A native of North Carolina, Dani ’25 works as the finishing manager in Student Craft. She takes various products and cuts them down to size and neatens up the edges. She makes quilts as well.
Dani is a second-generation Berean. Both her parents attended, and her mom worked the same job. She taught Dani to sew, and Dani’s dad inspired a love of making quilts through the 4-H program.
“I learned to sew in middle school,” Dani said, “and I made my first quilt in my dad’s office as part of a workshop.”
It’s probably not a mystery, then, why the education studies major was drawn to the Weaving Studio. Some of Dani’s work is to redesign the patterns her mother produced 30 years ago, the honeycomb placemats being an example.
“I love every aspect of this job,” Dani said, “just because I’m learning techniques I otherwise would never have seen. Some of these are just really original techniques.”
In addition to reimagining older designs, Dani is free to develop her own patterns. A lover of summer sunsets, Dani began producing placemats that mimicked the color patterns streaking through the skies she saw at the end of the day.
“My favorite part about the job is that we get to be so creative with what we do here. Last spring, I was able to design table runners that we have for sale in the Log House Craft Gallery and Visitor’s Center. Now you can also find it online. I feel so accomplished every time I finish another baby blanket, placemat or couch throw.”
