Tatreez Talk

TALA & NIVEEN ARE THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER TATREEZ ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS BEHIND PALMERA ART (@palmera_art). Their story is one of weaving memory and heritage across borders—from Jerusalem to Kuwait, Saudi, Canada, and now Dubai—while never losing sight of their Palestinian roots. In this episode, they share how their family history, displacement, and deep love for home have all shaped their creative journey.

Listeners will hear how s...

MARYAM IS A TATREEZ ARTIST AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZER BASED IN NYC (@MARYOOMAISTATREEZING). From her family’s village of Ein Yabroud in the Ramallah district to Venezuela to New York City, she shares how her early connection to Palestine came through political news on Al Jazeera before finding a more personal entry point through tatreez.

Maryam explains how tatreez became a grounding practice, helping her feel tethered to her roots in ...

IN THIS EPISODE, WE’RE KICKING OFF SEASON 5 OF TATREEZ TALK! Join Lina and Amanne as we catch up after a full summer of teaching, creating, and building community — and share what’s in store for the new season.

Summer Highlights

• Launch of Lina’s new “Design Your Thobe Story” workshop → happening Sept 25 + 27 for just $33! This 90-minute workshop is the easiest way to finally start your thobe — you’ll walk away with Lina’s sewing ...

JOANNA BARAKAT IS AN ARTIST, FOUNDER OF THE TATREEZ CIRCLE, AND NOW AUTHOR (@joanna.barakat.art; @thetatreezcircle). Joanna shares how tatreez became central to her identity—even though neither of her Palestinian grandmothers wore embroidered dresses. Her connection grew not from proximity, but from a deep sense of belonging and curiosity about the meaning behind the stitches.

Frustrated by the lack of resources on Palestinian embro...

NISREEN IS A PALESTINIAN TATREEZ ARTIST BASED IN THE UK (@nisreensthreads). Nisreen’s tatreez journey began during lockdown when she stumbled upon the tradition and decided to give it a try. Starting with simple motifs, she taught herself using YouTube and Instagram tutorials—gradually falling in love with the rhythm and meaning behind every stitch.

Her first major project was a denim jacket embroidered with the names of Palestinian...

AMAL IS A BUILDER, TATREEZER, AND EXPLORER (@amalalii). Amal begins by recounting her upbringing in Deir Dibwan, a village near Ramallah, where tatreez was ever-present—in homes, on clothing, and as part of daily life. Inspired at a young age by her aunt’s embroidered Qur’anic verses and wedding scenes, Amal grew up surrounded by both the aesthetic and cultural depth of tatreez.

Now living outside of Palestine, tatreez remains a gro...

TALA AND JOANN TOTAH ARE TWO BAY AREA-BASED PALESTINIAN ARTISTS WHO EMBRACE THE IMPERFECT, JOYFUL, AND REBELLIOUS PRACTICE OF EMBROIDERY THROUGH THEIR BELOVED TEAM MESSY BACK MANIFESTO (@tatreezwithtala; @joanndotcom). With humor and heart, they share the story of their family roots in Ramallah, Ramleh, and Taybeh, reflecting on how diaspora, displacement, and devotion to culture shaped their identities and creative work. Tala and ...

AMANI ALBAHRI IS THE FOUNDER OF TANTURA AND A THOBE COLLECTOR WHOSE WORK CENTERS PALESTINIAN MEMORY AND MATERIAL CULTURE (@TANTURA.CO). Through stories of her family and her collection, Amani offers a powerful reminder that thobes are not just garments—they are vessels of story, survival, and identity. Her reflections sparked deep conversations about what it means to embed yourself in a thobe, not just understand what was embedded ...

TALA IS A CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OR GOOD RAIN PUBLISHING, AN INDEPENDENT PALESTINIAN OWNED CHILDREN'S PUBLISHER (@tala.loves.books; @goodrainpublishing). She shares her family’s roots in Umm al-Fahm and how her identity as a Palestinian in the U.S. shaped her storytelling.

Tala’s work centers Palestinian narratives often missing from children’s literature. She highlights the power of stories as tools ...

FARAH IS A TATREEZ ARTIST, CRAFTER, POET, AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER (@artcoloredglasses). Farah shares her family roots in the village of Kur near Tulkarem, and speaks about the generational trauma caused by the 1948 Nakba, which split her family across borders. Though her great aunts were seamstresses, Farah grew up cut off from the tradition of embroidery. She shares how this generational rupture shaped her longing for cultural connec...

IN THIS EPISODE, WE’RE JOINED BY SISTERS JENNIFER AND CHRISTINE, WHO JOINED US THE TATREEZ RETREAT 2024 IN YOSEMITE. CHRISTINE IS AN AMATEUR TATREEZER, SPORTS ENTHUSIAST, AND ASPIRING CASUAL CRAFTER. JENNIFER IS AN AMATEUR TATREEZER TOO, AND AN AVID COOK AND HOMEMAKER (@__nif__). The conversation brings out so much joy in finding tatreez sisterhood and their relationship as sisters has fueled their shared creative pursuits.

For both...

RAZAN IS A DIASPORIC PALESTINIAN RESEARCHER, COMMUNITY WORKER AND TATREEZ FACILITATOR BASED OUT OF TORONTO (@STITCHINGLIBERATION). Razan introduces her work, which is rooted in Indigenous and Palestinian feminist methodologies to consider the relationships, material cultures, and joint resistances between Palestinian and Indigenous communities engaging in collective world building on Turtle Island.

Razan reflects on how tatreez serv...

EMAN IS THE FOUNDER OF THE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT TATREEZ THERAPY (@EMAN_MSM; @TATREEZ_THERAPY). In this episode, Eman opens up about her family roots in Yaffa and Ne’lin, and how those places, now shaped by occupation and displacement, live on in her through tatreez.

Eman speaks about the joy and experimentation that fuel her approach to tatreez—remixing motifs, embracing imperfections, and treating the art form as a dynamic space for s...

SARA IS THE FOUNDER OF DEERAH; A SMALL TATREEZ DESIGN HOUSE THAT SHEDS LIGHT ON THE ART OF PALESTINIAN EMBROIDERY AND CHALLENGING DEEP-SEATED PREJUDICES AGAINST PALESTINIAN CULTURE (@DEERAHCO).

In this episode, we dive into one of the most asked topics: how to properly wear and care for your tatreez—whether it’s something you embroidered yourself or a piece you’ve purchased and cherish.

With Sara’s expertise in crafting high-quality ...

We’re back with Season 4 of Tatreez Talk! In this episode, we catch you up on what we’ve been up to—from Amanne’s workshops with the San Francisco Public Library during SWANA and Arab American Heritage Month, to Lina’s recent trip to Japan and her exploration of sustainability through thrifting and reimagining how we can bring new life to what’s already in our closets. We reflect on how tatreez continues to be a tool for storytelli...

WE WELCOME BACK TWO RETURNING GUESTS—BAYAN FARES OF BADAN COLLECTIVE (@badancollective) AND EMAN TOOM OF HINT OF TATREEZ (@hintoftatreez)—FOR A POWERFUL CONVERSATION ABOUT CULTURAL PRESERVATION, APPROPRIATION, AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT COME WITH TEACHING PALESTINIAN EMBROIDERY. The discussion kicks off with personal stories: how both Bayan and Eman came to teach tatreez, and what it means to them in the context of identity, dia...

DANA IS A TATREEZ ARTIST, ALSO KNOWN ONLINE AS TATREEZ WITH DANDUNA (@tatreez.with.danduna). In this episode of Tatreez Talk, we sit down for an honest and moving conversation about how tatreez became an unexpected yet deeply powerful part of Dana’s life. She shares how her Palestinian roots shaped her identity, and how the events of 2021 and the ongoing genocide since October 7th catalyzed a shift in her activism and creative expr...

NATALIE TAHHAN, A FASHION DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR AND INSTRUCTOR AT BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY (@natalietahhanofficial/@ntstudi0). Natalie shares her unique life journey, growing up in Doha after being born in Jerusalem, and the deep-rooted pull that eventually led her to return to Palestine. 

She opens up about the difficult decision to return in 2015 to protect her Jerusalem ID, facing financial and legal challenges to preserve her connecti...

ZEINA IS A JEWELRY DESIGNER AND FOUNDER OF ASHERAH JEWELLERY, DEDICATED TO CELEBRATING, PRESERVING, AND RAISING AWARENESS OF PALESTINIAN TATREEZ THROUGH HANDMADE BEADED JEWELRY (@ asherahjewelleryuk). Together, we hear about her journey as a half-Palestinian, half-Iraqi artist, growing up in a culturally rich household that shaped her creative identity. 

From her family roots in Ramleh to the deep influence of her mother’s pride in ...