When they’re not hiking or venturing to the beach together, you can find Micklyn Le Feuvre and three of her daughters busy in their South Africa-based design studio working on projects for clients and upcoming Spoonflower Design Challenges. That’s right, this Spoonflower community-favorite has three daughters joining her in the Marketplace. You may recognize this family of design on Spoonflower as micklyn, perrinphilippa, tangerine-tane and tigatiga, but today we’re giving you an inside look at what it’s like for Micklyn to share her passion for design with her family. After all, the family that designs together sticks together, right?
Before you dive in, get to know Micklyn in her Meet the Designer interview.
Which family members are designing on Spoonflower and what are their Spoonflower shop names?
“Myself and three of my daughters, Perrin, Tane and Grace. Our shop names are micklyn, perrinphilippa, tangerine-tane and tigatiga.”
Where is your family based?
We’re all currently living in Somerset West, close to Cape Town in South Africa, and share a beautiful, light filled studio space in the attic of my house.
When did your daughters start designing on Spoonflower?
“I was first to start, and then as each daughter grew up and became old enough, they began designing too. I didn’t really see that coming as they all have such varied interests, but it just shows that you never know what the future holds! Perrin is a qualified chef and has been working overseas (in Dublin) for the last three years. She only recently returned to South Africa and has decided to split her time between cooking and designing for a while. Tane is a writer and blogger who uses design to fund her writing habit, and Grace originally thought she might make her career in ceramics before the pattern design bug bit her—she is a really talented ceramicist, though!
What inspired your daughters to join Spoonflower?
“They say that their mother told them to… haha! I’m sure they saw how much fun I was having though, because it wasn’t hard to convince them! The Weekly Design Challenges are very appealing, both as a place to try new themes and styles, and also as a handy prompt to drive your creative process. Grace in particular loved the idea—she’s very competitive!”
The 1 Yard Cheater Quilt Design Challenge had two family members in the top 10 (you and Grace)! How often does the entire family participate in weekly challenges and do you offer friendly critiques of each others work before submitting your entries?
“We quite often all enter the same challenge, though not always. I personally regard any success one of my children experiences as my own success, so if they come in the top ten I feel as if I did! (Which can be something to look forward to when my own entry doesn’t do as well as I would have liked it to!) And yes, we absolutely do advise, critique and contribute to each other’s designs each time. It’s wonderful to be able to get instant feedback as you go!”
What’s in your family’s design tool box?
All of us use Photoshop to bring our patterns together, but each of us have our preferences when it comes to how we create our original elements. I love pencil, watercolor, photography and my Wacom tablet. Tane often uses watercolor and ink, and Grace is brilliant with an iPad but also uses gouache. Perrin most often uses pencils or ink pens for her illustrations.
What does it mean to you to share your passion for design with your children?
“It is such a privilege to be able to share my passion with my girls and to see them grow in their own creative work. And I’m never lonely in my studio, there is always music playing, conversation going on and someone to make a cup of coffee or bounce ideas off. It’s a wonderful atmosphere to work in, I don’t take it for granted.”
Fun fact! This holiday season, Micklyn will host a huge family feast with all of her extended family— her parents, brothers & their kids and all 12 of her children in one place. Plus, as an added bonus – Micklyn’s best friend, Angelique (gingerlique in the Spoonflower Marketplace!) and her family will be joining too.
Can you see any similarities between all of your design styles?
“I actually think our styles are all quite different. My own work is quite eclectic, I tend to move between different styles. Maybe my style is more obvious to others, but I feel like I’m all over the place! Regarding my daughters, Tane’s style is bright and whimsical, often with a boho feel, Perrin’s is sometimes humorous and frequently involves animals and food (that’s the chef in her showing up!) and Grace’s work is bold, modern and very colorful.”
We asked Micklyn, Perrin, Tane and Grace to pick their favorite design from each other’s Spoonflower shops!
Grace’s Pick
Perrin’s Skating Penguins
Tane’s Pick
Grace’s Iceland Poppies
“I love the hues of the skate boards, they are a refreshing pop of color! The flow of the pattern is excellent. It’s a really creative, one of a kind design.”
“I love the rich colours and the satisfying rhythm of this pattern. I could stare at it for ages!”
Micklyn’s Pick
Tane’s Moth Confetti
Perrin’s Pick
Micklyn’s Wooden Wonderland Barn Owl Collage
“Right from the beginning as I watched Tane paint the elements for this design I loved the shapes and vivid colors. In fact, I love it so much that I ordered fabric in this pattern to make myself a wild and wonderful maxi skirt. I can’t wait to wear it.”
“Though I’m not normally a fan of neutral shades, I love how the rich textures and cute character of the owls bring this design to life!”
So fabulous, Micklyn, Grace, Tane and Perrin. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your wonderful, talented family life!
Yes, I never made the connection either – lol! I hope one day to have the same set up with my daughter when she grows up. A talented bunch of ladies, for sure (and one busy mom)! Al . the best!
Oh wow, I had no idea they were Micklyn’s daughters, how fabulous!!! Looks like they got momma’s talent for sure. I sure enjoyed this interview with you lovely ladies. How fun to be able to design together, what a blessing! Best of luck to all you talented girls. :o)
Loved reading about this close South African family! And, I must say, I am envious of their studio and, especially, the fact that mother and three daughters can work together in such a wonderful and productive way!
The designs are individually beautiful and complement one another collectively, which might be the way the artists think of themselves.