I was born on a small tear-drop shaped island on the southern tip of India known as Sri Lanka. I have spent a lot of my early childhood years on that small, tropical island – enough to say that it has a special place in my heart. A lot of my designs stem from my earlier childhood experiences because I love color and there’s a lot of color used in the Sri Lankan culture.

(To see some gorgeous pictures of Sri Lanka visit the common wanderer's site.)

I take a lot of inspiration from the lotus flower since it has special meaning to me. My name means lotus flower once translated into English.

My family permanently moved back to the states while I was still young. I remember struggling to learn English for the first time – thank God I had some patient teachers!

Being a wife to one wonderful husband, mother to one handsome boy, farmer, a baker, an artist, a tailor, and a quilter keeps me pretty busy. Having said good-bye to my engineering career, I became a stay-at-home mom to homeschool my son. I do often get asked if I regret quitting my job, but nothing can replace seeing your son walk for the first time or talk for the first time or just simply being present for him. Seeing all of my son’s firsts and being there at every step make me happy for the tough choice I made and blessed to have a wonderful, supporting husband.

I have been sewing since I can remember – sitting in my mom’s lap as she taught me how to use a sewing machine. It wasn’t until much later — after marriage — that I discovered what a wonderful art form quilting is. I admit I fell in love with quilting — it is truly a complex and wondrous art form. Quilting is what drove me to create this site but my other passions is what drives me to keep it going!

I will share my life experiences and maybe you all will find a nugget here and there that you can apply to your own lives or be entertained by some of the crazy and awesome events we have experienced – from devastating winds to baby goats!

I hope you enjoy the topics I discuss here and the products offered in NED. Everything written and created genuinely comes from the heart.

Blessings,

නෙළුම් (a.k.a. Nelum)