Australian-Indian upcycled doll-maker receives award

By NewsGram Staff Writer

Sydney: Sonia Singh, an Australian-Indian woman, who takes up forgotten and discarded dolls and upcycles them into something new, has won a US award for inspiring people worldwide to restyle their old toys, a media report said.

Hailing from Tasmania's capital Hobart, Singh beat 52 other finalists to win the Etsy Design Award for her project 'Tree Change Dolls', the Herald Sun reported on Wednesday. The finalists had been selected by a panel of Etsy.com, an online marketplace for handmade goods.

Singh started the doll project at the beginning of this year after losing her job as a science communicator.

"My sisters and I grew up playing with second-hand dolls and home-made toys in the beautiful Tasmanian natural environment. I love the satisfaction of repairing and re-using discarded items to give them a new lease on life," Singh said.

Her effort has received an overwhelming support from across the world and the Tree Change Dolls Facebook page has now more than 440,000 fans.

Each month, Singh auctions off one hand-crafted doll for charity and has even started selling downloadable knitting patterns for the dolls. She makes about 20 dolls a month and "they always sell so quickly".

Singh will visit the Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn.

You can check out her online shop here: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/treechangedolls

(With inputs from IANS)