Personal Background

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?  (location, age, educational background, …) Who is behind Olive & Elle Quilt Co?

Hi there! I’m Danae, the face behind Olive & Elle Quilt Co. I live in Pittsburgh with my husband and our five kids, where life is full, creative, and wonderfully busy. Quilting started as a quiet hobby tucked into the margins of motherhood, but it’s grown into a meaningful part of how I tell stories and mark the seasons of our lives. Outside the sewing room, I love reading, skiing, traveling, and gathering with family and friends.

Quilting Journey

How did you first get into quilting? When did you decide to turn this passion into a business by opening your shop?

It all began with two dear friends who offered to teach me after I mentioned I was curious about quilting. What started as a simple lesson turned into a weekly ritual. For over a year we gathered to sew, talk, and build friendship alongside our skills. Somewhere in those afternoons, I fell in love with fabric and texture, and with the quiet satisfaction of turning small pieces into something beautiful.

Quilting remained a cherished hobby through the busy years of raising five children. As my kids have grown and begun leaving the house, I felt ready for a new season and something meaningful to pour myself into beyond full-time motherhood. Opening a quilt shop felt like a natural next step. It blends creativity and community, and it allows me to create the same welcoming space my friends once created for me.

Shop Story and Style  

What’s the story behind Sew Margabo? When did it start, and how would you describe its personality, style, and size?

The name is especially meaningful to me. Olive and Elle is named after my two daughters, Olivia and Elle. They inspire me endlessly. Watching them grow into strong, thoughtful young women has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

They inspire me daily with their big dreams, bold ideas, and willingness to go all in. I always thought I was the one teaching them about confidence and chasing their goals, but the truth is they have taught me even more. They remind me to reach higher, try the brave thing, and not overthink it.

Naming the shop after them felt like bringing their spark and spirit into every bolt of fabric and every quilt that leaves my table.

Product Offerings  

What types of fabrics do you focus on? How do you offer them to customers—by the yard, as kits, or with custom options?

Our shop focuses primarily on curated quilt kits designed to take the stress out of choosing fabrics. I know how overwhelming it can feel to stand in front of endless bolts and second-guess every decision. Quilt kits simplify that process so makers can skip the hesitation and move straight to the joy of sewing.

My goal is to help quilters feel confident from the very first cut, knowing their fabrics work beautifully together and that they can simply enjoy the creative process.

Special Collections and Products  

Are there any collections, brands, or unique products you’re especially proud to carry?

We’ve built our reputation on the exceptional quality of Art Gallery Fabrics, which remains our core offering. However, we’re entering an exciting new chapter! Over the next few months, we’re diversifying our inventory to offer a broader range of textures and styles, giving our customers even more creative versatility

Inspiration and Trends  

Are there any collections, brands, or unique products you’re especially proud to carry?

I’m constantly inspired by the makers in our community. I look at current design trends in home decor and fashion and then find fabrics that bridge that gap. I love finding those unique pieces like the specific colors or textures that help my customers take their quilting to the next level.

Online Presence

Where can people find your shop online? (Website, social media handles, online marketplaces). How do you use online platforms to connect with your audience and fellow quilters?

Website: oliveandellequiltco.com

Instagram: oliveandellequiltco 

Pinterest: Olive & Elle Quilt Co

Upcoming News and Projects  

Are there any exciting new projects, events, or collaborations coming up that you’d like to share with the community

I am actually working on something very close to my heart right now which is my very first original pattern! It has been such an incredible process to move from quilting with these beautiful fabrics to designing the blueprints for them. My goal is to create something that really speaks to the makers in our community and I can’t wait to share more of that journey with everyone soon.

QuiltInk Experience

How has QuiltInk been useful for your shop or customers? Any favorite tools or ways it’s made things easier?

What I love most about Quilt Ink is how it empowers our community. It is such a helpful tool for visualizing a quilt before the first cut is even made. We use it to share a much larger variety of color way options than we ever could with physical samples alone, which gives our customers the creative freedom to find a look that perfectly matches their personal style.

Personal Background

Jo, as we dive into your story, could you provide a snapshot of who you are and take us on the journey that led you to where you are today?

I’m Jo Wright – a Creative Director, quilt designer, and lifelong lover of textiles. I grew up in Sydney, and studied design and fine art. I have always worked in the design industry. 

I live in the Southern Highlands (south of Sydney) in Australia, with my husband and our three kids. It’s a beautiful regional area and home life is full and noisy and creative – there’s nearly always fabric on the dining table, and someone in my studio asking for a snack!

In many ways, My work and private life are layered together. It’s always a juggle.

Quilting Journey

When and how did you start quilting? What drew you to quilting as a form of expression?

I have an MFA, where my focus was oil painting and research around social issues affecting young women. This work was large-scale, materially heavy, and conceptually driven – requiring physical space, uninterrupted time, and a certain intensity.

On having kids, it became obvious that this kind of painting wasn’t especially complementary to mum life.

About eight years ago, I inherited my grandmother’s 1947 Singer sewing machine. It pulled me back toward an early love of sewing – and unexpectedly opened a new chapter. Sewing was different. It was pick-up-and-put-down-able with the kids. It didn’t require a studio sealed off from the world – it could live on the dining table. And when I was doing mindless chores, I could easily spend time in my head inventing colour combinations and patterns.

Quilting, in particular, brought together my love of graphic design, colour relationships, structure, and repetition. It satisfied the same conceptual part of my brain as painting – but in a form that felt more integrated with the life I was actually living. Stepping into a local fabric store was also a revelation – shelves of colour and print I didn’t know existed. And YouTube became my technical tutor. 

Plus, it’s deeply satisfying to make something that would be used. My kids sleep under my quilts every night. That feels like such an honour. 

Pattern Designing

What inspired you to start designing quilt patterns? How do you approach the creative process of designing a new pattern?

I have far too many ideas in my head – and the only way to quiet them is to make them. Once I’ve tested something and it works, it feels natural to share it and make it available to others.

I get enormous joy from making other designers’ patterns, and I deeply value the creativity in this community. At the same time, I have a fairly specific aesthetic – and I don’t always see that particular combination of geometry, colour, and structure reflected elsewhere. Designing my own patterns allows me to explore that fully.

Most designs being in my sketchbook. I draw first – exploring proportion, rhythm, and repeat. Then I move to the computer, where I test scale, forms, colour, and contrast. That part tends to come together quite quickly. It’s the pattern writing and the maths that takes the most time. 

Style and Aesthetics

How would you define your pattern style? Are there specific themes or elements that consistently appear in your designs?

I’m drawn to geometry — to simple, repeatable forms that can be layered into complexity through thoughtful colour relationships. Transparency effects and weaving are fascinating to me. 

I love when a design is structurally clear but visually rich, where the interest comes from interplay and interaction of colour.

Some people have described my work as mid-century modern, which I take as a great compliment. There’s something enduring about that balance of restraint, optimism, and strong graphic form.

Color

How does color play a role in your pattern designing? Do you have a favorite color? Are there certain color combinations you find particularly appealing?

I’m drawn to rich colour and the visual language of the 1970s. I like combinations that feel slightly unexpected – colours that sit a little awkwardly together at first. Sometimes it’s about pushing toward something almost ‘ugly’, and then finding the beauty in that tension.

I don’t have a favourite colour. My kids have learned to ask, “What’s your favourite colour… today?” because it genuinely changes. I’m non-committal – drawn to different palettes at different times, depending on mood, light, and context.

But that’s just my aesthetic.

In my mind, a pattern only truly works if it can hold its own across a wide range of colour palettes and fabric styles. It needs to be structurally strong enough to survive interpretation. The bones have to be solid.

A soft, pastel, scrappy ‘pretty’ approach isn’t something I gravitate towards – but I believe my patterns should work beautifully in that language too. The design has to be generous and leave room for the maker’s voice, not just mine. 

Business Activities

Apart from designing patterns, what other activities are integral to your quilting business?

(Membership, notions, courses, etc)

Pattern writing is something I run alongside my full-time role as Creative Director at Take Two Art, which is a substantial and creative job in its own right. I help to shape art courses, guide the brand, and host interview podcasts, working closely with artists and community.

I feel very lucky that my professional work and my own creative practice are so closely aligned. There’s a shared language, constant inspiration, and each job feeds the other.

Online Presence

Where can people find your work online? (Website, social media handles, online marketplaces). How do you use online platforms to connect with your audience and fellow quilters?

My website is https://jowrightmakes.com and my Instagram is @jowrightmakes .

I keep my channels pretty simple as I don’t have a lot of time. I’m working more on my email newsletter this year – which is a space I can talk openly about my life and quilt practice. You can subscribe to this at https://jowrightmakes.com/signup

Upcoming Projects

Can you provide a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or designs you’re working on? Any exciting collaborations or events?

As always, I have a few in mind. I’d really like to do something more complex with transparency. I’ve just launched my Weavery pattern, and find myself leaning back into curves, because that design was so linear!

QuiltInk Experience

How has QuiltInk contributed to your quilt pattern design business? Could you share your experience with the platform and how it has influenced your creative process and connected you with fellow quilters?

QuiltInk has been an absolute joy. It’s genuinely the best tool I’ve found for testing colour during the design process – being able to experiment quickly and see how different palettes shift the feel of a pattern is invaluable.

And Catalina is a delight to work with – so generous, helpful, and supportive. I don’t have a huge audience or an enormous network of quilty friends, so connections like that really matter to me.

And of course it’s absolutely delightful to see people on QuiltInk experimenting with my patterns and coming up with combinations I could have never imagined!