Fabric: Authentic Jordanian Tatreez Cross-Stitch Embroidery, Red/Black. Made in Jordan, Sold by the Yard

We are excited to offer authentic Jordanian/Palestinian tatreez embroidered fabric made in Jordan.

Width:  11 inches
Length:  sold in increments of 1/2 yard and 1 yard.
Material:  a polyester fabric similar to that used for thobe dresses
 
This is not printed fabric, it's embroidered on an embroidery machine and hand-finished. There is a stabilizing fabric on the back which is used when embroidering.  The fabric takes approximately two weeks to make.

If ordering multiple 1/2 yards or yards, we will cut as one continuous piece, just like a fabric store. For example, if you order two yards of the same fabric, we will cut one 2-yard piece.

Tatreez is Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery distinguishable by its luscious color schemes and elaborate patterns. This textile art emerged in the Middle East nearly 3,000 years ago. The tradition was passed down orally from mother to daughter, from generation to generation. The embroidery stitching is its own language using symbols to tell stories of one’s nation, village, family, and heritage. The symbols, thread, and cloth colors represented different communities in Palestine. Women in Jericho, near the Dead Sea, stitched colorful floral patterns.  Women of Hebron used blues and stitched moons while women in Ramallah would use red thread to stitch palm and cypress trees.  In the mountainous regions, women would use black fabric as the background while women in the north, traditionally used white fabric. 

Tatreez became a dying art form at the end of the 1940s as women were displaced, families dispersed. Two decades later, a tatreez revival saw the transformation of traditional stitching to one’s expressing opinions, sharing stories, and even documenting oppression, occupation, and resilience.