How I Live... Pet Project Tatiana's Heartfelt Creations

Dr Tatiana Kalnins (43) is a Champion Canine Freestyler Who Fashions People’s Beloved Animals in Felt

- Lynley Ward

Quick-fire:

If you could choose one dinner guest from history, who would it be?

Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the Little House on the Prairie books as it would be fascinating to meet someone with such extraordinary pioneering experiences over such a rapidly changing time in history.

What is the one felted creation you will never forget?

The one creation that has had a lot of influence on my other work and that I am immensely proud of is the one depicting my own dog Sofie (pictured above). I’ve made two or three versions of her over the years, each one better than the last, and I am incredibly proud of the most recent one as it captures her complex colouring and happy smile perfectly.

I’d never heard of needle felting until I happened to see a page of someone who made little caricatures out of felt pop up on Facebook. I’m interested in art and craft, so I ordered one. It was cute and made me wonder if I could give it a go, so I did a bit of research, found a kit which came with a book of basic felting techniques and made a few simple items.

I was determined to replicate my own dog because a Blue Heeler is not felted often and they have a distinct smile when they have their mouth open, panting. I made a very basic version of her, then tried other simple things like a cartoon fox and a mouse. Through sheer determination, I managed to get to the point where I could confidently recreate most cats and dogs, rabbits and horses through needle felting.