Chris English
The ART of IMPROV
I am pleased to introduce another quilt artist who I have long admired. I have been following along Chris’ improv quilt journey for many years and love how he uses his worn or thrifted shirts in his vibrant and exciting quilt designs. Chris lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK and has been quilting for about 4 years. In that time his work has been featured in several quilt publications, most recently Quilted, an edition of Uppercase Magazines Encyclopedia of Inspiration. He has a full time job in e-commerce and humbly he says quilting is a hobby for him. I see it, and I am sure you will find it, to be so much more!
Work shirts 1 Chris English
What does working improvisationally mean to you? How would you define the ‘Art of Improv’?
The art of improv means to me to work on instinct using whatever materials are available and not worrying about convention or other people’s expectations.
Have you always worked improvisationally?
Yes, I think so, when I first started quilting I just kind of sewed fabric together, I’ve never been one for patterns and recreating something that somebody else has already made. So I sewed blocks and then added bits. I took a class with Luke Haynes and that really influenced my process and work.
Do you work improvisationally, consciously, intentionally? If so, how do you begin? If not, how do you find yourself getting there?
I’m interested in transforming and salvaging something that was either going to be thrown away or discarded and making it useful again. I use a lot of my old work shirts in my quilting.
So I think it’s a bit of both.
I work with a strip piecing /crumb block process that enables improv piecing and generates random results.
I use loads of different fabric but kind of have faith in that what I choose color, print or pattern wise will work. I do believe that ‘Necessity is the mother of invention ‘ and that limiting yourself to what’s available drives better ideas and results.
Mini Quilt Chris English
How often do you work with improvisation?
All the time, whether that’s actually sewing blocks, choosing fabric or quilting I often don’t plan and use what materials I have and what I think feels right at the time. I’ll do preliminary sketches but often like to dive straight in, occasionally I’ll make a small sample just to see if what I have in mind works.
Please share a bit about your process. Do you have methods to getting started? Do you have tricks to getting unstuck? Do you have motivators to finishing up?
I have a couple of processes that I use, I make crumb blocks and The strip piecing process I use means my work is always different.
To get unstuck I have a couple of methods, I’ll sit and sew crumb blocks from my scraps, I find this very relaxing and I just sew the fabric as it comes, I love the randomness of this approach and the blocks it generates.
Sometimes if I don’t feel like sewing then I won’t, I’m pretty deadline driven but sometimes you need a break from what you’re working on.
Where do you find inspiration? How do you use it?
Travel is my biggest source of inspiration, I love visiting galleries, and museums wherever I go, as well as flea markets and local shops. I love street art and loved New York for amazing examples of street art, my quilting is very directly influenced by this type of art. I love the contrast of colors and textures, new and old marks and scale.
I always have a sketchbook filled with examples of things I find.
I’ll also read, not just quilt books but books about art, design etc. I’ll also watch documentaries about artists, designers etc.
From a quilting perspective my biggest influence are the Gees Bend Quilts, I love these quilts.
I attended QuiltCon for the first time last year and that was hugly inspirational, the quilts, the people and Nashville was an incredible place.
Crumb Blocks Chris English
What advice would you give to someone interested in trying to work improvisationally. Can you share some good advice that you received that helped you become more comfortable this way?
Go for it. Get some fabric that you’ve got in your stash and cut it up and sew it back together, repeat. Or even better go to your local charity shop and buy some clothes you’d normally never buy and use this as a starting point. Pick a mix of prints, a check, a big floral and a plain, force yourself to choose colors you wouldn’t normally choose.
My advice would be to not worry about what you make to start with and use your scraps or fabric you don’t like and just sew.
How would you finish the sentence, ‘What if, . . .?’
‘What if, not everything was a competition and somebody doesn’t need to leave and be voted off the show this week, what’s wrong with everyone learning and developing their own approach and style without the fear of judgment. Quilting (and all art/everything) should be open for everyone to try and express themselves- and make something practical and full of love.
What are you reading, listening to, watching, or any other inspirational obsessions you would like to share?
I read a lot, I like books on quilting, art and design, I like punk music (love the approach that anyone can be in a band - I take this approach to my quilting, I.e. get two pieces of fabric and sew them together!) I also like improv Jazz for similar reasons. I collect Fat Lava pottery, the vases come in standard shapes but are made unique by the glazes, love the idea of randomness within a structure.
I love my local flea market and find inspiration there every weekend, my house is full of crap/junk/inspirational objects. I think you can find inspiration everywhere and if you find something you like then use that in your quilting.
Thank you Chris for sharing your thoughts and process on improvisation. I love your work and admire your fearlessness and knack for combining prints and colors and prints AND then adding texture and another layer of interest with your quilted stitching. I believe your what if response exists, but for what ever reason it is in us to compare ourselves, I share your dream to eliminate this and work to do this for myself as I create and to let others know when I admire what they do and the way THEY do it. Keep doing it your way Chris, you have found a very lovely way!
Check in on Chris @afullenglish on Instagram and check out his art and his process.
If you would like to be featured on The Art of Improv please contact me! I would love to hear how improvisation impacts your art making process.