Greetings Aurifil Family! As Master Educator and Aurifilosophy Program Coordinator, I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce you to the incredibly talented Nicholas Ball of Quilts from the Attic. Over the past 12-13 years, Nicholas has been perfecting his improv quilting style, and in that time, he has achieved global recognition for his innovative designs, techniques, and educational contributions. His passion for color and his bold approach to improv quilting are truly inspiring, and I’m sure they’ll encourage you to try something new!
Be sure to check out Nicholas’s latest book, Use and Ornament, which comes with a coordinating Aurifil thread collection of the same name. Trust me—you’ll fall in love with both the quilts and the threads!
We’re honored to work with Nicholas as a friend, a designer and one of our cherished Aurifilosophers. A huge thank you to Nicholas for generously sharing his inspiration, techniques, and tips with us today! Now, let’s hear directly from Nicholas as he shares one way he uses the beautiful shades of Aurifil 12wt thread in his not-so-traditional hand quilting style.
Is your shop, group or guild looking for insightful, inspiring and educational information on thread? Consider booking a virtual or in-person program with one of our skilled Aurifilosophers. Learn more about Aurifilosophy and find your favorite Aurifilosopher here.
Happy Stitching!
Karen L. Miller ~ Redbird Quilt Co
Although my quilting career spans some thirteen years, it was only relatively recently that I began to explore hand-quilting. When I dove head-first into patchwork in 2012, my opinion of the hand quilting technique was based on my rather limited exposure to it – namely, the meticulous precision I had seen in examples of Welsh wholecloth quilts. In these captivating pieces, the stitches are fine, uniform, and extremely small. Back then, perhaps rather hastily, I decided that this was something that I didn’t want to explore and instead devoted my time to practising and improving my free motion skills.
Fast forward to 2020 and I looked to hand-quilting to finish a quilt that would appear in my book, Use & Ornament. Made using traditional Welsh woollen flannel, I opted to attempt hand quilting in an attempt to link the piecing and quilting in as harmonious a way as possible. The quilt was inspired by historical examples I had seen in the collection of Jen Jones – an American pioneer who has set out to save, restore, and preserve Wales’ rich quilting history. If you ever find yourself in Lampeter, West Wales, I highly recommend a visit to the Welsh Quilt Centre, whose rotating exhibitions showcase excellence in Welsh quilt making from centuries ago.
Now a firm enthusiast for hand-quilting, I approach it as I do my patchwork, preferring to adopt a looser, more organic approach which others have termed “big-stitch quilting”. In this post, we’ll first look at my preferred tools for hand quilting, which are by no means numerous, before exploring some of my top tips to get the most from the technique. I hope that if, like me, you have preconceived ideas about hand-quilting, you’ll be inspired to give this more relaxed approach a go.
Tools and Notions
I hand-quilt exclusively with Aurifil’s range of 12wt threads, both in cotton and wool. When I made the Welsh Flannel quilt, I used wool to match the substrate of the patchwork pieces. I like it when quilting adds both texture and visual interest to a quilt. Whilst traditional hand-quilting would be worked using a finer thread, a heavier-weight option makes the stitches more pronounced – a look I prefer. Aurifil’s 100% Cotton 12wt/2ply thread comes in all 270 colours and is wound on a red spool. Handily, it comes in all the spool sizes – small, large, and cone. I like to trial new colours by purchasing a small spool. With any colours I find myself using often, I invest in larger spools or cones.
Alongside some finer weights, my Use & Ornament thread collection showcases seven vibrant colours of 12wt cotton which are perfect for exploring hand quilting.
Needle choice is subjective. If you speak to ten different hand-quilters, the chances are each will sing the praises of a different needle type and size. My preferred needle is a long milliner or cotton darner type in the largest size, usually a 1 or 3. The larger eye easily accommodates the 12wt thread, whilst the length allows me to load up lots of stitches. I often use my needles when they are slightly bent, which I find adds a “springiness” to the forming of the stitches and helps to pierce the quilt layers easily.
Alongside a needle and thread, the only other essential is a sharp pair of embroidery scissors. Threading a heavy-weight thread through a needle is far easier when you have a sharp, clean-cut thread end. Other notions you may like to consider are a hoop and a marking tool. The use of a hoop or frame will support the quilt sandwich, though I prefer to stitch without one. I lay the quilt sandwich across a flat surface – a table or even my lap – so that I can easily access both sides. For most of my hand quilting, I rely on organic “straight” lines. More intricate patterns can first be marked on the quilt top using chalk. I use white chalk, as I find it easier to remove. I would not recommend coloured chalk, as these often stubbornly remain, even after brushing or wetting.
Exploring the Technique
For this style of hand-quilting, the stitches should be large and bold, with uniformity not so much of a consideration. Begin by threading the needle with a length of thread. I was once told that this should be no longer than the length of your finger tip to your elbow. I’m an impatient quilter and so use a much longer length. With extra length comes the increased chances of twisting and knotting – I did warn you! I tie a quilters knot at the end.
Begin a few inches away from where you want your first stitch. Insert the needle and come out where you want the first stitch to be. Sharply tug on the thread and the knot should slip into the quilt sandwich. Alternatively, a visible knot can add extra detail to your quilt, so feel free to leave them visible.
To quilt, I like to rock the needle up and down, taking bites of the quilt sandwich. Owing to the long length of the needle I can get a good 6 – 8 stitches loaded on before pulling the thread through. Try not to be overly concerned with maintaining an even stitch length – some variation is a good thing. Continue in this way to create lines of quilting. To finish, tie a knot close to the fabric surface, push the needle through the quilt sandwich a few inches then come back out. Sharply tug again to bury the knot and trim the thread.
As well as rows, I also like to use stab and cross stitches in different areas to add variation. I used this in ‘Every Cloud’. For these types of stitches, I use a stabbing method. I pass the needle down vertical through the quilt sandwich, then use my other hand placed under the quilt to pull it through. I then reposition the needle and push it back up to complete the stitch. To move from one cross to another, pass the needle through the quilt sandwich to where you want your next stitch, but only through the top and wadding, not through the backing.
In Summary
As I’ve discovered, hand-quilting is all about finding your own rhythm and embracing the imperfections that make each quilt unique. What started as something I thought I wouldn’t enjoy has become a cherished part of my quilting process. I hope that by sharing my tools, techniques, and tips, I’ve inspired you to give hand-quilting a try in your own work, whether you prefer a traditional or more relaxed approach. The beauty of quilting lies in its endless possibilities, and I truly believe there’s no right or wrong way—just your way. So, grab your favorite needle, a small project, an Aurifil 12wt thread to complement your project, and let’s make something beautiful together, one stitch at a time.
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 the 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 2019 with Lucky Spool and his latest book Use & Ornament, also with Lucky Spool, published in May 2024 with a companion Aurifil collection of the same name.
I also enjoy hand quilting with this method and have used both 8 wt. and 12 wt. Aurifil threads. I agree on the needle of choice: milliners needles. Heidi Parkes introduced me to them in a Quiltcon class and I absolutely love them. I also like to use a long length of thread, not the traditional arm’s length. For really long runs of stitches, I start in the middle and pull the thread through half way, I roll up the length of thread that is going the opposite way and safety pin it to the quilt top. Sometimes I cut a length that is long enough so that it entirely crosses the quilt top and the knots are at each edge. It really quilts quickly with this process.
Thanks Nicholas for your tips, tricks and insight to hand quilting with bigger stitches. Looks like FUN and I’m going to try it!
And here was me… Trying to make perfect 8-10 stitches when this is so much more interesting and calming to do. Thanks. Love using different colors thread on opposite colors of fabrics being quilted.