I’m Allie, the artist behind Exhausted Octopus. I’m a queer woman and mom of three making my living as an artist living in Texas.

I teach workshops and give lectures, both virtually and in person. Sometimes I sell what I make.

The medium of textile art has been essential to my own mental health for several years now. I find that feelings, ideas, stories I want to tell sometimes have to come into existence through fabric and thread. There is so much room in this genre to explore color, texture, value, repetition, and negative space.

Quilting is an art form, a means of expression. Expressing yourself in art is a way of telling your own story. If your heart is joyful or curious, sad or angry, it will show in your work. Whenever I share work of mine that says something meaningful to me, I often hear “stick to quilting” or comments telling me that my work is not valid or real.

I’ll never be the art teacher who says “don’t do it this way.” It’s art! There’s no one right or wrong way to do it. I’ll show you how to make things the way I do it, and encourage you to try taking it in your own direction when you feel called to it!

The best part about art is that you really can make whatever you want. You might hear a lot about “perfect points” and things being “just so” in your quilts. You might get negative feedback about raw edges or visible stitches on your quilts. To me, that’s an indication that your art hasn’t found the person it’s made for yet.

Remember, the only person your art really needs to satisfy is yourself. Do you feel some kind of way about making what you make? Excellent. That’s all that matters.