Blog
Placing Orders
/ Jan012025Orders are mailed within 1 – 5 business days of receiving your order, depending on how many orders I am processing when you place your order or if I need to make a kit for your order of if I have to assemble a lot of items for your order.
Once your order is being processed and once it has been shipped you will receive an email from my website to let you know, please check your junk/spam mail if you have not received the emails.
Canada: Letter mail with Canada post takes 2 – 10 business days and does not come with a tracking number. Parcel mail with Canada post takes 2 – 10 business day depending on location and comes with a tracking number. Express mail with Canada post takes 1 – 5 business days depending on location comes with a tracking number.
USA: USPS Ground Advantage Tracked parcel takes 2 – 8 business days to arrive depending on location and comes with a tracking number. USPS Express Mail takes 4 – 5 business days and comes with a tracking number. FedEx Express takes 1 – 2 days and starts at $155.00 Canadian dollars (approximately $110.00 US dollars), please email me if you need this service.
All Other Locations: Air mail international is taking 2 – 8 weeks depending on location and has the option of coming with a tracking number.
Thanks for reading.
Best wishes,
Tanja and the fluffies.
Beppy Berlin Needlework Gallery
/ Apr252023Beppy Berlin is my mother who greatly inspired me to stitch and to become a designer.
Mum loved trying out lots of needlework techniques and was a part time teacher for over 50 years. She stitched small designs and enjoyed showing others how to stitch, she inspired people and made many friends through teaching needlework.
This gallery shows the needlework pieces that mum has stitched over the last 50 years. She has stitched well over 300 pieces and she kept the pieces that she stitched so we have the pleasure of enjoying them, but we are looking for homes for some of her beautiful needlework as we don’t have room to display them all ? and it is a shame that they sit in storage and not be enjoyed.
I will be adding more pictures to the gallery as I have time, Tanja
January 20th 2023
/ Jan222023Sadly my dad passed away on January 20th 2023 at the age of 82. His family was with him on his final days and he had a peaceful death. Dad lived a long and happy life with my mum, Beppy Berlin.
Paul Julian Berlin 1940 – 2023
Photo from their last visit to Canada.
Before Dad got sick my Dad was caring for my mum.
Mum has dementia and my sister and I have been lucky enough to find a very caring home that will support her needs.
Mum has been an avid stitcher and tutor of needlework for 50 years in the south of England and I plan to do an exhibition of her work when I go back to the UK for a visit and set up a gallery of her needlework on my website.
Tanja
Happy Holidays
/ Dec222022Whats Happening in September 2022
/ Aug012022I am scheduled to have a hip replacement at the beginning of September this year and unfortunately I have to shut down the website early as I do not feel well enough to process orders.
I hope to reopen the website for mailing orders in the middle of October.
In the meantime, you may place orders for the free PDF files that I have on my website as well as the PDF files that you pay for. For instant the blackwork embroidery patterns, fine white work patterns and the metal thread information PDF file. Once I receive your order, I will e-mail you a PayPal invoice to pay for the PDF file.
Wendy Innes has kits available for the Hummingbird stumpwork kit that you may order from my website and the kit is mailed directly from Wendy. I will e-mail you a PayPal invoice to pay for the kit once I receive your order.
Thank you for your continued interest in my website,
Best wishes,
Tanja
Happy New Year!
/ Jan032022New Kit: Blackwork Valais Blacknose Sheep Kit
/ Oct112021The Blackwork Valais Blacknose sheep design is an intermediate to advanced design in my blackwork art embroidery kits.
The mountains are advanced level of blackwork embroidery as there is a lot of compensation of the blackwork patterns and changing the density of the pattern and thickness of the thread.
The sheep and grass are intermediate level blackwork embroidery. You can choose to have the two sheep standing in the grass and rocks without the mountains in the background.
Arrow Head Goldwork Embroidery Scissors
/ Oct112021The goldwork scissors are perfect for goldwork embroidery. The arrow head blades of the scissors are fine, sharp, slightly curved and very finely serrated for precision cutting.
The finger holes are large for embroidery scissors, so they are easy to pick up and hold into position when cutting the metal threads.
Kit of the Month for September – Maple Leaf Needle Painting Kit
/ Sep242020Fall has arrived in Alberta and to celebrate the kit of the month for September is the Maple Leaf needle painting kit reduced by 25%.
There is a choice of thread colour for the leaf veins.
Beautiful Day in the Mountains
/ Sep012020New: KAI Hand Embroidery Scissors
/ Mar092020I have brought in the super sharp and fine tipped KAI hand embroidery scissors. The scissors are made in Japan and are light weight. I have a pair that I have been using for many years on a variety of different hand embroidery techniques, including metal thread embroidery and they have maintained their sharpness.
Kit of the Month for March – Blackwork Peacock Kit
/ Mar092020The kit of the month for March is the blackwork peacock kit which is reduced by 20%.
The instructions are written with the beginner in mind and the kit comes with all the supplies required to stitch the peacock and a choice of counted ground fabric.
Blackwork Peacock
Boxing Day Special!
/ Dec252019Get $20.00 Canadian dollars off when you spend $100.00 Canadian dollars or more (converts to approximately $16.00 US dollars off when you spend $83.00 US dollars or more).
Enter coupon code: BD20-2019
Valid on Thursday 26th of December.
Merry Christmas from Us
/ Dec252019New “one of a kind” hand made pendants and brooches by Tanja Berlin
/ Nov042019I am selling some “one of a kind” pendants and brooches that I have hand stitched. Each one is unique and I will not be duplicating the same colour way.
I have three pendants and four brooches available.
The brooches have a magnet back so they are easy to attach to clothing and also can be used as a needle minder.
Kit of the Month for November 2019
/ Nov042019The kit of the month is the Hapsburg Lace Snowflake Sampler reduced by 25%.
The pretty snowflakes are worked in white DMC perle cotton on Leventeen blue 18 count mono canvas in canvas work stitches.
New: Magnetic Buttons, Needle Minders, Fridge Magnet with Print of an Original Hand Embroidery Design by Tanja Berlin
/ Nov022019New: Magnetic buttons that can be used as needle minders, fridge magnets, clothes button.
The button features a detailed print of an original hand embroidery design, stitched by Tanja Berlin
Registration is open for the Blackwork Blacknose Valais Sheep Class
/ Oct022019Registration is now open for my four day blackwork embroidery class Valais Blacknose Sheep at the Embroiderers guild of Canada national seminar in Nova Scotia in May 2020.
For details about the class and seminar please visit the Embroiderers Association of Canada website.
Just in case you don’t think that the tongue sticking out is true to real life here is a picture of a sheep doing just that…..ahhh…..from Snowdonia Valais Blacknose Sheep Facebook page
Valais Blacknose sheep originate from the Valais region in Switzerland.
VIew more cute pictures here.
Kit of the Month for October – Floral Swirl Surface Embroidery Kit
/ Oct012019The kit of the month is the floral swirl modern Jacobean kit which is a beginners kit in surface embroidery.
The kit comes with a piece of silk Shantung fabric with the design hand drawn on. Six DMC embroidery cottons arranged on a numbered thread template, Kreinik Metallic thread, gold and silver kid leather, organza fabric, gold beads and spangles and detailed instructions with lots of diagrams to guide you through the embroidery in a step by step format.
End of September Snow Days
/ Oct012019Free Blackwork Card Holder Design
/ Sep172019The blackwork card holder is a great way to display your favourite cards.
It is also an ideal project to be run as a mini mystery with a stitching group. I have released the instructions in three stages so the project can be run over three gatherings.
Kit of the Month for September – Maple Leaf
/ Sep172019To bring in the fall I am offering the Maple Leaf Needle Painting kit at a $10.00 Canadian Discount.
I Have Added Some More Pictures to the Photo Galleries
/ Aug262019I have added some more pictures to the Photo Galleries web page of online class students embroideries and my customers embroideries.
If you would like a picture of your embroidery of one of my designs on my website please email me with your picture, I would love to include you, Tanja.
Lovely Day to Enjoy the Wild Flowers with the Boys
/ Aug262019There are an abundant of wild flowers on a wild park we have in the city of Calgary. I am so lucky to have a large open park for the boys to wonder off leash where there also deer, coyotes, porcupines, crows and insects.
The purple flowers are thistles, so we will be avoiding this area in the fall 🙂
Morning Glories Needle Painting Stitched by Amalia Cunha
/ Aug232019Amalia Cunha in Florida has done a wonderful job of stitching my needle painting Morning Glories embroidery. I am very impressed by her stitching and she is relatively new to embroidery.
Work-in-Progress Pictures of Teko
/ Aug232019I have added work-in-progress pictures of Teko a curly Shih Tzu Bichon on the galleries page of my website.
Needle Painting Kits Recommended by Mary Corbet on NeedlenThread.com
/ Jul022019It was really nice to be recommended by Mary Corbet on NeedlenThread.com in her July 1st Newsletter for my needle painting kits.
It is awesome to be recognized by such a great needlework blogger.
Thanks Mary
Check NeedlenThread out for very useful tips in stitching, reviews on all sorts of things needlework and video stitch tutorials, below is the article she wrote on Needle Painting.
Needlepainting, Silk Shading, Soft Shading, Thread Painting…
Kit of the Month for July
/ Jul022019During July I am offering the beginners blackwork butterfly kit on sale.
This is a great design to introduce you to realistic form of blackwork as an art form where outlines are not always used in the embroidery so the embroidery is less stylized.
There is the option of purchasing the kit with 3 PDF files with colour work-in-progress pictures to work the embroidery which is great for those who are new to any type of counted embroidery.
New Needle Minder Hand Stitched by Tanja Berlin
/ Jul022019I have designed and stitched a few needle minders. I have a couple available for sale of the 6star Sparkle.
If you are interested in having a needle minder made for you please email me with your request.
Hand Made Pendants by Tanja Berlin for Sale
/ Jun232019Once in a while I have time to make some of my pendants and then sell them. These are a great joy for me to design and stitch and I have had many flattering comments when I wear them for the pendants uniqueness. The pendants look good for any occasion and with formal or casual clothing.
Click Here to see what pendants I still have left available for purchase. These are one off pendants, no two pendants are alike in colouring.
Tanja
Alberta Regionals Dog Agility Competition with Monty
/ Jun182019During the last month I have been busy preparing for the Alberta regionals dog agility competition with Monty my 8 year old English Sheep Dog.
We had some good runs at the competition and Monty ran enthusiastically and enjoyed the whole weekend. We were up against some seasoned competitors and I made a couple of handling mistakes that lost us some points so we didn’t quite make the podium this year.
We did get 1st, 2nd and 3rd place positions in a few runs and came out 4th overall in our height group and qualified to go to nationals in Ontario. We won’t be going though as it is a long drive and I don’t think Monty would enjoy a plane ride.
Here is us running one of the courses.
All Stitched Up! Inspirations Newsletter – My Eastern Blue Bird by Stitched by Judith Peckham
/ May182019Inspirations is a long running needlework magazine which is exquisitely laid out with beautiful photographs of needlework designs to stitch and admire.
Inspirations releases a weekly newsletter – All Stitched Up!, in this weeks newsletter my Eastern Blue Bird on Pine Branch needle painting design stitched by Judith Peckham is featured under ‘What Are You Stitching?’. I am really pleased to see how beautifully Judith has stitched the bird and that she loved stitching it and that it has been represented in the newsletter.
Click here to subscribe to the Inspirations newsletter
You can purchase the kit for the blue bird from the following webpage: Eastern Blue Bird on Pine Branch Needle Painting Kit
Here is the article from the Inspirations newsletter under: What Are You Stitching?:
This is my first attempt at threadpainting – an Eastern Bluebird designed by Tanja Berlin. I took a class with Tanja when I attended my very first EAC seminar in Ottawa in 2015. I find threadpainting a very relaxing technique and have several patterns from Inspirations Magazine earmarked for future projects. Thank you for publishing such a nice magazine.’
Judith, we appreciate your kind words about Inspirations and look forward to seeing the completed projects you’ve earmarked for completion! We love that you find threadpainting relaxing and hope you find many more hours of stitching joy with needle and thread.
New Product: Au Ver a Soie Surfine Silk Thread for Sewing Down Metal Threads
/ May162019Au ver A Soie is the manufacturer of fine silk thread and yarns in France since 1820.
I now have two weights of the Soie silk threads which are great for sewing down metal threads.
100/3 is a fine twisted non-divisble 3 ply spun silk and comes as a 50 meter spool suitable for sewing down heavier couched metal threads such as: T69 and T70 Japan Thread, No. 12 (K2) and No. 13 (K1) Japanese Threads, No. 13 Passing Threads, Milliary Wire, 36 x 6 Check Thread, Gimp Cord, Large and Medium Grecian Twist, Large Back, Plates, Medium Rococco.
The Surfine is finer and can be used to sew down: T71 and T72 Japan Threads, No. 8 (K24 and No. 9 (K3) Japanese Threads, Kreinik Japan Threads, Passing Threads, 16 x 3 Check Thread and 8 x 2 Check Thread, Flatworm, Lurex Thread, Fine and Very Fine Grecian Twist, Fine and Very Fine Rococco, Spangles.
Use Gutterman’s polyester sewing thread to sew down Bullions, Cords – Twists, Jaceron, Lizerine and Pearl Purl as the thread is stronger and less prone to damaging when sewing down these metal threads. You can also use the Gutterman’s polyester thread to sew down any of the metal threads shown on the website.
Fiber Talk with Gary Parr
/ Mar252019I had a fun conversation with Gary Parr who hosts the We Talk Fiber Podcast. You can listen to our conversation below.
Introductory Video for the Pendant Swirl Online Class
/ Mar112019For my first online class that I am running through my website I will be posting videos of the stitching process for the pendant.
This class is not to be missed, for the price of the kit you will get printed instructions and pendant supplies, PDF with colour work-in-progress pictures for the pendant as well as video tutorials for stitching the pendant.
The online class runs from Friday 19th of April until Sunday 12th of May. During this time you can download the PDF file with the work-in-progress pictures, watch the video tutorials, ask me questions about the pendant and post work-in-progress pictures of your pendant for feed back.
Here is the introductory video for the class, the video tutorials for the pendant will be filmed in the same format.
Only a few days left to sign up, the online class closes on Friday 15th of March.
Kick Sledding with Monty and Quincy
/ Mar112019I has been very cold this winter so not much opportunity to go kick sledding with Monty and Quincy because the runners of the kicksled sticks to the snow when it is below -5 degrees centigrade.
There has only been a couple of times we could go in the last 3 months but when we do the boys really enjoy the freedom of it. This is a nice break for me as most of the time I’m in the house working.
Here is a video of us enjoying a 0 degree centigrade day.
Free Online Class for the Pendant Swirl – Metal Thread Embroidery Technique
/ Mar042019I am running a free online class for the pendant swirl design from Friday 19th of April until Sunday 12th of May. Registration for the class is open until 15th of March.
The online class is free with the purchase of the pendant kit. I am offering it free this one time to test out the new on-line class forum and to give you a taste on how I run my on-line classes.
During the class you can watch videos of the stitch process, post pictures of your pendant for me to critique and ask questions about the process for free.
If you already have the pendant swirl kit please email me for a coupon code to enter on the shopping cart so that you can join the class at no cost.
Kit of the Month for March
/ Mar042019During March I am giving a 25% discount on the Hapsburg Lace Eyelets and Lace Sampler kit.
The sampler is a fun project that can be worked anywhere, no frame is required to stitch the sampler.
The stitches are worked in perle cotton on 18 count canvas so it is easy to work with and easy to see.
There is a choice of canvas and thread colours.
Hapsburg Lace Eyelets and Lace Sampler Kit
Kit of the Month for February is the Harebell Kit
/ Feb132019The harebell embroidery can be worked in gold or silver or copper metal threads and on a choice of ground fabric.
The fabric comes with the design hand painted on so there are no worries about transferring the design yourself.
During February I am giving a $10.00 Canadian discount on the kit.
10% Discount Special This Weekend
/ Feb09201910% Discount on Orders Placed on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th of February
Enter the following Coupon Code on the Shopping Cart Page: Feb19-10%Special
Excludes Sale Items
What Happened in January
/ Feb012019January was a very busy time with unfortunately no stitching time but I have made 100+ kits to mail to New Zealand for my teaching trip in March/April.
The website also had been increasingly experiencing periods of slow loading time of the web pages, which has made it hard sometimes to peruse the website or to place an order so my IT guy – Ryan worked hard on fixing the issue and we determined it was time to move the website to host that could better cater for the amount of traffic that the website is receiving.
I am happy to say that the website is now in its new home and the web pages are loading at a faster speed which will be more fun for you to browse the information pages and to place your orders.
Have a Happy February,
Tanja
New Kit Release: Chipmunks Needle Painting Kit
/ Jan072019The Chipmunks Needle Painting Kit is now available for purchase. This is an advanced design with 30 pages of detailed instructions and diagrams to guide you through the embroidery.
There is a choice of cotton or silk fabric, the fabric comes with the the design drawn on and the threads organized on numbered templates.
Holly 2-Sided Embroidery Free Instructions
/ Jan072019In case you missed my email newsletter in December, you can now order a free PDF file for the Holly Instructions from the following page of my website: Holly Free Instructions
The holly is worked as a 2-sided embroidery so that the back of the embroidery looks like the same as the front.
The embroidery is worked on one piece of fabric, with the beginning and the end of the thread hidden beneath the stitches and the surface embroidery stitches worked in a particular method so that the embroidery is reversible.
Robin on Berry Branch Stitched by Maria Giovine
/ Nov142018Check out the beautifully stitched Robin on Berry branch from my kit, stitched by Maria Giovine in Florida. She has made me proud.
Maria’s comment about the Robin on Berry Branch embroidery:
“The bark, feet and berries, which are done mostly in stem and satin stitches, add a nice variety to this needle painting kit. This is an intermediate design and I found it challenging, especially the feathers, but ultimately extremely rewarding. I am going to undertake the advanced level field mouse next.”
Famore Precision Fine Tipped Tweezers
/ Nov112018I now have three types of the Famore Precision Tweezers.
All the tweezers have fine tips for precise work and small and comfortable in the had to use. Each set of tweezers would be a great addition to a needleworkers tool box.
I’ve Discovered an Awesome Embroiderer on Instagram
/ Oct032018Once in a while I am truly inspired by another modern day embroiderer using traditional embroidery techniques, creating beautiful embroideries.
I discovered Eveline De Lange who lives in Holland whilst perusing Instagram. She stitches the most beautiful and unique pendant landscapes and portraits. She travels to different places for inspiration and to stitch what she sees. She uses a very fine thread, the stitches are tiny and the colour subtle.
I purchased the pendant below from her Etsy site AtelierVegvisir and after I purchased the pendant I received a lovely email from Eveline to let me know that the reason she started stitching the needle painting landscapes was that she had been inspired by seeing my needle painting designs on my website. She had found my website through Mary Corbet’s NeedleNTHread forum a very useful resource for hand embroidery.
Here are a few of her other landscape designs that she is selling right now on her Etsy site so if you would like something completely unique and beautifully stitched be sure to check out AtelierVegvisir
Her portraits are also very special, there are not many embroiderers who can stitch such beautiful faces.
Eveline makes her living through selling her embroidered art, maybe you would like to own one of these little gems AtelierVegvisir
Mary Corbets Cute Tiny Embroidery for Jewelry – Free Patterns
/ Sep212018I am a big fan of Mary Corbet’s NeedleNThread forum. She opens the world up to embroidery.
She has released some cute tiny embroidery for Jewelry patterns. This could be a way to get young people interested in stitching or something for the busy person to do when they have a spare minute in the day.
You can check out how she stitched them and free patterns on her forum, there is also a link for where to get the pendant and brooch kits to make your own jewelry, I think this would make great gifts for stocking stuffers or birthday gifts as little something special to go with gift cards and cash:
Completed: Valais Blacknose Sheep Blackwork Embroidery
/ Sep202018I so enjoyed working this blackwork design. I have been addicted to these sheep since I saw a post about them on Facebook. They are adorably cute and unlike most sheep comfortable around humans, they will come up to humans to investigate and cuddle.
I added some green to the grass to give the embroidery some warmth, I designed a crimped looking pattern for the wool to give them the shaggy look and added a characteristic pink tongue to one of the sheep. The sheep often have their mouths open showing their cute pink tongues. I call the left one Quincy and the right one Monty.
I am proposing the embroidery to be taught at Canada and USA national seminars and after that the design will be available as a kit and on-line class. It could be a while down the road before the design is available. Keep an eye on my email newsletter for further information. The design will be an intermediate to advanced design so if you would like to try your hand at blackwork, I have lots of blackwork designs in beginners, intermediate and advanced levels.
New: Photo Gallery of Customers Embroideries of Hapsburg Lace Designs
/ Sep202018I have set up a new photo gallery on my website with photos of my Hapsburg Lace Designs stitched by some of my customers, below are a few examples of the embroideries that are in the photo gallery.
If you would like a picture of your embroidery of one of my designs featured on the website please email me with a picture of your embroidery,
Tanja
New: Farmour Precision Tip Tweezers
/ Sep172018I love the new Famour precision tip tweezers I have brought in.
Smooth and comfortable in the hand, great for taking out stitches. Really useful for picking out tissue paper between tacking stitches when I transferred my new blackwork design onto the fabric using the tissue paper tacking method (instructions on my embroidery tips page).
These are going to be so good for doing my next goldwork design, great for holding metal threads without damaging them.
Work-in-progress of Blackwork Valais Blacknose Sheep Embroidery
/ Sep162018I have been working on my new blackwork design of Valais Blacknose Sheep, these are the cutest sheep on earth and I have to have them in an embroidery if I can’t have them in real life.
Here is a sketch of my design.
Here are a few steps of the embroidery.
The mountains stitched.
The grass and rocks partially stitched.
They now have faces.
And cute black patches on their legs ahhhh
Here’s a picture of Valais Blacknose Sheep that I can’t get enough off, they are so cute. There are a few pages on Facebook that you can follow the real sheep and on instagram #valaisblacknosesheep
Family Holiday in Canada Packed with Adventures
/ Aug292018In August my sister and her two children came to visit.
It was so nice to catch up and to share some adventures together. Both my niece and nephew are adventurous so we did lots of frill seeking out door things.
We had a fun time at Windsports in Calgary doing the zipline and skyline luge and my brave 13 year old nephew did the free fall (bungee jump).
Here’s us on the luge, great for all ages.
We did white water rafting in the horse shoe canyon, which was lots of fun and afterwards we did a hike up to Tryst Lakes in the mountains. Only a 3.5 km hike but a 250 m elevation so it is a hard uphill hike to a beautiful cirque lake. In the background you can see snow and it was a 26 degree Celsius day. A real adventure for all and in a wild area.
Only a week later the area was closed due to a bear attack on a near by trail. Fortunately we didn’t see any bears but we did see marmots and chipmunks.
The trail to the lake had lots of lovely wild flowers.
We visited lots of beautiful lakes, here is the family trying to skip stones on a lake.
We also went canoeing on the lake, and was photo bombed by a seagull.
My nephew decided he needed to test out how cold the mountain lake water is with his head, its cold by the way.
Johnson’s Canyon was a must visit for the family, beautiful canyon with waterfalls.
It is chipmunk paradise at Johnson’s canyon.
My nephew bonded with the dogs, Monty especially loved his calm demeanor and constant petting.
Monty also enjoyed having his fur braided by my niece, lulling him to sleep.
It was a very fun 10 days and it was sad to see them leave. Now I need a holiday from my holiday as it was go go go!
My Teaching Trip on Prince Edward Island
/ Jul232018I have just returned from a week long teaching trip on Prince Edward Island teaching for the Embroiderers Association of Canada national seminar called Bridging Stitches and put on by the Virtual Threads group of the EAC.
For four of the days I taught the Needle Painting Chipmunks to 15 enthusiastic stitches who worked hard and produced some beautiful results.
In our class we also had Neville who is 8 years old and is Edie’s service dog. He is a great member of the class, very relaxed and calm.
Below the ladies are pointing to the cameras but Neville isn’t too much into photos being taken, much like my dogs, after 8 years of being popular and getting your photo taken, it isn’t much fun anymore or else he’s looking for attention from the ladies instead 🙂
Ladies working hard on their embroidery.
Well not all of them, I catch Gail on her phone lol,
We had a day off halfway through the week and I took a lovely tour of the Island. There was some impressive wild flowers and it is a good time of the year to go to Prince Edward Island, it was lovely and warm all week. In the background you can see the 8 mile bridge from the island to the main land.
Below is the is the embroidery that I taught during the week. The kit will be available in a few months and I will email a notification when it is available so be sure to join my email newsletter to receive the notification.
The Chipmunks are an advanced embroidery so I suggest working one of my beginners and/or intermediate needle painting designs first.
A family member has passed on.
/ Jul092018It has been an awful weekend for me and my husband. Our Newfoundland Buster who I post about on occasion passed away early Saturday morning. We are very sad for his loss and will miss him terribly.
Life must go on and we have two other loving dogs to help us through this.
Sale Metal Threads
/ Jun152018I have added a range of random length metal threads on my website which are on sale. These are the same quality as the 1 yard lengths that I sell on my website, just the ends of a section and ideal for small projects.
Back from My Embroidery Teaching Trip in Montreal and Toronto
/ May092018I had a fun time teaching needle painting for two days in Montreal and then two days of blackwork and two days of needle painting in Toronto.
It was a little rainy in Montreal but I got to appreciate the humidity and the fun nature of the Quebec embroiderers. They have such a light, fun spirit and are keen learners.
From Montreal I flew to Toronto and got caught at the airport as there was a wind storm in Toronto which shut down the airport for 2 hours. My flight got cancelled and the later flight I managed to get on was delayed by 2 hours so I arrived in Toronto at 1.30 pm, 6 hours after I was scheduled to. But happily I was able to get a flight and arrive in time to teach for the Toronto guild.
The first two days we did blackwork, I allow people to work different designs in the class so that beginner’s and advanced students can attend the same class.
Below are some of the students working on the blackwork Peacock which was the advanced design.
Laura working on her butterfly and Judy working on her peacock.
Progress made on the blackwork butterfly.
Pat and Pia working on their blackwork love birds.
I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday when I was teaching and both Montreal and Toronto had a chocolate cake to enjoy at the class, which made me happy to no end, celebrating my birthday twice.
I thoroughly enjoyed teaching at both groups. Later I will post pictures from the Toronto needle painting class.
Back in Stock: Magni-Clips Magnifers
/ Apr192018I have all strengths of the magni-clips magnifiers back in stock.
These are great magnifiers that clip onto your glasses and flip up so you can see when you walk around.
I suggest trying reading classes over your regular glasses first to see if magnifiers will work over your glasses as some bifocals don’t focus well with the magni-clips.
Needle Painting Embroidery Pictures of My Designs by Other Stitchers
/ Apr122018I have added pictures of my needle painting designs stitched by customers and students on the photo galleries web page.
Below are a few of the pictures:
New Cotton Honeycomb Tulle (net)
/ Apr092018I have brought in cotton honeycomb tulle net which is 22 holes to the inch and is an alternative to the polyester net that I sell.
The threads of the honeycomb tulle is slightly thicker in comparison to the polyester tulle so easier to see and to work on.
Both are great for Carrickmacross Lace and Fine White Work and are much nicer quality than standard tulle that is sold for wedding veils.
Blackwork Photo Gallery of Customers Embroideries of My Designs
/ Mar262018The blackwork photo gallery page is now set up with pictures of my customers embroideries of my blackwork designs.
If you have stitched one of my blackwork designs from a kit and would like the picture added to the photo gallery page, please email me to let me know.
I will be setting up separate pages for the blackwork on-line class students pictures.
Tanja
I have added a range of random length metal threads
/ Mar192018I have added a range of random length metal threads useful for smaller projects when you don’t require a yard or 10 yards of certain threads.
Kit of the Month for March 2018 – Wild Rose Needle Painting Kit
/ Mar102018The kit special for March 2018 is the Wild Rose Needle Painting Kit.
This is a great embroidery for learning the foundations of long and short stitch and satin stitch.
In the kit I provide the fabric with the design printed on so that you do not have to transfer the design yourself. The threads come organized on a numbered thread template so that you can immediately start stitching and I provide a detailed instruction booklet with lots of diagrams and tips to guide you through the embroidery.
Visit the following web page to purchase the kit: Wild Rose Kit
For a description of the needle painting technique and to see my designs rated from easy to hard visit the following web page: Needle Painting Information
New Product: No. 12 Crewel Embroidery Needles
/ Feb042018I now carry John James No. 12 Crewel Embroidery Needles which are the finest surface embroidery needles available.
The needles are slender with a long eye and sharp point and bend less easily in comparison to No. 12 Short Beading needles.
I recommend using the No. 12 Crewel Embroidery Needles for sewing down Purl Metal threads and fine surface embroidery techniques such as Needle Painting embroidery and Fine White Work.
Kit of the Month for February – Hapsburg Lace Sampler Runner
/ Feb022018This February I am selling the Hapsburg Lace Sampler Runner at a 25% discount.
This is such a fun project to work and it doesn’t require the power of concentration that some of my other techniques do.
You don’t need an embroidery frame to work the sampler, so it is great to take with you and stitch on when you have a spare minute. The sampler can be rolled small so is easy to transport.
The holes in the canvas are also easy to see so you do not need great lighting to work the piece.
This is my go to technique when I want to relax.
Mark Harris’s Slate Frames and Trestles for Needlework
/ Jan312018Check out this post by Mary Corbet on the NeedlenThread forum.
I known Mark Harris personally for over a couple of years when he moved with his wife to Canada from Australia and he came around and showed me his beautifully made slate frames.
They have now moved to England and are setting up his workshop there. He is taking pre-orders for slate frames and trestles at a good price, so he can purchase the equipment to make the frames and trestles in England.
I would highly recommend Marks frames and stands.
It may take a while for you to get the slate frame or trestles as he will be busy for a while setting up and making the pre-orders, but it will be well worth the wait.
The reason I don’t get to do as much stitching as I would like
/ Jan252018Russ and I got our new puppy Quincy last June and I had forgotten how much work a new puppy is.
We now have three dogs that need regular grooming and keeping clean which is my job and which takes up several hours of my week.
I love these fluffy boys but it is a life work and eating into my stitching time 🙁
Bathing the two OES took an hour. 6 1/2 Monty is on the left, 10 month old Quincy the puppy is next to Monty and 8 1/2 year old Buster is napping in the kitchen next to the fridge, waiting for it to open and for treats to be popped into his mouth.
New Yazzii Craft Organizers on Berlin Embroidery Designs
/ Jan252018I love the Yazzii organizers, they are well made and hold a lot of needlework supplies.
I have used the Yazzii organizer large when I am travelling to teach for many years as the soft case squashes nicely into my suit case.
I have brought in a couple of the larger Yazzii organizers which would be great for taking to classes and meetings or using at home.
Kit of the Month: Robin on Blossom Branch Kit
/ Jan172018It has been a tough start to January 2018 for me, experiencing a heavy cold and cough so sorry for the delay in notification for this months kit of the month.
Calgary is in the middle of a cold winter with lots of snow and I am looking forward to the return of spring but I will take advantage of the snow and still do some kicksledding with Monty.
The kit of the month for January is the Robin on Blossom Branch Needle Painting Kit. This very realistic form of embroidery is worked in DMC embroidery cotton threads on a cotton muslin fabric and is an intermediate to advanced level.
You can see my other needle painting designs on the Needle Painting Information page which are rated from beginners to advanced.
Happy New Year!
/ Jan092018I hope you all had a great holiday season. I have not been active on the blog as I was away visiting my parents with my husband in England, they live in the countryside with very sporadic internet so I took a forced internet break.
It was great to reconnect with my family and to live simply again, chatting lots with my family and husband and resting. No dogs to cater too as they were off having their own fun at dog camp.
Now I am back home and enjoying the cool weather and the dogs again.
I hope you have a happy 2018,
Tanja
Decembers Big Sale is my Blackwork Downloable PDF Files
/ Dec072017During December I am offering my cross-stitch Meets Blackwork Patterns at $5.00 a PDF Pattern download instead of $15.00 a pattern.
I am also offering my Blackwork Silhouette Patterns at $5.00 for a PDF Pattern download instead of $15.00 a pattern.
The patterns come as easy to read large charts as well as instructions with step by step numbered charts for the blackwork patterns on the embroidery.
All the designs are good for beginners and fun for any level of embroiderer.
Giveaway of My Goldwork Kits and Supplies on NeedlenThread
/ Dec042017Check out Mary Corbets NeedlenThread forum today as she is doing a giveaway for two of my goldwork kits and supplies to work them.
Marys forum is a great resource for hand embroidery information.
Entry for the draw ends on Friday at 5.00 am USA central time.
Cyber Monday Sale! 15% Discount off Your Order
/ Nov272017Berlin Embroidery Designs Cyber Monday Sale!
Enter the following coupon code in the shopping cart for 15% discount off your order.
cyber201715%
New Hardwood Decorative Laying Tools
/ Nov252017I have a few different hardwood decorative laying tools available which are great for laying embroidery threads or positioning metal threads when you sew them down.
Out of Stock Metal Threads Now Back In Stock
/ Nov232017I have received a new order of metal embroidery threads and I now have the following metal threads back in stock:
Gilt No. 1 Pearl Purl
Gilt No. 3 Pearl Purl
Silver No. 2 Pearl Purl
Gold 2% WM No. 7 Smooth Passing Thread
Gilt No. 6 Smooth Passing Thread
Silver No. 6 Smooth Passing Thread
Copper No. 6 Smooth Passing Thread
What I do with Monty my Old English Sheep Dog in the Winter
/ Nov202017Monty and I love the winter, we like it when it snows. When everyone else in the city is longing for a warm day to melt the snow, we are longing for the snow to fall so we can get out in it and have fun
One of the activities we enjoy is kick-sledding.
The kicksled is like a bike but with ski’s, you can stand on the skis and hold onto the handle bars and kick the ground between the skis to push the kicksled forward. Monty also enjoys pulling the kicksled and is a good way for him to run and for me to be with him.
In this video he spots a deer partway into the run. He loves deer and wants to chase them but fortunately I stopped him before he decided to go.
Needle Painting Embroideries of Dogs by Tanja Berlin
/ Nov102017I have added a page to my website with pictures of embroideries that I have stitched of dogs in the needle painting technique.
These embroideries were done as commission pieces or as gifts and are worked from a photograph of the dog.
Needle Painting Dog Embroideries
Work-in-Progress Pictures of the Sea Otter by Tanja Berlin
/ Nov022017I have added work-in-progress pictures of the sea otter that I stitched for my sister for Christmas one year. Visit the webpage to see how I stitched the embroidery from the beginning to the end.
Hand Embroidery Kit Special for November
/ Nov022017The kit of the month for November is the floral motif kit reduced by $10.00 Canadian dollars.
The floral motif is a beginners in my surface embroidery kits. Surface embroidery stitches on the design include: trellis patterns, stem stitch, chain stitch, heavy chain stitch, buttonhole stitch, French knots, seeding, spider web filling, herringbone stitch and more.
The embroidery is worked on silk fabric using DMC embroidery cotton threads, metallic threads, organza fabric and silver leather.
The design comes hand drawn on the fabric and the threads are organized on a thread template and numbered. The instructions come with numbered colour guide so you know exactly what colour thread and stitch to work on the embroidery.
Monty and Quincy and Buster
/ Oct292017I just wanted to show you my two fluffy Old English Sheepdogs, Monty and Quincy the puppy. They bring me much joy and happiness, they are a bit of a distraction at the moment from stitching as I am busy training Monty for agility and the puppy.
Oh and I can’t neglect to mention Buster, my lovely quiet in comparison to the other two, Newfoundland.
Fun Times This Weekend End with My Old English Sheep Dog Monty
/ Oct262017I have had not much time to myself over the last two weeks, thanks to the lovely review that Mary Corbet of NeedlenThread wrote about my website with the 10% discount offer and thanks to all my customers who placed orders over the last two weeks.
I still have the 10% discount available on purchases from my website until Friday 27th of October. If you are interested, please visit the NeedlenThread and read the article for the discount code.
I took a couple of days off this past weekend which I spent with Monty my Old English Sheep dog who loves to do agility. This was one of our most fun runs, Monty took an extra jump just before the last tunnel but Monty had fun and this was our smoothest run of the weekend.
Information PDF Files for Hand Embroidery
/ Oct182017I have set up a new webpage where I list my Information PDF files that you can download for free or for a small fee.
The picture opposite is from Mounting an Embroidery Ready for Framing PDF File.
It is much more cost effective to be able to mount your own embroidery ready to go into the frame rather than have the framer do the mounting for you. You are also more in control of how your embroidery is finished.
Take control of all aspects of your embroidery process and you will get a deeper satisfaction of your work. 🙂
Tanja
Review of my Website on NeedlenThread
/ Oct152017Mary Corbet of NeedlenThread wrote a lovely review of my website on Friday, thank you Mary.
With the review she wrote there is a 10% discount code to use on my website until Friday 27th of October, so pop on over to her forum to read the review and to get the code 10% discount code.
Tanja
Metal Thread Information PDF File
/ Oct132017Some of you have mentioned to me that it would be nice to have the metal thread information page in a printable file so I have created a PDF file with all the information and pictures that you see on my Metal Thread Information Page.
The PDF file is handy to have as you can easily print of the pages that are of interest to you.
I am charging a small fee for the PDF file to help cover the time it has taken me to create the information page and the PDF file. There are 98 pages in the PDF file with pictures and information and is valuable resource for metal thread embroidery.
Thank you for your support,
Tanja
My Stitched Artwork is on Display at the Glenbow Museum
/ Oct082017I am very proud to announce that four of my stitched hand embroideries are on display at the Glenbow Museum in downtown Calgary from the 7th of October 2017 until the 13th of May 2018 in the Eye of the Needle Exhibition.
The exhibition features needlework from the past and present, traditional and contemporary.
One of the four designs that I have on show is the Blackwork Elephant. This piece took me a year to stitch, over 200 hours of designing and stitching and I am really proud of this piece as I believe it is a true piece of art in technical needlework.
The other three designs are my animal portraits in needle and thread. Each animal is stitched in a single strand of DMC embroidery cotton thread, blending a range of colours to create the realistic fur like effect. This technique of needlework requires hours of stitching experience to get beautiful results.
On Friday night I went to the exhibition opening with my husband Russ and we enjoyed looking around the different exhibitions and taking photos with me and my work. I feel proud to be among over needlework designers from the past and present.
I like to thank Mary-Beth Laviolette the curator for the Eye of the Needle exhibition for giving me this opportunity to display my work.
You can try your own hand at these embroideries as I have written very detailed instructions on how to stitch these pieces of art in needlework. My goal is to pass on my skills to keep these traditional, realistic hand embroidery techniques alive and active among stitchers today and in the future.
Jack Rabbit/Hare Needle Painting
Check out this Awesome Post on Stem Stitch VS Outline Stitch by Mary Corbet
/ Oct062017I often get asked in my surface embroidery classes such as needle painting what the difference between stem stitch and outline stitch is.
Stem stitch and outline stitch are the most commonly used stitches for lines on surface embroidery. They are worked in a similar method but can have different appearances depending on what thread you use. The main difference being the thickness of the line and the twist of the thread. As I mostly use just one single strand of fine DMC embroidery cotton thread in my designs it is not very noticeable to see the difference so I am not concerned if a stem stitch or an outline stitch is used but it is good to know if you are working on larger designs and using a heavy thread such as perle cotton.
Mary Corbet of NeedlenThread forum wrote this excellent article on stem stitch versus outline stitch which is well worth reading. There are also video instructions on how to work stem stitch and outline stitch if you are not familiar with the stitches.
Enjoy it is a great visual learning experience.
A Little Doggy Playtime to Warm Up Your Day
/ Oct032017Monday was our first snow day for the fall. My dogs love the cold and it makes them super lively and somewhat obnoxious if they don’t get out and play. Monty is the obnoxious one, barking at imaginary squirrels in the trees or at his brothers 🙂
We all need some playtime in out lives whether it is sitting and stitching or running around a snowy back yard.
Needle Painting Class in Saskatoon, SK
/ Oct022017I had a very fun time this weekend teaching a needle painting class to a lovely group of enthusiastic stitchers at the Bridge City Needlearts Embroiderers Guild in Saskatoon SK.
Five ladies worked on the Red Fox embroidery and 6 ladies worked on the Clear Purple Pansy embroidery.
Everyone did really well with this challenging technique and some were absolute beginners.
Eileen worked on the Red Fox, this was her first time taking a class in needle painting, her passion is canvas work but wanted to try something different due to having a painful wrist from stitching with heavy threads on stiff canvas. She did very well, surface embroidery comes naturally to her and I hope it will be her new or alternative enjoyment in hand embroidery.
Pat was my host whilst I stayed in Saskatoon, she is so much fun and I am so happy to have stayed with Pat. Pat was also born in the united Kingdom and we have lots to chat about. Pat loves surface embroidery and has stitched embroideries by many different surface embroidery designers and is a very accomplished stitcher.
Susan only just joined the embroiderers guild to take my class and wow she amazed me at her speed and accuracy and almost finished the pansy in the two days class. This is very impressive as I would have a hard time in a classroom setting to complete the pansy in two days. She is also a beautiful stitcher.
Susan’s Clear Purple Pansy embroidery.
I hope that all the Saskatoon ladies continue with the needle painting technique and keep it alive.
If you live in or near Saskatoon and would like to explore the world of hand embroidery, the friendly ladies of the Bridge City Needlearts Embroiderers Guild would love for you to come and join them.
Tanja Berlin
Me with the samples 🙂
Away Teaching Needle Painting Hand Embroidery Class
/ Sep292017I am away teaching needle painting hand embroidery the red fox and the clear purple pansy this weekend in Saskatoon. I hope you have a fun weekend, Tanja
read moreNavigating the Embroidery Kit Options
/ Sep262017For most kits there are some price options.
For example the Blackwork Peacock kit options range from $25.00 – $63.00.
From the Blackwork kits page click on SELECT OPTIONS button to get to the Blackwork Peacock main webpage Blackwork Peacock main page.
When you are on the main page for just the blackwork peacock kit, click on the choose an option box and a drop down list will show the different price options.
Below the Add To Cart button are two sections:
Categories: this shows where blackwork peacock is listed on my website.
Tags: If you click one of the tags it will take you to page with embroidery kits of that subject.
There is a complete description of the blackwork peacock kit below the choose an option drop down list, which lists, the choice of fabrics, size of the embroidery and exactly what’s in the kit.
Excellent Hand Embroidery Resource
/ Sep242017One of the most excellent resources on the internet for hand embroidery is Mary Corbet’s NeedleNThread If you have not visited her site you must go there and explore all the information that she has to offer. She sends out a daily email newsletter on embroidery tips, reviews on needlework products and things she is working on.
I highly recommend Mary’s Surface Embroidery Stitch Videos. These videos will be really useful if you purchase any of my Surface Embroidery Kits.
Mary also has some great beginners tutorials in surface hand embroidery, if you are not ready for my surface embroidery kits in the form of ebooks.
I will cover more of her brilliant posts later on.
Tanja
New Website Information Page
/ Sep232017I have added a really comprehensive webage on metal threads, which has a photograph of the metal thread set up against a ruler so you have a better idea of the size of the metal thread, making it easier for you to choose metal threads for your own embroidery.
I also have included pictures and descriptions of how the metal thread can be used in an embroidery.
You can link from the metal thread information page to the product pages by clicking on the name of the metal thread that is highlighted in blue.
New – USA Currency Option To Pay for Your Order
/ Sep192017Hi
You are now able to purchase supplies from my website in USA dollars as well as in Canadian dollars.
I am based in Canada but a lot of people who love to do embroidery are in the USA and it will be much easier now as you will know how much you are paying when you pay for your order rather than waiting for the bank to convert the charge from Canadian to USA dollars.
Shipping costs is also pretty reasonable from Canada. I do not include shipping in the cost of my kits and supplies as I would have to put the value of my items up to cover costs. I like to be fair and honest with my pricing and charge shipping separately.
Thanks for dropping by,
Tanja