I’m Kelley Amato, the artist behind Baby Dear Designs. My work is rooted in a love of childhood, family, and the little things we keep, tiny sweaters, worn stuffed animals, handmade blankets, and the objects that somehow come to hold the stories of the people we love.

Before becoming a full-time artist, I spent 25 years as an educator. During years when much of my life centered around caring for my son, I found my own quiet creative space in a watercolor journal. Painting became a way to notice beauty, record ordinary moments, and keep making something with my hands.

After COVID brought my teaching career to an earlier end than I had expected, I began quilting and returned more deeply to sewing. I fell in love with choosing fabrics that felt as though they belonged together, and eventually realized I wanted to create those collections myself.

Today, I create story-rich surface pattern collections inspired by childhood, nature, historic homes, old wallpaper, gardens, and the handmade details that give objects a sense of history and belonging.

At the heart of Baby Dear Designs is a simple idea: the things made for childhood can become part of a family’s story. I want to create artwork worthy of those things, beautiful when they are new and even more meaningful when, years later, they are among the things we keep.