An Australian-Indian woman, who recycles and repairs forgotten and discarded dolls, has won a US award for inspiring people worldwide to restyle their old toys, according to a media report.

Sonia Singh, from Tasmania’s capital Hobart, has won the Etsy Design Award for her project “Tree Change Dolls” by beating 52 other finalists selected by a panel of Etsy.com, an online marketplace for handmade goods, Herald Sun reported.

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.

Singh has started selling downloadable knitting patterns for the dolls and each month she auctions off one hand-crafted doll for charity. She makes about 20 dolls a month and “they always sell so quickly”.

Singh will visit the Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn.