Chris English’s path to quilting winds through screen printing experiments, corporate burnout, and a deep love of fabric with a past. His work blends punk energy, street art layering, and thrifted textiles into quilts that feel both rebellious and deeply personal. In this interview, he shares how creativity became essential to his life—and why perfection has nothing to do with making something meaningful.
What first drew you to quilting, and do you remember the moment you realized it might become an important part of your life?
I’ve thought about this a lot recently, and I recalled screen printing fabric as part of my GCSE art project, which was a long time ago! But I printed some fabric and made some board shorts; they were probably terrible, but it must have resonated, as I’m still interested in fabric all these years later.
The Liberty book of home sewing introduced me to quilting, and I made a very simple brick pattern quilt (all from Liberty fabric because I thought you had to???). I loved that I could start with fabric and end up with something finished, which was beautiful and practical.
I quickly realised that I could use whatever fabric I wanted, and that gave a purpose to my flea market and charity shop addiction.
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Having a creative outlet for me is important and definitely helps with how I feel and my mental health. Quilts are now fully part of my life, I’m sitting under one as I write this, I always put an extra one on my son’s bed to keep him warm in the winter – he’s 22 now, so this does annoy him a bit…. but I know I’ll always quilt and sharing my journey is very important to me.
You studied textile design but spent many years in the corporate world. What sparked your return to a creative path?
I’d always maintained a passion for art, design, fashion, etc., and my hand was forced when I was made redundant from my corporate job, truth be told, I’d not been enjoying it for years, really; it was slowly killing me and very boring. Lots of corporate BS, and whilst individual people were ok, the business didn’t care about its employees. If I hadn’t been made redundant, I’d still be there working for someone else who didn’t know or care who I was. It was really a question of, if not now, then when?
For a good few years, I was stuck on the greasy pole of corporate middle management, and I fell into the trap that it is, but we do what we need to support our families etc, and at the time I did what I thought I needed to, but I’m not going back to the corporate world. I read the job ads, and they make me feel sick!
I think I’d rather be less well off (at least from a financial perspective) and do something I love rather than work for a soulless, greed-driven exploitative business.
What drew you specifically to quilting rather than another textile art?
As mentioned, quilts provided me the opportunity to create a finished, practical item which I love, but I also love to screen print my own fabric.
I love to embroider and hand quilt, and I’m currently taking a pattern cutting course. I think lots of different techniques can be included in quilting, so I’d argue that quilting is multiple textile arts all wrapped up in one.
I am getting into dress-making, so perhaps quilting was a gateway drug to more hobbies! I do have lots of other art-based hobbies and love Riso printing, drawing, painting, and creating my own fabric designs.
Looking back at your earliest quilts, what do you notice about how your style has changed?
I think they’ve become more sophisticated both in terms of message and also in terms of fabric and colour choices.
As I’ve developed as a quilter, I’ve also started to understand other quilts and quilters more, and I think now that my practice is more informed. I’m definitely more confident about my design choices and quilting practice.
Your quilts have a strong sense of color and pattern. What kinds of visual influences feed that part of your work?
My work is influenced by lots of different sources.
I love punk music and art and the whole energy of punk – ‘if you can play three chords, then form a band’ – I like to think if you can sew a straight-ish line, then make a quilt!
I also love Street Art and especially paste-ups, this is where lots of artists share their paste-ups and these are then combined to create a larger piece of work – to me this is very similar to using quilt pieces and blocks to create a larger quilt, i.e., mixing some hsts next to a piece of vintage toile de jouy. I love the contrast of these fabrics.
I still love going to traditional galleries, and you can always find some inspiration if you look hard enough. I love the Gee’s Bend quilts, and if I’m ever stuck creatively, I’ll have a look at these quilts, and that usually works. I read a lot of books on art and quilting, and find these super inspirational too.
You’ve also mentioned inspiration from street art. How does that energy translate into your quilts?
My favorite bit about street art is the build up of layers over time, this creates amazing unplanned colour combos and also interesting juxtaposition of images. The contrast of styles, colour and scale can be amazing. I take lots of my quilt pics at the skate park as the background is constantly evolving.
Are there colors or fabric combinations that you find yourself returning to again and again?
Blue and pink are my two fav colours and I love them together too! I really enjoy experimenting with unusual colour choices and trying new combinations. When I teach, I’m often asked “Does this colour go with that?” – to which I encourage people to have faith in their own fabric and colour choices. I think we’re all a bit too swayed by other people. If you like it then go for it!
Vintage and secondhand textiles play a big role in your work. What do you love about fabrics that already have a history?
I love saving fabric from landfill and giving it a new life and practical purpose. By taking this approach, you will always end up with a unique quilt.
Where do you usually hunt for fabrics with history?
My main hunting ground is Huddersfield open market, it’s like a cross between a flea market and a car boot sale, it’s a bit hit and miss, but always good fun searching. I go to lots of charity shops and occasionally buy special pieces from Instagram or eBay. People very kindly send me orphan quilt blocks and fabric, too!
Is there a particular thrifted fabric find that still makes you smile?
There was a stallholder at Huddersfield open market who did house clearances, but he did them from Japan! He had all these amazing antiques, and I spotted a bag of fabric – he only wanted £10 for it, and it was full of beautiful Japanese fabrics. I made a one-patch quilt from it. I had to keep my poker face when buying it, as it would have cost a lot more!
What challenges come with working with recycled fabric, and how do you solve them?
I don’t really have any, I find that with most used fabric it’s been washed loads so it doesn’t shrink and once it’s quilted it pretty much behaves itself. I suppose the biggest challenge is running out and not being able to get more of the same but then on the other hand that forces a new fabric to be used and therefore a new combination.
Describe your creative space.
My living room is my sewing space, I don’t have a dedicated sewing space but I would love to have a studio for my quilting and art. I have lots of things on display, as a visual person I’m very inspired by what I see and collect.
Are you someone who works on one quilt at a time, or do you have several going at once?
I have several on the go at any one time. My process for making a quilt is to make several smaller pieces and then join them together, so sometimes I’ll create these specifically, or sometimes I’ll try a new technique, and this sample could sit for a while before it becomes part of a larger piece – I find this approach helps capture the energy of the paste-up art I spoke about earlier.
Your crumb block technique is a favorite among scrap lovers. How did that method develop for you?
I don’t really recall where I saw this technique, possibly on YouTube, I had a plentiful and free supply of scraps so this technique seemed perfect, again it also relates back to how street art works, i.e. lots of mixed imagery and colours etc.
How do you organize (or contain!) your growing collection of fabric scraps?
I don’t really, my storage is a mess and needs sorting, but I kind of know what I have in my head, and it’s always nice to rediscover something in my stash. I am working on decreasing my stash, but I think we all are!
Many quilters focus on perfect points and symmetry, but your work celebrates freedom. How did you arrive at that mindset?
I think my art school background is the biggest influence here. Lots of people learn to quilt by following very specific patterns or instructions (which is of course, fine). I was always encouraged to try new ways of doing stuff.
If you look at the Gee’s Bend quilts, the points not matching don’t stop these quilts from being beautiful and practical; after all, these quilts were made to be used.
This is where I find quilt shows miss the point to some degree. After all, if it’s a practical quilt, then does it matter if the points match, or is it more important that it keeps you warm? Now in 2026, nobody should go to sleep cold or not be able to have the heating on, but unfortunately, that’s not the case, so I think that, to some degree, the way we view and measure quilts has become skewed.
Some of your quilts carry strong messages or emotions. What role does storytelling play in your work?
I express my feelings and thoughts about lots of stuff through my artwork, whether that’s a quilt or my fabric design. Because quilting is my choice of medium, it’s completely natural for me to add these messages. Personally, I love it when I see people using quilting to express themselves about whatever subject they like.
I was so happy when the UK Quilters Guild acquired one of my quilts – F*ck Off Boris will now be in their collection forever, and in a hundred years’ time i hope quilt historians will see it and think “yes, Boris Johnson was a self-centred, entitled prick’.
Where can people see your work?
The best place is my Instagram @afullenglish or my website www.chrisenglishquilts.com or in real life at Festival of Quilts, I always enter at least one quilt. I run a monthly quilting workshop in Huddersfield too.
Rapid-Fire Fun!
Favorite fabric find ever? Antique toile de jouy
One word that describes your quilting style? Punk
Favorite color to quilt with right now? Hot Pink
Morning person or night owl in the studio? Morning
Interview posted March 2026
Browse through more modern quilt inspiration on Create Whimsy.