Bernese mountain dog embroidery pattern: stitch your own Berner from a photo

The real pattern: Otis, our sample Berner

Our pattern maker made this from a photo of Otis, a tricolor Bernese mountain dog and one of the sample dogs we use to test it. The photo is an AI-made sample image. The drawing, the dots and the stitched preview are the pattern maker's real output.

Find the small rounded outlines above Otis' eyes: those are his rust eyebrow spots, drawn as edges. With the lines of the white blaze down the middle of the face, they say Berner even in one color of thread. The black coat is just its outline and the longer fur lines.

What makes a Berner look like a Berner in thread

The Bernese standard describes a tricolor dog: a jet-black ground with rich rust and clear white markings. Rust appears over each eye and on the cheeks, there's a white blaze and muzzle band, and the white on the chest often forms an upside-down cross. The ears are medium-sized, triangular and hang close to the head. In black thread the color is gone, so you stitch where the colors meet.

• The rust spots over the eyes. Stitch each one as a small rounded outline above the eye. They're tiny, and they're the most Berner thing on the face.
• The blaze and muzzle band. Lines down the middle of the forehead, opening out around the muzzle. Leave the white bare.
• The black coat is an outline. Stitch the outer edge of the head and ears and a few long fur lines on the chest. Never fill the black. Want more texture later? A small patch of turkey work on the thick fur of the neck gives a soft, raised ruff. It's an extra, not part of the pattern.
• The chest cross. If your photo shows it, a few lines where the white chest meets the black are enough.

Getting a good photo of your Berner

• Shoot close, by a big window or outdoors in open shade, with even light across the face. A Berner's black head hides its own edges in dim light.
• Wait for a catchlight in each eye. Dark eyes in a black face need it to show.
• A closed mouth is easier. A big Berner smile adds a tongue and lots of extra lines.
• We learned this one ourselves. Our first sample photo, taken outdoors with the mouth open, gave a pattern with small, stray satin spots along the black coat. A closer photo by a window, mouth closed, gave Otis' cleaner one.

If the pattern maker turns your photo away, it's usually too dark: try your brightest one. More in black and very dark dogs and how to choose a photo for a pet portrait. The same goes double for a Berner puppy, and the new puppy gift page has tips for a sharp puppy photo.

Stitching order for a Bernese mountain dog

1. Head and ears. Back stitch the outline of the head and the two triangular ears.
2. The landmarks. Stitch the rounded rust spots above the eyes and the lines of the blaze, before any fur.
3. Eyes and nose. Satin stitch the pupils from the middle out with the highlight left bare, then fill the nose around the nostrils.
4. Muzzle and chest. Stitch the muzzle band, the mouth line and the edge of the white chest.
5. Fur lines, then stop. Add the longest fur lines on the ears and chest, root to tip, and stop while the coat still looks soft.

Common Bernese mistakes

It reads as a different black dog.

The rust spots or the blaze got left out. They're the landmarks: stitch them before the fur.

The coat looks heavy.

Too many fur lines. Keep the longest strokes and let the linen show between them.

The brow spots look like extra eyes.

They were stitched too big or too dark. Keep each one a small, light outline, well above the eye.

Questions people ask

Keep going

• How-to guideHow to embroider fur in one color of threadLine-art fur in black thread, stitched root to tip, and when to switch to long and short stitch for realistic fur.
• How-to guideHow to embroider eyes for a pet portraitSatin-stitched pupils with a bare highlight: the step that gives a stitched pet its expression.
• How-to guideHow to choose the right photo for a pet portraitThe light, angle and framing that make a photo stitch well, and the checks a photo has to pass.
• Stitch guideHow to do a back stitchA solid, unbroken line for outlines, lettering and fine details.
• Stitch guideHow to do a satin stitchStraight stitches laid side by side to fill small shapes, like eyes and noses.
• Dog breedGolden retriever embroidery pattern: stitch your own golden from a photoA real golden retriever pattern from our pattern maker, and how to stitch the feathering, eyes and coat in black thread.
• Dog breedBeagle embroidery pattern: stitch your own beagle from a photoA real beagle pattern from our pattern maker, and how to stitch the long ears, the blaze and the patch edges in black thread.
• Free toolThe free 3D Stitch SimulatorPractice back stitch and satin stitch on a 3D hoop you can turn, zoom and flip.