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"To know the history of embroidery is to know the history of women.” - Rozsika Parker, The Subversive Stitch
Embroidery is a form of decorative needlework in which a needle and thread are used to create a pattern using various types of stitches on a pre-existing material. In Palestine specifically, the cross stitch embroidery form is known as tatreez.
Folk forms of expression in traditional communities are often created, transmitted, and preserved through gender-specific means. TATREEZ is inherently feminized as it has shaped and continues to shape female identity in Palestine. As embroidery was strictly limited to women, groups of women were essentially "knitted" together on the foundation of the othering of their gender.
Embroidery production within the home has been regarded for centuries as a necessary skill learned by girls from their female family members. The quality of work indicates a young girl's patience, creativity, and ability to decorate a home once married. She "was assessed not only on her general character... but her embroidery was examined and commented upon, for its execution revealed her personality." Additionally, it reflected her capability to earn a living if necessary. Embroidered pieces such as dresses and decorative objects for the home were often sold in markets by widows and elderly women to earn a living. Embroidery was not solely an activity to pass the time, but it was stitched into social and economic means of exchange.
Bethlehem bride, early 20th century
coURTESY OF THE Palestine Costume Archive
veil; head-shawl; marriage equipment
DATE: 19TH CENTURY
MATERIAL: linen, silk
COURTESY OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM
Before 1948 and the beginning of the Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic), Palestinian dress embroidery was determined by regional styles, in which different motifs expressed certain characteristics of villages as well as the wearer's social status, wealth, and origin. Choice in color, patterns, stitches, and embroidery placement reflected regional identity. Vivid colors such as red were often worn by young women as they represented youth and vitality. As women grew older, they chose darker colors, which were deemed culturally appropriate. For widows, the color black was the standard. Forms of stitches include the falahi, the cross stitch in which x-shaped stitches are used in a tiled-like pattern. The couching stitch, which secures a piece of thread or yarn onto the garment to create a unique texture, is especially popular in Bethlehem.
Young girl in a traditional Palestinian thobe (regional dress with hand-stitched patterns) sharing comics with other children. 1920–1935
cOURTESY OF THE PALESTINIAN PHOTO PROJECT
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