DESIGNER PROFILE
Cardiff-based improv quilter Nicholas Ball has been inspiring the masses with his imaginative designs. We caught up with him to talk about his signature style and upcoming book
Cardiff-based improv quilter Nicholas Ball has been captivating the masses with his imaginative patchwork designs. We caught up with him to talk about his signature style and new book, Inspiring Improv
Tell us about how you first got into quilting.
I have my grandmother to thank for my love of sewing. Growing up, her house was full of cross stich kits and tapestries. Sometimes we’d complete them together, stitching out blocks of colour one after another. Other times, I’d watch in awe as she busied herself with needle and thread, slowly revealing the design. Though not a quilter herself, I think this early exposure unquestionably planted a seed. It would be years later until it bore fruit and I actually embarked on my quilting journey, inspired my both the quilts I’d seen in American films and the exciting work produced by the textile students when I was studying in art school.
How did you come to develop your quilt aesthetic?
Would you believe me if I told you it was thanks to leeks? I’d been quilting for about two years and had embraced all the traditions of the craft – Half-square Triangles, Log Cabins and Flying Geese. I’d reached the stage where I wanted to try something different, to tackle a new challenge. That came in the form of a recipe I’d seen in a magazine for a leek tart. I was so inspired by the accompanying photograph of a sliced leek, all I could think about was how to replicate it in fabric. Lots of trial and error followed and some days later, I emerged from the sewing attic triumphant – I had created my first vegetable block and found improv quilting in the process. Over the years I set about developing a repertoire of quilting techniques
With improv quilting there's no pattern and sometimes no plan. Without a plan there's an element of spontaneity and that ' s exciting to me
that form the basis of most of my quilt-making today.
What is it about improv quilting that you love so much? Fundamentally, I think it’s the freedom. With improv quilting there’s no pattern and sometimes no plan. I liken it to a journey without a map – you have a rough idea of where you’re going, but don’t yet know the route. Without that map, or a specific set of instructions to follow, there’s an element of spontaneity and that’s exciting to me. I love the freedom to mould and shape the work to suit my mood and materials. I take a lot of inspiration from the world around me, from line, texture and shape. Improv sewing allows me to replicate these forms
in ways that wouldn’t be possible with traditional piecing.
Do you live your life in the same sew-and-see way or are you more planned and organised than you are with your sewing?
I consider myself a bit of a perfectionist, which can sometimes be at odds with a liberated approach to sewing. At any one time I can have sewing deadlines, personal and professional commitments and things to do outside of quilting.
All of these add up to quite a strict schedule that forces me to try, as best I can, to manage my time effectively. That inner perfectionist needs to know where I’m going to be when, so a lot of my days are quite structured. That’s not to say that I don’t treat myself to a day of wake-up-and-see every now and then. Sometimes there’s nothing better than waking up late, walking the dog and then settling into the armchair with a good book.
How did your book deal with Lucky Spool come about? Inspiring a love for improv quilting in others is something I’m passionate
Whenever I teach, I love seeing that light bulb moment as my students realise that improv doesn't j ust mean wonky. It was then that the initial idea for my book was formed
about. Whenever I teach, I love seeing that light bulb moment as my students realise that improv doesn’t just mean wonky. It can open up a whole new creative world. I was always being asked for patterns for
the quilts I’d take along as samples and soon realised that people were not only interested in learning more about my style of sewing, but also about how to take the techniques further and inspire their own improv. It was then that the initial idea for the book was formed. I was familiar with Lucky Spool and loved the relationship they nurtured with their authors. My editor, Susanne, had commented on my vegetable quilt. I reached out to her with a proposal for a book based on this quilt and together we tweaked the concept into Inspiring Improv.
What can we expect from Inspiring Improv?
I’m so excited for people to read it! Appealing to both new and seasoned improv sewers, the book takes you through my whole quilt making approach, from where I find inspiration to my preferred method for binding. The reader will learn a handful of improv techniques before applying them to any one of the twelve featured projects. It was really important to me that the learning doesn’t stop at the end of the book. I want readers to go and expand on the techniques, explore their own creativity and manipulate fabric in new and exciting ways.
You’ve also been involved in the Lucky Spool Mighty Lucky Quilting Club – can you tell us about your experience with that?
Susanne thought it was a nice way to give those sewing along a taster of what to expect in the upcoming book. Once I learned that the theme was ‘Year of Colour’, I knew I had to be involved. I love colour! Choosing fabrics for my quilts is one of my favourite parts of the process. Getting to teach people about using colour and not being afraid of it was so rewarding. The work that was produced from my wonky cross technique was truly inspiring. Even though the overall layout of the quilt remains the same for all the sewers, the way people have approached colour and fabric for the project has resulted in some truly unique work.
It’s been so exciting to follow along on social media and see my blocks combined with those from the other contributors. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
How did it feel to be a member of Aurifil’s 2018 Artisan Team with so many other influential and inspirational quilters?
It’s an honour and a privilege to be counted amongst so many awesome makers and craftspeople. I loved sharing the wonders of Aurifil with quilters who were yet to discover it. It’s been my go-to thread for so long now and I can’t imagine using anything else. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most was stepping outside of my own comfort zone and exploring the threads that I wasn't so familiar with.
You describe your work as ‘Modern, male-made quilts’. In an industry dominated by women, do you feel being a man is a USP? When I began quilting in 2012, I naïvely thought that I was one of a small group of men that did it. I thought by labelling my quilts as ‘male-made’, I’d stand out in a female-dominated world. Of course, I wasn’t the only one and have since connected with a whole community of male quilters. I’d like to think that my quilts stand out on their own merit, not because they were made by a man. It was certainly a bit of a talking point when I began to attend retreats or visit fabric shops early on in my quilting career. Many thought I was buying a gift or waiting for someone else. Since building up a following on Instagram and teaching, this doesn’t happen as often any more. I think social media has definitely helped to break down gender stereotypes and has shown the world that the quilting bug certainly has no preference when it comes to who it bites! What’s your dream job?
One where I can quilt for most of the day! To be honest, my actual job is quite like that. I work for Bernina UK and whilst I don’t get to sew all day, I get to use the latest machines, attend shows like Festival of Quilts and write blog posts about quilting. I’ve recently started to use the Bernina Q24 longarm machine, which has been a dream come true. I love free-motion quilting and it’s always been something I’ve wanted to explore further. By demoing the machine, I get to show people how awesome it is and practise my longarm skills at the same time, which I think is a pretty cool job!