blogger, I would have labelled all my blog posts and so would be able to go find that post and link to it right here. Alas, I am not. And I cannot. (Please do not tell Zom, who has suggested ever-so-gently that labels are A Good Thing, one I should maybe cultivate.)

[Edit. note: The Fabulous Kathryn Usher tracked down that old post, and here it is. Thanks, sweetie!]

But never mind. Here's a link to his website, where you can find more of his amazing work--images like these that I snagged for a little teaser:

And here's my conversation with Aaron. Enjoy!