A Chat with Designer 'Ann Kelle' & A Giveaway ;)

Today we're chatting with Kelle Boyd, aka 'Ann Kelle' the designer responsible for bringing us the vibrant, fun and colourful designs Remix, Urban Zoologie & Metro Market

FQ: Hello Kelle! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative background.

KB: My background is in public policy. Right out of graduate school, I started working for the Mayor of Nashville doing exactly what I thought I always wanted to do. However, I was stressed. Very stressed. In search of a stress relief, I went to a craft store one day. I’ll never forget that day. I remember walking the aisles of the store, searching and searching. I left with a canvas and some paint. That was the day my childhood love of art was rekindled. Two year later, I left my career in public policy to launch a line of stationery at the National Stationery Show in New York. A week following the show, my designs were being presented to Target. Now, my designs adorn all kinds of stationery products, found in stores such as Target, Barnes and Noble, Wal Mart and many other retail stores and most recently, fabric.

FQ: Who is ‘Ann’ of Ann Kelle Designs?

KB: Actually, there is no Ann. Ann comes from my middle name. When I started in the design field, I was very shy about sharing my artwork. So, I decided to use a pseudo name that I created by swapping my middle and first name. Kind of confusing, I know.

FQ: Your designs and the colours you select are so fun & fresh! Where do you find your inspiration?

KB: Thank you! I have a lot of fun creating my designs and it’s nice to know that’s reflected in my designs. My designs are inspired by things we have always known and loved…from dad’s tie, spring flowers, ice cream, our favorite rock band, and even TV shows I watched when I was child. For example, the whale design was inspired by a sweater that Natalie wore on the 80’s television show, Facts of Life.

FQ: Describe to us your design process. Do you begin with pencil and paper and then scan into a computer or do you design directly on the computer?

KB: I design directly on the computer and I love it. I traded in my paint brushes because I was tired of cleaning up the mess.

FQ:Are you a sewer yourself? If so, what sorts of things do you love to sew?

KB: I’m a newbie sewer. I started taking sewing classes this summer. I have been chronicling my first ten sewing projects on my blog. I have a really awesome teacher, Christine Moyers, who if I could have just a little bit of her skills I’d be so happy.

FQ:Your new line is set to launch soon. Can you tell us about it, the inspiration behind it and the colourways?

KB:I actually have several new lines coming out that I am really excited about. One of the lines is called Ready, Set, Go. It’s a transportation line. It was inspired by the birth of my baby cousin, Aerus. They decorated his room in airplanes. The men in my family, young and old, love all things aviation. And so I thought, let me pay tribute to them because my designs tend to be a bit girly. After sitting down to design, the line expanded into trains, cars, etc.

FQ: We can't wait to see some sneak peeks! ;) How do you foresee this range being used?

KB: Quilts, baby bedding, back packs, all sorts of fun projects for little boys.

FQ: What’s the best bit about designing your own fabric?

KB: My favorite thing about designing fabric is seeing how people use it. I love seeing their creations. It always makes me smile.

FQ: Which of your designs is your favourite and why?

KB: I don’t know that I have one favorite design. I’m currently loving the argyle, stripes and butterflies.

FQ: What’s next for Ann Kelle Designs ?

KB: Hmmm, what’s next? I’m not sure. I started out in stationery and now I am in the fabric world. Maybe this is something Fat Quarterly readers could help me out with.........?

Thanks so much for chatting with us today Kelle!

You can find Kelle with all her fun designs & inspiring blog here & follow her adventures on her Facebook page here :)

Kelle is cleaning out her studio to make way for her new lines and has very kindly offered 3 (5 yard!!!!) bundles of fabric to giveaway to 3 very lucky readers!

After spotting our fun 5 week Remix fq bundle giveaway over on our Facebook page, Kelle offered to sponsor a 6^th week on our Facebook page!!! Thank you Kelle!

For a chance to win hop over to Facebook & in the giveaway thread or on our wall answer Kelle’s call for help!

You’ll notice in the last question we asked Kelle ‘what’s next...?’ Well, Kelle would love your help & suggestions so if you have a suggestion and want to get your mitts on 5 yards(!) of scrummy Remix visit our Facebook page and pass on your thoughts....

3 Winners will be randomly drawn Wednesday 24^th November and announced on our Facebook page.

*sorry comments on this blog post will not be entered into the draw

***Edited to add:***

We note the concern that some of you have about moving all our giveaways to Facebook. This is certainly not the case!

We currently have the giveaway for Kajsa Wikman's book Scandinavian Stitches on our website and we have A LOT of great giveaways lined up for you over the coming weeks. ;-)

There are a number of factors that influence where we hold a giveaway, whether it be on our website, on Facebook, in the magazine or for Twitter users. Most important to us is that we spread the giveaways around all our followers so that everyone has a fair chance of winning some great prizes.