My family’s artistic leanings were more towards music. When I was very young, my Dad tried to teach me to play the piano, but I guess he was not strict enough with me to make me sit and practice. I love most kinds of music, classical, popular and also world music and there is a part of me that very much regrets not learning to play the piano, but I am proud that I have instead turned my skills to soft sculpture. As a child I never had many toys to play with. However I do remember having two very tiny dolls but don’t ever remember playing with them, although I do remember enjoying designing clothes for them. Very often I would look at magazines and try adapting the latest fashions for my tiny dolls. I would hand-stitch all their clothes. Apart from my secret dream of making beautiful cloth dolls, my other passion was drawing and painting. As a young girl I would sit for hours and draw or paint with music playing in the background. I have tried my hand at stitching my own clothes and knitting but they never held my interest for very long. I don't have any formal education in textiles or sewing skills and taught myself through trial and error, with the help of friends, as I went along. The Internet was my great source of information and from it I have made some great, like-minded friends. Until I started making cloth dolls, I did not realise that cloth is such a wonderful medium for expressing one’s feelings as well as a wonderful canvas on which one can do almost anything: embroidery, working with embellishment, collage, beading, threads, painting and sketching. There is no limit, really, to the way cloth dolls can be made. It is simply a matter of imagination and turning your creativity lose. I can put everything I love doing into this one wonderful medium and turn it into a work of art. After I started my doll making journey, one of my dreams was to take classes from some of the great dollmaking teachers in the US. This was realised when I was able to go to the US for the ‘We Folk Doll Conference’ in 2002. I learnt some wonderful skills from the great doll artists over there. In June 2004 I attended a conferance in Albuquerque. I learnt some new skills in Jacque Utez' workshop. I was delighted to be amongst one of the doll artists to have my doll "Sakari" featured in the book "Creative Cloth Dolls Faces" written by Fibre, Textile and Doll designer Patti Medaris Culea from USA. Sara Maddocks of UK also wrote an article about my dolls "A touch of India" which appeared in the 'International Doll' Magazine. In 2005 I entered my doll in the 'Gypsy Challenge' which is held every year in the Houston International Quilt show. To my extreme delight my doll won the Best Of Show award. More at sewingwithmoonbeams.blogspot.com I hope those who visit my website and fall in love with my dolls, will find that the artist in you has been inspired enough for you to start your own doll making journey...