Dani Stanfill has always been creative. Her Dad signed her up for a quilting class and she fell in love with sewing, fabrics, and quilting. Traditional quilting methods and techniques weren’t serving her well. She discovered she could make the medium anything she wanted and hasn’t stopped since.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?
Creativity has always been a big part of my life and personality. I’m not sure if I have the confidence to call myself an artist yet, but I’ve always been a maker and a creative.
Quilting, specifically, was a medium I discovered thanks to my dad. Much to my teenage dismay, he signed me up for a quilting class to occupy me during a summer break. I instantly fell in love with sewing, fabrics, quilting, and everything surrounding a sewing machine.
This inspired me to pursue fashion design as my major in college. However being so young, I didn’t know my creative voice or direction. That found me somewhat recently during the 2020 COVID lockdown. I had fallen out of love with quilting because the traditional methods and techniques were difficult for me to execute, but I knew I wanted to quilt again.
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Piecing and machine quilting weren’t serving me at all, and one late-night Pinterest scrolling led me to discover the artist Carson Converse. Her quilts made me realize that I could make the medium whatever I wanted it to be, without having to follow any guidelines other than my own. This led me to create the first quilt in 20 years of quilting that was 100% me, and I haven’t looked back since.
What different creative media do you use in your work?
The materials I use are closely tied to my need for texture and tactile engagement.
Linen, especially unbleached or black linen, holds a special place in my work because of its natural, organic quality. The fabric is sturdy yet flexible, which makes it perfect for the prints and designs I create.
Using ink to block print or paint, instead of piecing, allows me to form the patterns exactly as I envision them.
Also, opting for yarn and embroidery floss instead of quilting thread adds to the boldness I seek in my quilting. The contrast between the linen and the ink (especially black) or embroidery threads enhances the depth in the piece.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
I usually start with a concept, but once I begin to execute it, it never turns out the same as I thought it would. Either I make a “mistake” that needs covering, or I realize the original idea wasn’t as great as I thought and needs to adapt.
Through this, I’ve realized that a lot of magic happens in those “mistakes.” I’ve come to embrace the idea that play is an essential part of the creative process.
When I’m making, it’s more about exploration than execution. This balance of intention and openness helps shape the piece.
I’ve learned to trust that even when things don’t go as planned, I often end up in places that feel incredibly rewarding. It’s a process of allowing the material and the concept to evolve organically, without forcing the outcome.
Describe your creative space.
Having a dedicated studio space is a dream of mine, but I currently work from my desk in the office I share with my husband.
Luckily, we have a lot of covered outdoor space, so I often bring my work outside for better light. This has actually been a huge benefit because I can see the project in different natural lighting and the act of being outside is great for the soul.
Above my desk, I pin up test prints, quilt ideas, and inspiration. I do all of my hand quilting in the evenings in front of the TV. If I don’t have a quilt project, it’s very hard for me to sit through a show without getting bored.
Working across many different media, how do you organize all of your creative supplies?
I’m not much of a supply hoarder. I have all of my fabrics in a small cabinet, and the rest of my supplies fit in my desk drawers. I
typically buy two bolts of fabric at the beginning of the year and use those for my quilt tops. Other fabrics I’ll buy as needed and use them almost right away.
Outside of that, I keep a basket next to my couch that holds any WIPs (works in progress) and a couch arm organizer for my hand quilting supplies.
I think the minimalism in my supplies allows me to maintain a sense of clarity and focus without being distracted by other potential projects.
Scraps. Saver? Or be done with them?
I’m a scrap saver. I tend to have larger scraps since I work in whole cloth or larger pieced projects. I have a quilt that lives on my couch, made entirely out of my scrap bin.
I also like to keep scraps around for any foundation paper piecing patterns I’m testing. I have a few FPP (foundation paper piecing) patterns in my Etsy store. Even though I don’t make FPP quilts myself, I really enjoy making the patterns.
Are you a “finisher”? How many UFOs do you think you have?
I only hand quilt my projects so they can take me 6+ months to complete. I typically have one or two ideas I decide to work on for the year and will finish those.
Once I get near the end of one project, I’ll start the next one so there isn’t too much of a lapse in time between them.
I do have two projects I don’t really intend to finish, which I use to fill any gaps between quilts. One is an EPP (English paper piecing) project I take on flights or whenever I know I’ll be sitting somewhere for a long time. The other is a small wall hanging with very dense quilting.
I do have plenty of ideas that are sitting on the back burner, along with some verbal commitments to family members for projects I’ve yet to start. Sorry, guys!
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
My last project, Goldie, was an amalgamation of two of my other quilts, Jinx and Isomeric. I wanted to use a similar quilting pattern as Jinx, but I loved the gradient at the end of the lines in Isomeric.
I also had the desire to challenge myself to create something minimal yet impactful and to have the same quiet power as some of the minimalist works I admire. I think Goldie achieved that for me and hopefully for the viewer as well.
I do spend a lot of time thinking about how the viewer might engage with the piece, how it will be experienced both physically and visually and how the environment will change the way people relate to the work.
Is there an overarching theme that connects all of your work?
Yes, there is definitely an overarching theme that connects all of my work, although I don’t consciously plan for it.
When I start a project, I don’t necessarily have a theme or story in mind from the beginning. However, there are certain elements that seem to naturally reappear throughout my pieces. I tend to gravitate toward a particular color palette, which often ties my quilts together.
Additionally, the techniques I use, like painting or block printing my designs, have become a signature part of my process. These methods give my quilts a distinctive texture and visual language, and they allow me to experiment while still maintaining a cohesive aesthetic.
Even when each quilt feels like a unique creation, there’s a subtle thread that links them, almost like they are chapters in the same story. The repetition of my chosen colors and techniques creates a sense of continuity, even if the quilts themselves aren’t intentionally related or planned to be part of a series.
This organic development of themes in my work feels very natural, and I love how it all connects together in the end, even if it wasn’t something I set out to do from the start.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
There is no such thing as failure or mistakes in art. What is considered a mistake is simply a pathway to continue growing the piece and often takes the project to a new level.
In quilting, there is so much focus on being technically perfect, and for me, that idea was stifling. It made me hate what I was making, hate myself for not being able to achieve this perfection, and it killed all the joy in the medium.
When I first heard this advice, it was a huge weight off my shoulders.
Letting go of the perfectionism allowed me to open up creatively and experiment without fear. It made me realize that art is a process, not just a final product. The joy is in the making, not in meeting an arbitrary standard.
Do you approach your work differently for entering juried shows?
Because I hand quilt, it takes me so long to complete a project that I don’t really think about whether it’s for a particular show or not.
I just make something that speaks to me and hope for the best when entering shows.
Where can people see your work?
My work can be seen on Instagram @thequiltedhand and some items are available in my Etsy store etsy.com/shop/thequiltedhandshop
Interview posted March 2025