Hey there! It’s Meredith. I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and we have four kids that range from almost 5-15. East Tennessee is where we call home, and we spend our days homeschooling, chasing chickens, and I squeeze in as much sewing time as I can!

I can never talk about how I got into sewing without starting with my inspiration -- my grandmother. Going to her house was so special because she had a treasure trove of handmade quilts, crocheted blankets, and all sorts of antiques. She was this creative powerhouse, and I recall wanting to be just like her. It was always my childhood dream for the two of us to have our own little quilting circle, but sadly, she passed away at the young age of 68 and I was never able to learn how to sew from her.

Fast forward to 2009, and I was expecting our first child. I have no idea what happened, but I had this hormone-crazed obsession with learning to sew. I pulled out the machine I had received for my 14th birthday (and had until then only sewn a pillow), and I was determined to make ALL the things. I grabbed the cheapest and ugliest fabric from Wal-Mart and learned what I could through trial and error. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I discovered rotary cutters and cutting mats, and then a whole new world was opened to me. A friend was so kind to give me some tips and tricks along the way, and I learned a lot about technique from a copy of the Singer Sewing Bible.

I remember a very dear friend that was also a coworker at the time coming into work with a copy of an Amy Butler book. I could not believe how gorgeous the fabric was. Soon after, I discovered the work of Anna Maria Horner through her blog, and truly, I had never been so inspired by the explosion of color and pattern. Her work was groundbreaking to me. And so, it began. I sewed in every spare moment, and saved up all the pennies I could to buy her fabric.

I began sewing quilts, and then I learned the basics of sewing various kinds of bags. It was only a matter of time before I tried garment sewing. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think I’d like it at all, but I was super wrong. Turns out, garment sewing is my most favorite thing ever! Learning how to sew clothes was very much like my introduction to the world of color and pattern with Anna Maria. This is where I spend most of my “me time” these days.

My “work time” is spent running Olivia Jane Handcrafted, the brand where you can find all sorts of handmade work by me. While I do take work on commission, such as garments and quilts, my primary focus is on utilitarian goods that are pretty! After all, my whole philosophy in sewing is marrying beauty with utility, and my brand is a reflection of that.

I’m excited to get to be a part of SIY-Sew It Yourself and FreeSpirit Fabrics all these years later, because this is where it all began for me. It’s a huge privilege to get to share what I’ve learned with you while working with some of the best artists in the fabric world!

Connect with Meredith Daniel

Instagram: @thefooshe

Facebook: @oliviajanehandcrafted

Email: mdanielojh@gmail.com

Oliviajanehandcrafted.com