Claire Garland was born in Bewdley, a village in the heart of England, where she spent her primary years living in the countryside and playing at being a fashion designer with her teenage dolls–ironic but true. She now lives in Cardiff, Wales, and is enjoying her rural bliss and living out her dream of making items for children—toys, bedding, and now Knitted Babes. Claire Garland created these projects and books to make things that her three children would enjoy and use—so they’ve been kid-tested. She also is an accomplished designer of tapestry kits, which are exported around the world, and she has a degree in Design from the college in Cardiff. She is the author of Embroidered Treasures (Mitchell Beazley, 2005).