I was about 7 when my Grandma showed me the first stitches. It was at the beginning of a summer holiday that I was to spend in her farmhouse. Maybe she just wanted me to sit down and occupy myself quietly. She gave me no less than a tablecloth to embroider as a beginners’ project.
’You are old enough now to work with a needle’ she said. ’You can finish this by the end of the summer. We will start with the hem. Here is how blanket stitch is done.’

At that time I could not even tie a knot, not to mention stitching a tablecloth. I remember how enormous the task seemed: a whole tablecloth by the end of the summer! Grandma must be mistaken. I am definitely not old and mature enough for this! Then, by the end of that day I mastered the blanket stitch and started on backstitch. By the end of the summer the tablecloth was embroidered (I would probably cringe to see those stitches now). And I was hooked.

It did not take me long to discover the magic of taking something two-dimensional and transforming it into something three-dimensional, like a piece of clothing. Dolls are a perfect audience. They do not grow out of their clothes. They do not wear holes into them. They are grateful and enthusiastic about every new dress. They do not get cross with you if you accidentally stick a pin into them… And I could go on.

I grew in years but I still believe that my dolls have their individual character – all they need is a little imagination in you and me, and they suddenly come alive.