Textile Details

'Palestinian Embroidery', by the Society of In’ash El Usra, El-Bireh, Palestine. (Photo: Colin Peck)

Palestinian women in the northern part of the country must help their husbands in the fields and thus have little time for embroidery. In the middle and southern parts of the country, though, the villages are more prosperous and women have more time to embroider. Here, women and girls gather together in their orchards where the young girls work to embroider their thobes (dresses) before they get married. This process takes four to six months and six hours of work a day.

The Society of In'ash El-Usra, which worked to make this quilt, is a women's organisation which was established in 1965 in El-Bireh with the aim of raising the standard of living of Palestinian women on the one hand, and serving the various sectors of the community on the other. So the Society is training women who may choose one of six different vocations, from knitting and embroidery to secretarial work and nursing.

Most Palestinian embroidery is done in cross stitch with floral, animal and bird motifs. Sometimes geometrical motifs are also used. At times, a particular design is repeated to fill a large area of fabric with solid embroidery. Contrasting colours are used in a combination of shades to produce a beautiful variegated effect. Some women work with vivid colours and motifs that bring to mind the culture of particular regions of Palestine. Usually cotton thread and fabric are used. Since both material and thread are tough, the embroidered pieces will last for generations.

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