Tatreez For Beginners

Tatreez For

Beginners

Palestinian Edition

By Sama Al Najjar

Tatreez for Beginners

By Sama Al Najjar

Welcome to Tatreez!

How about you learn Tatreez to continue the Journey of the Palestinian women?

Tatreez is a symbol of Palestinan Identity, the patterns change from city to city, and are a symbol of important events, such as weddings or pregnancies. The Colors used would also symbolize different stages in life. for example:

Ramallah Al - Khalil Future Brides Young girl Mature Women

The Map of Palestine

AL- QUDS RAMALLAH BE THLEHEM AL - KHALIL JAFFA GAZA BEERSHEBA NABLUS JININ NAZERET H HAIFA TULKARM JORDAN

EGYPT

SYRIA

Step 1 - Finding the beginning point

AIDA CANVAS

Make a crease by folding the aida cloth (canvas) in half. Open and fold the cloth by rotating it 90°and mark your middle point ( • ) with a pencil. This is the midpoint, the centre of the embroidery.

After you marked the centre of the embroidery on the canvas find the centre of embroidery on the design by counting the number of stitches in whole design. Half the numbers will be the midpiont (× ). This will be your starting point.

note: the centre of embroidery is not always the starting point

Step 2 - Prepare your needle and thread

Cut 70 to 80 cm. from the thread and put the thread in the needle and make a knot at the end.

Tatreez Stitch Guide

80 cm 60

Step 3 - Beginning of the Tatreez

Individual cross stitch

From your starting point, begin the first cross stitch according to the following diagrams. Then continue according to the steps below.

A horizontal line of cross stitches

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

up at 3

From below, bring the needle to 1. down at 2 and and down at 4 ( a cross is formed)

1 2 3 10 5 6 7 4 9 8 1 2 3 10 5 6 7 4 8 1 2

A Vertical cross stitch line

A Diagonal cross stitch line

Each Stitch is done as an individual cross stitch

1 2

Palestinian Thobes (Dresses)

RAMALLAH - JAFFA -

HEBRON - GAZA -

RAMALLAH -

Did you know!

Ramallah textile known as “Rumi” was woven by hand!

The Palestinian women used to do Tatreez on the white Rumi for summer and when the seasons changes they dye it to black and embroider on it. It was known about the Palestinian women’s accuracy in counting the threads of the cloth so that the stitches are regular, and in counting the stitches they organize the geometric patterns and shapes which are embroidered perfectly onto the dress.

RAMALLAH

*Make sure to embroider horizontally

RAMALLAH

Check out the video QR code for a tutorial!! (Page 36) Start End

Learn the how to embroider the Palm tree!

JAFFA -

Did you know!

The city of Jaffa is located on the Mediterranean coast, northwest of Jerusalem. Since the ancient times, Jaffa is know for its citrus fruits whose green trees surround the city and its neighboring villages.

Jaffa district Tatreez is famous for its accuracy and elegance. The stitches are beautifully decorated and the patterns are elegant and expressive.

When looking at the embroidery patterns on the dress of this region, we notice that its decorative units were surrounded in most cases with patterns of the cypress tree, just as the cypress trees surrounded the orange groves.

JAFFA

Learn the how to embroider the Jaffa Cypress tree

Check out the video QR code for a tutorial!!

(Page 36)

*Make sure to embroider horizontally

JAFFA

Start End

HEBRON -

Did you know!

Hebron is rich in its heritage and ancient in its traditions, its artisans worked for centuries in various craft industries, such as glass blowing, pottery, decorating leather, and the textile industry.

The cotton fabrics known as al-Qarawi, woven by hand with a loom, were woven in large quantities and dyed with indigo for the dresses of the villagers.

The villagers used to come from the surrounding areas to shop for these fabrics from the Friday Market in Hebron.

The Hebron district includes several villages that are famous for their dresses and embroidery, which are distinguished by their density and multiplicity of colors and patterns.

HEBRON

Learn the how to embroider the Basha’s Tent!

Start

Check out the video QR code for a tutorial!!

(Page 36)

HEBRON

*Make sure to embroider horizontally End

GAZA -

Did you know!

The land of Gaza was famous for its fertility, green pastures, and the abundance of herds of livestock that were used for the production of wool, which motivated its people to weave wool.

Among the most important cities of the Gaza Strip is Asdod al-Majdl and Gaza City itself. Asdod is a port on the coast and was known for its distinctive embroidery with large geometric units. Al-Majdl was a center for weaving and used to supply all Palestinian villages with fabrics until 1948.

The Gazan cloth, made of cotton and linen, had a distinctive canary or edge of striped colored silk.

The entire population of al-Majdal was evacuated in the 1948 war (Al -Nakba), and some of them became refugees in a camp in Gaza, where their weavers continue their weaving.