Magic of wool: mother of many children from Ulan-Ude creates cozy things from clouds

By education, she is a psychologist. At home, three children grow up, and when free time appears, he enjoys playing the piano and guitar. But her main hobby of recent years is felling, or wool rolling. From soft lumps of wool, she creates toys and jewelry.

A house for a large family

Before moving to Ulan-Ude, Polina managed to get a diploma at the Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical Institute and work as a teacher. After moving into her life, a lot has changed: she created a family and eventually found a business to which she devotes all her free time.

- I have been living here for 16 years and have been completely imbued with the spirit of our city and republic, says Polina. Krasnoyarsk Territory and Buryatia are similar in many ways, but the nature here is quite special - mountains, forests, Baikal. So diverse and inspiring.

The craftsman speaks warmly of the people who surround her, and of that special atmosphere that envelops everything around and turns the terrain into something magical.

- I am very grateful that I decided to move. I love our nature, people. I will never believe that we have ordinary people. We have very unusual people. Apparently, it affects the fact that the terrain is fabulous.

This fabulous area became the main source of inspiration for Polina. Each trip to the lake or walk along mountain trails gives rise to new images and color combinations, which are then embodied in wool.

- After you go to Baikal or visit other interesting places of Buryatia, you come home under a great impression. I immediately want to do something magical.

In the family of Pauline and her wife three children. The eldest son is twenty years old, the daughter is fourteen, the youngest son is twelve. The children grew up, and my mother had more time for creativity, although in her early years she always found the opportunity to do what she loved.

- Being a mother of many children is difficult only when they are very small, says Polina. I even tell my friends that having many children is easier than having one child. They grow up and start working with each other, helping each other. Everything is easier than it seems from the outside.

From an early age, children watched their mother’s work with interest, tried to repeat it, helped in small things. Each of them found its own direction: the eldest son is fond of guitar, the daughter is seven years in art school and, most likely, will continue his creative path, and the youngest son chose sports. Pauline laughs and jokes: Creativity is not his path. I guess it's Dad.

As a child, Polina attended music school, and two years ago decided to revive these skills and bought a piano.

- Apparently, some memories from childhood came and I wanted to remember everything. I play the guitar a little, the piano for myself, for my friends, for my soul. Music, drawing, creativity fill my life, complement gray everyday life, brighten up trouble. This is emotional and psychological discharge.

The heat that flips

The path to the world of rolling began more than ten years ago, when Polina was on maternity leave. One local craftswoman showed her her woolen toys, and this was enough to turn all ideas about creativity.

- I saw these works and everything in my life just turned upside down. I realized that I want to do this, shares Polina. I took a small master class from her: she showed what needles and materials are needed. Then I studied everything on my own: on the Internet, somewhere I guessed, something brought her own.

The first products appeared at local city fairs. Polina exhibited her works and gradually became convinced that her toys became professional and sought-after buyers. It was then that she decided to link further activities with rolling, combining the craft with pedagogical education.

Over the years of working with felt, Pauline could not rationally explain why wool became her material. Knitting and sewing left her indifferent. It is quite another thing to work with wool fibers, which turned out to be something all-consuming and deep.

- There is some hidden energy in the wool. When you work with her, it feels like she gives you her warmth. It is an indescribable sensation, says the master, going through the soft fibers. - It's the wool that fascinates me. It's an inexplicable phenomenon. I like that the wool at first is just a shapeless piece like cotton. And in the end, something alive is born right in the hands - toys, jewelry. It's a magical process, which is why I'm doing it.

Creating one toy takes three to four hours of continuous work. To an outside observer, such painstaking work may seem tedious, but for Polina, these hours fly by unnoticed.

- People are often surprised by my patience, smiles Pauline. How can you create one toy for three or four hours? I just like it. If you like it, time flies unnoticed. Only at the end you emerge from the process and realize that you have been sitting for several hours, hurting your hands, fingers and back.

The diploma of the teacher-psychologist of the Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical Institute and years of work as a teacher in the kindergarten served a good service. Pauline knows how to hold a child’s attention and explain complex things in simple words. Working with wool requires perseverance, and here her professional skills turned out to be very useful. So in her biography appeared resource center "Constellation". Polina recruited the first children's groups and began to pass on the secrets of felling to them. Boys and girls with burning eyes watch as in their eyes from a soft lump of wool born animal.

The geography of its students is expanding. In the center of Ulan-Ude, in the area of Elevator, another walling studio opens. The guys from the neighbourhood can go there. Adults are also drawn to wool, so in the nearest plans of Polina - the launch of courses for adult lovers of needlework.

For the smallest and most beautiful

A special pride of Polina - toys for the youngest. The history of their appearance is simple: a photographer friend, who shoots newborns, was constantly looking for new props for photo shoots. Pauline began to fold special sets at her request.

- I have a wonderful friend who does photo shoots for newborns. She constantly throws up interesting ideas: what can be created for very young children, says Polina. For photoshoots uses wool, because the material is soft, tactile. Children are happy to hold these little toys in their hands.

So in her collection appeared tiny sheep, stars and clouds. For babies, wool is a real find. This is a natural material that definitely will not cause allergies. He feels warm, alive. It is important for mothers to know that in the hands of the baby is absolutely safe thing that you can safely hug or even try on the tooth.

- Wool toys are easy to handle: they can be washed and washed with soap. They do not cause any problems, says Polina.

In addition to children's toys, Polina creates author's jewelry: St. John's worts in the form of dogs and cats, elegant pins with berries. The source of inspiration is endless walks through the Siberian forests and a deep love for nature.

- Ideas are born of nature. I love walking in the forest, and these images appear from there, the master explains. I create jewelry to a lesser extent, now I am more focused on toys, but animal brooches and pins occupy an important place in my work. These decorations are extraordinary. They are worn by women who want to show their identity, their uniqueness. The coat looks very unusual in the form of a brooch - one small detail can completely transform the image.

Master shelves

Today, Polina’s works can be found in several points in Ulan-Ude. In the city center there were special shelves for local craftsmen, where wool products are exhibited in the open access. This format allows citizens to get acquainted with the works of Buryat needlewomen, touch wool toys and jewelry, assess their quality and warmth of manual labor.

- I took my work on this shelf, and in the near future they can be seen and purchased, says the master.

Previously, Polina actively hosted pages on social networks, but now she focuses on training and creating new works. In her hands, an ordinary lump of wool in a couple of hours turns into a soft sheep or bright brooch. These things then disperse throughout Buryatia: someone gives a wool toy to a newborn nephew, and someone pins the author’s animal wort to his coat to stand out in the crowd. The masteria itself, meanwhile, continues to combine roles. She raises three children, plays the piano when she has free minutes, and rolls out new toys.

You can look at her work and order something special in her public. There you can contact her to discuss ideas and order an individual toy or decoration. And if you want to try to create such magic on your own - Polina is just recruiting new bands in her studio on the Elevator.