Palestinian Embroidery : Traditional "Fallahi" Cross-Stitch / Widad Kamel Kawar and Tania Tamari Nasir

High res images of Palestinian traditional embroidery stitches, patterns and designs, from the embroidery centers in Palestine Jaffa/Yafa (Haifa), Ramallah, Ghazza (Gaza), Al-Khalil (Hebron), Bi'r al Sab (Beersheba) and Sina (Sinai). Widad Kamel Kawar and Tania Tamari Nasir, in co-operation with Iman Assali Dajani, Hala Tomeh Ibrahim and Farideh Saleh Mayer.

A group of Palestinian women interested in traditional embroidery, an integral part and expression of their heritage, became acutely aware of the drastic changes in the new embroideries appearing in their country during the last decade. The authentic patterns, the legacy of their ancestors, were being mixed with acquired European patterns, and the young generation of embroiderers was losing touch with its own national patterns and designs. At the same time, the traditional patterns were being assumed by other ethnic groups as their own and this assumption posed a threat to the unique Palestinian identity. The need to preserve the traditional patterns compelled this group of Palestinian women to document the intricate, rich, traditional patterns. They organized to meet this challenge and now present this publication to provide a documented source of reference for the old Palestinian patterns and a guide for embroiderers who wish to reproduce them.

English