I am Mari-Liis – the engine of lilleliis and an amigurumi fan for more than 15 years.
I have created hundreds of toys and written crochet patterns that have been used by tens of thousands of people around the world.
In cooperation with Meteoor Books publishing house, we have published three beloved pattern books – “Magical Amigurumi Toys” (2016), “Cuddly Amigurumi Toys” (2018) and “Lovable Amigurumi Toys” (2019). The books are available in English, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Hungarian.
I try to make the world a more beautiful and happy place through amigurumi. I believe that self-made toys have a wonderful power that the maker puts into them already during the work. A toy made by the mother helps the child feel safe and cared for.
I have been playing the piano for most of my life, since the age of six. The path from music to crafts has been like a beautiful dream. I can consider the children as the main “culprit” and the initial impulse, with whom I had free time when I was at home and the need to fill it with something I liked.
I tried one thing and another, a sewing machine and needles. Until one winter evening, out of curiosity, I brought home a crochet hook and a book explaining crochet techniques. That’s where the passion started – I came to amigurumi and started to feel an incessant desire to create something.
Making toys was love from the first moment. After timid experiments according to the instructions found on the Internet, I started to create, invent, and explore myself. My creations have become known under the name of lilleliis.
It has been a wonderful journey, for which I thank above all my children, my creative inspirations, and my husband, who does not mind that I still play with dolls. My thanks go to everyone whose notice and kind words have encouraged me to keep going.
Since 2011, I have been publishing toy crochet tutorials on my website, online store, and later in books. In addition to Estonian and English, they have been translated into more than fifteen languages.
In 2016, my first toy pattern book “Magical Amigurumi Toys” was translated into English and Dutch, and was published by Meteoor Books. Translations into Spanish and Korean followed, later also into Hungarian.
In 2018, a new collection of patterns titled “Cuddly Amigurumi Toys” was published, and 2019 brought the book “Lovable Amigurumi Toys” to the bookstores.
These books are loved by crocheters around the world, from mothers of toddlers to grandmothers who enjoy making toys for their children.
