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ABEER IS AN URBAN DESIGNER AND LIFELONG TATREEZ ENTHUSIAST, USING DESIGN AS A WAY TO CONNECT WITH HER PALESTINIAN ROOTS (@taqaclothing). Abeer shares her family's connection to Palestine — her mother from Yaffa and father from Jerusalem, though her family was displaced during the 1948 Nakba. She started Taqa Clothing as a way to experiment with applying traditional Palestinian embroidery to everyday clothing while maintaining its cultural significance.

For Abeer, Taqa is an ongoing experiment around creating wearable Palestinian designs that don't scream "traditional costume" but subtly carry cultural heritage, experimenting with larger stitches and modern interpretations while staying true to traditional patterns. She’s also developing a digital archive to document historical Tatreez patterns and ensure Palestinian embroidery continues to thrive.

Taqa has become more than just a creative project, it's now a vehicle for supporting Palestine, with all proceeds going to Gaza-based initiatives. Despite the difficulty of creating during the ongoing genocide, Abeer continues to participate in fundraising efforts like silent auctions. Ultimately, Tatreez has connected Abeer to her Palestinian roots, served as a conversation starter about Palestine, and taught her the importance of cultural preservation in the face of heritage theft. She’s open to collaborations and offers to help other Palestinian women who want to start their own Tatreez businesses.

You’ll hear about:

>> 0:50: Abeer’s connection to Palestine

>> 3:15: The role of tatreez in Abeer’s upbringing

>> 5:05: Starting Taqa

>> 8:41: The evolution of Taqa and developing a digital archive

>> 16:45: Reflections after exploring old Palestinian dresses

>> 19:56: Experimenting with how to tatreez

>> 24:45: Abeer’s design process

>> 29:02: The feeling when wearing Taqa

>> 33:17: Palestinian dress embroidery archive

>> 39:00: Fundraising through Taqa

>> 41:37: Life lessons from tatreez

Rate, Review, & Follow on Your Favorite Podcast Platform

“I love Palestinian embroidery and Tatreez Talk.” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing our show! This helps us elevate the vibrant narratives of Palestinian embroiderers and support more tatreez-ers — just like you — in learning more about tatreez and connecting with each other. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and others -- just scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let us know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. We’re adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow now!

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WATFA IS A TATREEZ ARTIST, EDUCATOR/HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, FIBER ARTS TEACHER AND PHOTOGRAPHER (@stitched_by_foof). She shares her deep family connection to Palestine, tracing her father's journey from Dirar Al-Ba'ain near Ramallah to Brazil, where he met her mother, and eventually settling in the South Bronx. For her, growing up in a tight-knit Palestinian community that mirrored village life in Palestine created a cultural "little Deir Al-Ba'ain" in New York.

As a dedicated embroiderer, Watfa learned from her father's sister and preserved traditional motifs while also innovating. She shares fascinating stories about her photography work capturing tatreez in Gaza during the 1980s-90s, documenting patterns that may no longer exist today. She passes on these traditions, using butterfly motifs from her aunt's dresses for her daughter's projects, making her work a living bridge between generations and preserving cultural heritage that faces ongoing erasure.

Watfa shares her life lesson that "telling [her] story" through embroidery has been transformative, helping her embrace her dual identity and express herself authentically. Despite her busy life as an educator and mother, she finds precious moments to create, using train rides for crafting and keeping multiple projects underway. This episode is a reminder to share your stories, because tatreez serves as both personal expression and cultural resistance in the face of ongoing Palestinian displacement and erasure.

You’ll hear about:

>> 0:58: Watfa’s connection to Palestine

>> 6:32: Growing up Palestinian-Brazilian in the Bronx

>> 11:43: Learning tatreez and herself visiting Palestine

>> 19:36: Photographing tatreez at home and in Gaza

>> 22:30: Watfa’s art upon returning

>> 25:43: Embarking on a thobe

>> 36:07: Teaching fiber arts

>> 41:36: How engaging with tatreez has shifted

>> 44:50: Current projects

>> 48:36: Life lesson from tatreez

Rate, Review, & Follow on Your Favorite Podcast Platform

“I love Palestinian embroidery and Tatreez Talk.” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing our show! This helps us elevate the vibrant narratives of Palestinian embroiderers and support more tatreez-ers — just like you — in learning more about tatreez and connecting with each other. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and others -- just scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let us know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. We’re adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow now!

Boycott Resolute RGL. Click here for more information.

Boycott ZARA and all Inditex brands—Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Oysho, ZARA Home. Click here for more information.

Follow us @tatreeztalk
Follow Amanne @minamanne & Lina @linasthobe

Send us Fan Mail

SARAH IS A MICROBIOLOGY STUDENT AND BEGINNER TATREEZ ARTIST FROM AUSTRALIA (@stitching.intifada). Originally from villages near Haifa and Safad that were ethnically cleansed in 1948, Sarah's parents grew up in Lebanese refugee camps before migrating to Australia where she and most siblings were born. Despite never having physically visited Palestine, Sarah has found the "perfect fusion" of her love for art and country through Tatreez.

Sarah's Tatreez journey began when she gifted materials to family members who wanted to learn, and after October 2023, she felt compelled to pick up the needle herself as another way to connect with Palestine amid the genocide. She quickly discovered how her public stitching sparked conversations with strangers about Palestinian culture, turning her art into a form of advocacy. Despite being a beginner, she has already hosted workshops and is hosting regular Tatreez Circles in Melbourne in 2026 (if you're Melbourne-based, reach out!).

Sarah shares how Tatreez has taught her to embrace imperfection, learning that mistakes in stitching—and in life—are part of the bigger narrative rather than something to be erased. As she works on her first tatreez dress (thobe), she envisions a lifelong commitment to the art, eventually passing it to her daughter while continuing to build community and use her needle as both a connection to heritage and a tool for cultural preservation and advocacy.

You’ll hear about:

>> 1:02: Sarah’s connection to Palestine

>> 4:08: Palestinian community in Australia

>> 5:25: Relationship to tatreez before and after beginning

>> 10:26: Finding community through tatreez

>> 13:36: Unlocking intergenerational connections

>> 22:01: What Sarah hopes the next generation gets through tatreez

>> 23:30: Sarah’s tatreez projects

>> 28:33: What’s next

>> 32:42: Sarah’s life lesson from tatreez

Rate, Review, & Follow on Your Favorite Podcast Platform

“I love Palestinian embroidery and Tatreez Talk.” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing our show! This helps us elevate the vibrant narratives of Palestinian embroiderers and support more tatreez-ers — just like you — in learning more about tatreez and connecting with each other. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and others -- just scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let us know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. We’re adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow now!

Boycott Resolute RGL. Click here for more information.

Boycott ZARA and all Inditex brands—Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Oysho, ZARA Home. Click here for more information.

Follow us @tatreeztalk
Follow Amanne @minamanne & Lina @linasthobe