This post has taken a good bit longer for me to write than I anticipated, but its an important one. I hope that at the very least it will cause you to pause and think. Beyond that, I hope you can leave here inspired and more driven. I’m going to be using myself as an...
Last week I was going through my bits of leather and decided they needed to be used. I had several small cuts, and offered to make some custom bags via Instagram. I had a few takers, and today I want to show you two of the bags I was able to make. First, I got...
By now you know that I like to put Liberty into anything that can be Liberty-d. I just do not tire of this amazing fabric and the hundreds of intricate yet delicate designs. This time, I gave the Caravan Tote the Liberty treatment. Of course I paired it with some chambray (from Andover) because Liberty +...
Did you have a good Easter? We had a great time. Layla loves hunting for eggs and munching on sweets (though there’s some confusion about the bunny pooping out eggs and trick-or-treating which she has never actually done….) And Wallace just enjoys watching whatever Layla is doing and tries to keep up with her. We...
I was recently commission to make a Caravan Tote for one of my very best customers. Gosh, I’m glad she requested this particular bag! Its Anna Graham’s (of Noodlehead) newest pattern, and its a really good one. I had lots of fun choosing coordinating Aurifil for the topstitching! Its a very roomy tote with an...
Welcome to Olivia Jane Handcrafted! I'm Meredith and this is my creative journal. Here you'll find loads of inspiration for a handmade wardrobe, home decor, bags, and quilts. I even have plenty of projects and tutorials to get you started or help you along the way.
So many pretties here Meredith. You do lovely work! How is your friend? The one who is getting the Liberty quilt.
I just have a need to work with my hands. Love to create with fabric and wool.
I loved reading this post, it really hit home with me. My man and I talk often about why we both pursue our hobbies, mine quilting & his painting miniatures, and I think the pleasure of allowing our creativity to have free reign is not to be ignored. I quilt as a hobby and I have a small Etsy shop and can attest to not waiting until retirement comes knocking before putting your plans in motion, I find great enjoyment working with my customers to make an heirloom quilt that their children will cherish just as I do making place mats for our table at home. For me it’s about broadening my creative horizons, legacy as you say & I simply get a kick out of working with beautiful supplies!
Well said! People often suggest that I sell what I make. I sew and crochet because I love to (plus it’s a good way to relax and de-stress after a busy day of working full time and having 3 young kids). Nearly everything I make I give a way as gifts (making baby things are so much fun!). I do make things for my self once in a while, but I love gifting the items, whether they are appreciated or not. I love to see the mini quilt I gave my mother-in-law used as a table runner, or the tote bag I made my mom come to my house with her every time she visits, or my infant daughter chew on her lovey blanket I made her. Those images plus the personal enjoyment of the craft, make it worthwhile and incredibly important to me. Keep up the beautiful work, and thank you for encouraging crafters to think about why they create – it’s such an important part of the process!
what a thoughtful article! i’m looking at the patchwork pouch I bought from a few months back and it says “meticulous, beautiful and happy”!
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Hi Meredith!
I’ve been a reader for a while now and have loved seeing the quality of your work and the lighthearted passion you put into it. It always seems like your quality control is impeccable and that you have a balanced and stress free way of accomplishing what you set out to do. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post. I just posted my first blog post this week, with it being Kids Clothes Week, and your post really touches on some of the things I’ve been juggling with trying to learn to sew on my own and also pushing to get projects accomplished, sometimes at the cost of quality. In the last few months, with the assistance of some wonderful Oliver + S patterns :), I’m starting to have a more balanced and PATIENT! mindset to sew because I love it, and sew because I need to (my kid caught up to our hand-me-downs source who is 2 years older!). I’m also learning when to accept that I’m a student of sewing and when to get out the seam ripper and commit to a quality garment. I haven’t attempted quilts yet, but I loved your Anna Maria feather quilt. I hope to attempt one sometime before Christmas. You’re inspiring and your taste in fabric combinations and commitment to quality is top notch. I’m sorry you got some poor feedback. It’s a rare legacy these days to believe in taking care of what we have instead of just treating everything as disposable and to be so disciplined as to mindfully work even the smallest of tasks with a sense of artistry and craftsmanship. I look forward to your next post as it is 100% applicable to where I am with sewing!
What a lovely well articulated post. I’m definitely in the category of creators where some thing I make are temporary but always for a reason, which is why I’m glad you pointed out that no style is wrong as long as consideration is put into it. I’m in a fortunate position where the cost of materials is “just money” and it’s my time that is more valuable. I will tinker with an idea to learn something from it and possibly not have a high quality product yield from that experiment. To me, that’s not only acceptable; I encourage that out of myself because that’s how I’ve always grown creatively. A series of mini failures is better than any school lesson I’ve learned and then from that craft room education I am able to take what I have discovered with my own two hands and apply it thoughtful to something more lasting and truly meaningful.
One lesson that touches on this topic is also to know when it’s okay to cut corners and “just finish” and when it’s time to really rip out those seams and do it over. I think it’s fascinating hearing different creators take on where that line is for them!
I create as therapy. And I love to belong to a community of quilters that get what they need from their craft as much as I do from mine for varied reasons… I saw a quote the other day that I love and I plan to have it made into a sign for my sewing room….
“They are all there in that quilt — my hopes and fears, my joys and sorrows, my loves and hates. I tremble when I remember what that quilt knows about me.”
Truthfully, my quilts are a part of me.
Wow! I REALLY needed to read this today. Thank you so much for such true and sincere words. I am just starting out on this blogging/crafting journey and am in the process of seeing how viable it is for my family for me to pursue something like this full-time.
I feel so humbled by your words of using the best that you can and also doing your best work. I tend to rush through projects because I have so many bouncing around my head that I want to move on to the next thing, but I still need to do my best, because I really do want to create that legacy for my children. My inspiration came from my husband’s grandma and I love seeing my kids wrapped in creations that her hands made. I need to slow down and love the process of creating not just the finished product. Thank you!!
[…] I want to you get from this post is really the same tone I set out to communicate in “Handmade by Humans”: be purposeful in the things you do. Don’t clutter your creativity with unneeded things. If […]