Thank you for your time reading this post.

In 2023 at the age of 52 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, my diagnosis was somewhat delayed as symptoms were coinciding with the hip replacement that I had in 2022, so a lot of my symptoms were mistaken for side effects of my hip problem. These symptoms were stiffness, dragging foot, slow body movements, weakness and fatigue.

Fortunately a vigilant physician noticed that these symptoms were not related to the hip issue and started the process of my diagnosis.  I had an MRI which showed white spots (lesions) on my brain and when I tried the Parkinson’s drug, I had a remarkable improvement in my motor functions and mental well being.

Parkinson’s disease is hard to diagnose as there is no simple test that can be done and sometimes it can take years, with symptoms being labelled as something else.  For instance a friend I met through Parkinson’s boxing was misdiagnosed for seven years as having a mental disorder/hypochondria where in fact it was Parkinson’s disease causing her anxiety and tremors and once she received the Parkinson’s medication her anxiety and tremors were greatly reduced.

What is known about Parkinson’s disease is that the dopamine producing brain cells start dying (showing as lesions in the brain) and you can not reproduce these cells.  Dopamine is that feel good chemical produced in the brain, without it a person experiences a range of symptoms, tremor is the most well known (I do not experience this symptom unless I really over do it), constipation, body pain, stiffness, apathy, fatigue, anxiety and a multitude of other symptoms.

There is not one definite reason why the dopamine producing cells die, but one of the things that is suggested is toxic chemical exposure in our environment, food and house hold products.  This could possibly be the reason why I have Parkinson’s as I grew up living next to crop fields where the chemical ‘Paraquat’ was sprayed as a herbicide/pesticide which has been linked to Parkinson’s disease.  I can trace my earliest Parkinson’s symptoms of constipation back to when I was a child.   Paraquat is now banned in 60 countries but as of 2026 is still widely used on food crops in the USA, Australia with some restrictions, South Africa and some developing countries.

One of the debilitating conditions of Parkinson’s for me is apathy and fatigue which does not allow me to do long days anymore of needlework designing, stitching, writing instructions, making kits, teaching and doing website orders, which I really enjoyed doing.  Now a working day is a 1/3rd or less of what I used to be able to do and it’s hard to multitask.

It has been recorded that within 5 years of the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease most people will have to give up work or reduce work significantly as it is not physically and mentally possible to continue as one did before.  Unfortunately I am one of the statistics.  I really want to do all that I used to, but I can’t, my body won’t let me, if I try my body gets very painful and fatigued.  It is an unfair disease as a person with Parkinson’s disease works less hours but pays more in medical bills and assistance, which makes it a huge struggle for some people to cover life’s essentials.

The Parkinson’s drug Levodopa Carbidopa is a commonly used drug that artificially replaces the lost dopamine in the brain.  It has its side effects, if I take too much I get dyskinesia (involuntarily body movements).  There are times between doses called ‘off times’ when it is hard to function.  It has taken me several years to find a good balance and it will always be an ongoing experiment with the amount and timing of the drug as the disease is progressive.  I am now also on a dopamine agonist which helps level out my Levodopa medication and makes it last longer and it has taken away some of my apathy, which I am very happy about as now I am really excited about designing and stitching again and doing more scent training with my dogs.

In March I rediscovered peyote beading and have been on a designing and stitching flurry ever since.  The technique pushes my imagination and is fun to do and completing a piece is very rewarding.  I recommend the technique for everyone for keeping one’s fine motor skills and mind sharp.

I have designed an absolute beginners kit/pattern in beading which will give people a taste of the beading technique and will raise some money for Parkinson’s research. The kit will make a great gift for anyone who likes to try crafts and is suitable for people aged 16+.  The finished beading will make a lovely personalized gift to give to someone who has Parkinson’s disease to let them know you are thinking about them.

‘Tiny Tulip’ Kit or Pattern

Parkinson’s disease is one of the fastest growing neurological diseases and although I am not optimistic for a cure, I am hopeful that Parkinson’s research will uncover the reasons why people are getting Parkinson’s disease and announce globally the reasons and how we can prevent it, to help future generations.

Please share this post with all your family and friends and social media. I hope to raise awareness of this disease, the more people know about the symptoms and possible causes the more likelihood for earlier diagnosis and precautions we can take to prevent getting this disease.  It is hard to spread the word on my own, it takes a community to raise awareness.

Personally at this point in my journey of Parkinson’s disease, I am happy and doing things that I love.  I keep fit with boxing and walking the dogs.  I know there is the option for the levodopa pump and deep brain stimulation when my symptoms get worse and I keep myself updated for the latest treatments through some excellent Podcasts: The Michael J Fox Parkinson’s Foundation, Movers and Shakers, Two Peas in a Pod, No Silver Bullet

Thank you for reading this post,

Tanja

Quincy and Leif – the fluffies

I am no longer selling the metal threads for hand embroidery, to free up time for me to design and stitch.

My stitching friend Wendy Innes who is also a needlework designer in Stumpwork, Goldwork and surface embroidery will be carrying a range of metal threads once she has her website up and running, which is a big undertaking. If you have an urgent order please email me and I will forward your email to Wendy.

I will continue to sell the Metal Threads Information PDF file as it is a useful reference manual of how different metal threads can be used and it can be referred to if you purchase metal threads else where.

Wendy will also be able to provide the metal threads for my Goldwork designs, if you are interested in a PDF file for one of my Goldwork Designs which is not on the website yet, please email me to let me know and I will put it on the website and please email me if you need threads for one of my designs and I will put you in touch with Wendy.

I am discontinuing the sale of the Metal Threads for Goldwork Embroidery on my Website and I am offering a 20% sale on the metal threads until the end of July, after which my website will no longer carry the metal threads. The 20% discount is applied to the product on the website and is a great deal as the prices of gold to make the threads keep rising. Whatever does not sell by the end of July will be removed from my website and there will be no further discount.

The good news is there will be another stitcher in Canada who will be selling the same excellent quality metal threads that I have provided for the past 24 years sometime later this summer or fall. I will provide more information when I get details.

In March I took a much-needed break and went on a two-week holiday with my friend. When we were away I rediscovered my love for Peyote beading stitch and designed and stitched a Panda peyote beaded picture for my sister.

I delivered the beaded Panda picture to my sister in the UK when I went for a family visit in May. It was so pleasurable to give the beaded Panda to her as she was so appreciative and knows the value of handmade items. It looks awesome in her home.

When I was away I came to the realization that I have really missed designing and stitching as I haven’t done much in the last year, mainly as I do not have the time.

To free up some time I have made the decision to discontinue selling the Goldwork Metal Threads and Supplies. I have been selling the threads since 2002, they are the best quality metal  threads for goldwork embroidery manufactured in the United Kingdom.

Discontinuing the sale of the metal threads will free up some time for me to do more designing and stitching and writing instructions/patterns and making kits.

Please check out my website for the Metal Threads that I have in stock. The product is updated as I sell them. The 20% discount is applied to the product on the website and is a great deal as the prices of gold to make the threads keep rising. Whatever does not sell by the end of July will be removed from my website, there will be no further discount.

Thank you for your continued support during this transition and I hope you will enjoy my new creations for others to stitch.

If you have any questions please Email me

Tanja

Tanja Belin’s Hand Embroidery Kits and Patterns

I continue to sell my popular Hand Embroidery Kits and Patterns globally and I will soon be offering my needle painting kit instructions as PDF file downloads. In the past I have been reluctant to sell my embroidery instructions as PDF files as there is a lot of work that has gone into creating the designs and the instructions and it is easy for people to share my PDF files with other people.
I think that stitchers are more aware these days about copy right infringement and how it impacts designers and their income if they share a pattern and I hope that sharing patterns is no longer a regular occurrence. I will be selling the Needle Painting Instructions PDF files with password protection unique to the purchaser.
You may still want to purchase the needle painting kit instead as it comes with the design printed on the fabric and the threads organized and numbered on thread templates saving you a big step in the beginning.

During 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.

View Kit Details

Blackwork Butterfly Small

During 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.