My name is Tanja Berlin and below is my personal background explaining how I got to this point in my life in which embroidery is my career and life.
I was born on May 4th 1971. The first 18 years of my life I lived with my parents and my sister in a country house in a beautiful location.
My parents rent a house in the farming country side of Dorset in England. Our house backs onto a Beech wood and looks over rolling fields. In the distance is a ruined Roman church and streams that my sister and I used to swim in. I was very influenced by my surroundings and I would spend many hours walking in the woods, looking for rabbits or pheasants and smelling the wild flowers, and of course climbing trees. Some would say I led a sheltered life, while other teenagers were crazy on the current pop band, fashion and make up, I was more interested in peeping into pigeons nests, making tree houses and doing cross stitch embroideries.
During my school years I found my interests lay in the needlework class in which I made stuffed toys as well as in the art class in which I very much enjoyed drawing still lifes. In A-level art course we focused on the Renaissance art which gave me a great foundation for drawing in perspective and a good knowledge of colours and form.
During my upbringing, my mother was a great teacher and influence to me, helping me to produce embroidery and other crafts. She started me of on cross-stitch kits and needle-point kits, she also taught me embroidery stitches. There was never a time at home when my mum or I did not have some form of embroidery on the go.
My mother - Beppy Berlin also makes a living by teaching embroidery techniques and has amassed a large collection of embroidery pieces. She has produced much original work, some of her unique stump work etui boxes can be seen in Thomasina Beck's book - Embroidered Gardens. A few of the counted thread designs and Modern Jacobean designs viewed on my site are from my mothers original design, colours and patterns have been changed by myself to make them my own.
My father Paul Berlin was also an inspiration as he was always available to give good critical advise of my work.
I would like to give thanks to my parents for helping me reach the standard of work that I produce today.
After school I took a one year art and design foundation course. In this course we touched on all types of different art techniques and in the third term we specialized in one subject. I chose textiles to concentrate on.
In the art course I felt a little out of my depth. I had come from a rigid art A-level course in which we did not have to use our imagination to do our own art designs, (everything was copied from still lifes) to a completely free art course in which we were to experiment with all different types of materials and threads. I was very weak in this area and rather than struggling on and staying at the bottom of the class in this field, I decided I wanted to do something that required perfection and realism, which I was good at and knew I could excel at.
My first thought was to become a restorer, so I contacted the Victoria and Albert museum in London to find out if they had a course that I could enter into. They informed me that I needed to have a degree in Chemistry but they did know of a place called the Royal School of Needlework that teaches all aspects of hand embroidery, in a three year paid apprenticeship course. They also have a work room in which commissions, restoration and conservation embroidery pieces are worked.
I thought this sounded fun, being paid to do embroidery which I love.
THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLE WORK: 1990 - 1995
The Royal School of Needlework was founded in 1872, and specializes in the restoration and conservation of all textiles including Military and Masonic banners, uniforms, tapestries, chair covers and alter frontals, using traditional hand embroidery techniques.
The school's main aim is to pass on the art of ornamental needlework to ensure that traditional skills are continued and passed on to the next generation in the form of a three year apprenticeship course.
I was an apprentice at the Royal School of Needle work from September 1990 - September 1993 and then stayed a further two years in the work room doing restoration, conservation and commission work plus teaching in embroidery.
To be accepted to the apprenticeship course I had to attend two interviews. The first interview was with the principal and the second with the principal and a group of teachers from the Royal School of Needlework. At the interview I showed them some of my art work and embroidery. I was accepted into the course which began in September 1990.
The first two years of the apprenticeship course was divided into three terms. I had to be at school from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm for embroidery instruction and spent time in the classroom learning many different types of embroidery techniques and time in the workroom gaining first hand knowledge of the conservation and restoration of antique textiles and the development of new embroidery commissions.
When we were learning embroidery techniques in the classroom, we would also have to do 3-5 hours homework per night.
During my first two years at the Royal School of Needlework I covered the following embroidery techniques: Embroidery stitch sampler, Mounting embroideries, Canvas stitches, Canvas flower, Canvas painting, Canvas stretching, Jacobean crewel embroidery, White Work (Pulled Work, Hardanger, Embroidery Angles, Drawn thread, Mountmellick, Fine White Work). Blackwork, English and Italian quilting, Smocking, Tassels, Cushion making, Modern (Goldwork, Smocking and Shadow Work). Construction (Boxes), Appliqué, Silkshading (Needle painting), Shadow Work, Goldwork and Bothsides alike.
My third year at the Royal School of Needlework was spent in the workroom gaining further experience by working on all types of embroidery pieces.
See below for some of the apprenticeship pieces that I worked on.
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Canvas work Rose - Crewel wools worked on 18-count mono canvas in continental tent stitch. The needle point rose is worked from a colour photo of a rose. |
Year 1: Canvas Painting - Fruit
Canvas Painting - Fruit painted onto 18 count mono canvas using oil paints.
Year 1: Drawn Thread
Drawn Thread - 25 count linen fabric, DMC and Anchor floss's used to whip bars.
Year 1: Hardanger
Hardanger - Number 5 and Number 8 white peal cotton worked on 22 count Hardanger fabric.
Year 1: English Quilting
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English Quilting - A backstitch is worked along the lines of the design working through the top layer of silk fabric and the bottom layer of thick wadding (batting) creating a padded design. |
Year 1: Italian Quilting (Trapunto)
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Italian Quilting also know as Trapunto - The design is drawn on to a piece of silk fabric backed with a piece of cotton fabric. Two parallel rows of running stitch are worked along the lines of the whole design forming hollow columns. From the back soft cotton is threaded through the columns using a bodkin (large needle), between the silk fabric and the cotton fabric creating a relief effect. |
Year 1: Smocking
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Smocking - The pleats were hand sewn into the fabric first and then the smocking patterns were worked across the pleats in DMC embroidery floss'. |
Year 1: Goldwork: Pomegranate, Crown and Fleur-de-lys
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Goldwork Pomegranate - Padded with felt. The leaves are worked with Elizabethan twist, the petals are worked in Japan Gold and the heart of the pomegranate is worked in red silk thread. Crown - Padded with felt and string. The crest of the crown is worked over with chips of Bright Check Purl, the center of the crown is worked in Japan Gold and the base of the crown is worked in brown silk threads. Fleur-de-lys - Padded with string and worked over with Japan Gold and outlined with a red cord. |
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Goldwork Wheat-ears - Padded with felt. The wheat-ears are worked in beads of check purl and smooth purl. Some of the wheat-ears husks are outlined with pearl purl. Wheat leaves - Padded with felt or felt and string. Each leaf is worked in a combination of different gold's. Gold's used are passing thread, pearl purl, rococco and gold purls. Laurel leaves - Padded with string and felt. The laurel leaves are worked in beads of check purl, smooth purl and rough purl. S-ing down the center of the leaf is worked in rough purl. Acorns - Padded with carpet felt and felt. The head of the acorn is worked in broad plate gold and the base of the acorn is worked in beads of check purl. |
After my three year apprenticeship course I spent another two years at the Royal School of Needlework completing work on some amazing antique embroideries and creating some wonderful new embroideries. I have a deep down respect and appreciation for the training I received at the Royal School of Needlework and look back with enjoyment at the five years that I spent at the school.
In my five years going to and working at the Royal School of Needlework I had quite an active social life as well. I was a member of the Kingston University Scuba diving club and a member of the caving club. I became a diving instructor for the dive club and spent many weekends away with the diving and caving club. Towards the end of my five years my appetite for new adventures was growing and it was time for me to move on.
On July 6th 1995 I flew to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for the start of my three year travelling adventure.
I arrived in Kuala Lumpur on my own in July 1995 and found accommodation in Chinatown, beginning my travelling experiences around southeast Asia. I met many other travellers on my trips but in general I moved around on my own from place to place. I spent a month in Malaysia, two months in Thailand and then travelled back to Malaysia and spent another month there and then back to Thailand for another two months. In January I flew to Hong Kong and worked as a bartender in Delaney's Irish bar from January 1996 until August 1996.
In August I flew to the Philippines and spent a month travelling through out the country. I then flew onto Sydney Australia. I travelled up the east coast. In Brisbane I worked at a local carnival for 6 weeks. I also embroidered a picture of two Japanese ladies in needle painting for a woman who was importing silk threads from China and wanted a sample of the threads worked into an embroidery.
I moved to Childers and stayed at the Palace Backpackers where I secured a job picking tomatoes and snow peas. It was here I met my future Husband - Russell Morash from Calgary, Canada.
We travelled together hitchhiking and camping along the east coast, across the North and down the west coast to Perth.
In September 1997 we flew from Perth to Auckland New Zealand. We travelled around the north and south islands of New Zealand in a tiny little camper van. We also stayed with my friend Jo Dixey and her boyfriend, Kit, from New Zealand. She studied at the Royal school of Needlework at the same time I was there.
We left New Zealand in January 1998 and went to Las Angeles, California, we travelled through America for a month up to Coots Crossing and into Canada. Russ's parents picked us up in Lethbridge and we went to Calgary.
I stayed with them for a couple of weeks and then flew home in March to visit my family and friends and to work.
I came back to Canada in August 1998 and lived with Russ for a year, returning home to England for a month and then back to Canada in August 1999.
Russ and I were married on 4th December 1999. In March 2004 I became a Canadian Citizen. We are settled in Calgary and have our home in the Northwest where I run my business and teach private classes. I enjoy working my new embroidery projects in the living room in the company of my rabbits and Russ.
Russ and I enjoy the out doors and partake in hikes in the summer and skiing in the winter. We also enjoy our garden where we have many bird houses and dabble around planting flowers and tending the lawn. Below are pictures of Russ and I on the West coast trail and camping in the Kootneys.
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During my years in Calgary I have built up a collection of different embroidery techniques that I teach on a regular basis.
I have taught across Canada from Vancouver Island in the West to Newfoundland in the East, and in the USA to see a history of my teaching appointments visit my Credentials and Teaching History webpage.
Please see Classes for the subjects that I teach. I also give a interesting slide show and talk about my apprenticeship pieces worked on at the Royal School of Needlework, workroom pieces and the embroidery that I am doing today. For more information go to Lecture/Talk at the bottom of the page of classes.
I have also completed a number of embroidery commissions since I have been here. See Commissions for examples of pet portraits, wedding dresses and other pieces.
All kits that I sell at this site are designed and embroidered by myself and are original. I hope that you will find a kit that will inspire you to embroider.
