As a little girl Sriyani Tennekoon not only played with, doted on and cuddled her soft toys and dolls as most little girls do (and most often older ones too!) but went one step further and decided to make her own dolls and soft toys.
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| Sriyani with some of her creations |
Growing up, Sriyani, who studied at Good Shepherd Convent Kotahena, was introduced to sewing and needlework at school by the convent nuns and at home by her mother. “Even as a little girl, I used to make my own dolls using left-over scraps of cloth,” reminisces Sriyani.
Never having attended a class or course to learn doll and soft-toy-making, Sriyani taught herself by collecting books, magazines and newspaper articles on the subject.
Now, with two grown up children of her own, Sriyani’s passion for making dolls and soft toys has entered a new dimension.
She has released her collection of ‘Do It Yourself’ pattern packs with creative designs in doll and soft toy making that are simple and easy to follow and will appeal to a beginner as well as to a more experienced craft person.
“It is a God given talent and I developed it,” says Sriyani who heads ‘Crafts with Love’, a designer pattern pack company in Australia. She is also a director for Shans Entertainment (Pvt) Ltd.
Well known as a professional quilt artist, cloth doll and soft toy designer, water colour artist, painter and author, Sriyani is eager to share her talent and experience with others. For the past 15 years she has also been working as a Crafts Instructor giving her best to her students and now has decided to introduce something novel to Sri Lanka.
Speaking of what inspired her to introduce such pattern packs to Sri Lanka, Sriyani said the fact that such packs were available in other countries but not in Sri Lanka, gave her the idea. “In Sri Lanka you either have to follow a course or buy books to learn the patterns and the books don’t have a wide range of designs,” she said.
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| Sandy- The Sunflower beauty. |
Each pack is guaranteed to give you hours of enjoyment and satisfaction as the adorable dolls come alive in your hands. “It is a great pleasure to present the pattern packs with my new ideas. I’m addicted to the joy of creating unique designs for craft lovers in Sri Lanka and worldwide,” says Sriyani enthusiastically.
All the toys are made from easy-to-find fabrics and generally follow a basic cut, sew and stuff sequence of construction. Each toy is complete with its own picture, pattern, step by step instructions and diagrams.
Making these dolls proves economical too for they can be made out of little left-over scraps of cloth.
“I have searched high and low to bring our cloth doll lovers a broad and creative line of new doll patterns so that they can enjoy the rewards of creating an original,” assures Sriyani adding that she has currently designed about 100 packs of which she will initially market about 30.
The pattern packs are marketed online in Australia, and in Sri Lanka can be ordered by post. They are priced from Rs 100 to 400.
Sriyani will be exhibiting and introducing her pattern packs at the Colombo International Book Fair at the BMICH from September 17 to 25, at hall F stall no. 280 . She can be contacted at 011 7208084, 011 2788859 or 290 Samagi Mawatha, Thalangama North, Kaduwela Road, Koswatte, Battaramulla
See also www.craftswithlove.com.au
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| Sandy’s pattern pack
and Bernard and Berney’s pattern pack |
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