This week, we welcome Nicholas Ball as the featured Playful Color artist inside the Playful Color Quilt Guild. (Members, log in here to watch our chat.) Not a member yet? Well, get yourself on the waitlist, and we’ll let you know when membership opens again.
Meet Nicholas Ball!
I know Nicholas for his amazing improv quilts each one chock full of shape and color. His photographs and quilts are a highlight of my instagram feed!
There are infinitely many ways to create art and each month I’m grateful to share a new way by featuring a new Playful Color Artist.
In our chat Nicholas and I talk creative process, photography, and encouragement for creative exploration!
About Nicholas:
Nicholas Ball is an improv quilter from Cardiff, South Wales. After graduating Art School in 2006, it would be some six years before the quilting bug bit. With a passion for improv quilting, Nicholas’ aesthetic is an organic one, preferring to sew without the use of patterns or templates. He takes a lot of inspiration from natural world and his Vegetable Patch quilts showcase his love for liberated sewing. He has taught improv quilting both nationally and internationally, contributed to the UK leading quilting magazines and was a co-presenter of the QNNTV show ‘Quilt Monkey’, alongside fellow UK quilter Katy Jones. His debut book ‘Inspiring Improv’ was published in April 2019 by Lucky Spool and the his coordinating Aurifil thread collection followed in August.
Quilty Eye Candy
Inspiring Improv – Nicholas’ book
Nicholas has an amazing book all about improvisational piecing. It’s such a great book because it teaches you how to piece improvisationally AND how to add your own twist. So while there’s patterns to follow, there is PLENTY of room for you to add your own take on the pattern. It’s a great book for a creative who is looking to graduate from pattern making!
Last year, I got to take part of Nicholas’ book tour, over on Instagram. I made these sweet little improv triangles. I had planned to create a pin cushion, but I loved the way these blocks look on their own!
It’d be so fun to frame these in a wee frame! I’ll have to keep my eyes out for a frame.
Where to find more Nicholas:
IG – @quiltsfromtheattic
Have you “met” Nicholas? Absolutely follow Nicholas on Instagram, buy his book, and share some love in the comments below!
Yes I have “met” Nicholas and follow him on INSTAGRAM. I also own his book which is fabulous and participated in his improv triangle QAL this summer. Love what he does!
Yah! Glad to hear! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Yes I’ve met your eye candy lol rofl ? there must be something in the water I like to think of myself as a Cardiffian after living in this beautiful city for ?23 years my Scotties are yet to meet his pug ?
That’s so great! Thanks for your camera!
Thanks Rebecca! This post is the answer to my wish to see some of the quilts Nicholas has made. I watched the interview and all the time kept thinking, show an example! so ok, I’ll look at instagram.
Ha! That’s funny. I hadn’t thought about that! Maybe something to add in to the future interview replays. Thanks!
I just took his class on Drunkin Tiles or stacks also included in his book. Wonderful, engaging instructor. Love his improv techniques and I would sign up for another class. Online learning is fun, not intimidating and much less judgmental!