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 pattern, a design warm-up, and a mood board plan to keep stitching long after the session.
• Preparations for our third annual Tatreez Retreat in Morocco this October
• Amanne’s busy summer teaching classes, hosting circles, and organizing with Prosthetics for Palestine
• Our first-ever Tatreez Talk LIVE in NYC with over 50 attendees (and lessons learned when the recording didn’t save…)
• The joy — and necessity — of reconnecting with community in person

Looking Ahead This Season

• Guest interviews with Palestinian artists across disciplines — from embroidery collectives to creative entrepreneurs
• More live events and panels (Bay Area, we see you 👋)
• Continuing to explore how tatreez serves as both personal grounding and collective resistance
• Building connections that bridge online and in-person tatreez communities

Also Mentioned

• Noor’s Story Part 1: Palestine – Threads of Home by The Refugee Archive
• Noor’s GoFundMe → Lina is directly transferring funds to Noor to help keep her parents in Gaza alive

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!

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

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 embroidery in contemporary art, Joanna wrote Narrative Threads to document the artists who have used tatreez as a visual language of resistance, memory, and liberation. From village dress motifs to the revolutionary art of the 1960s, and now to global stitchers on Instagram, she traces how tatreez continues to evolve as a powerful tool for storytelling—especially in the face of erasure.

Joanna reminds us that cultural preservation is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Her book is a tribute to the artists who continue to create in displacement and under siege.

Order your copy of Narrative Threads and help amplify the brilliance of Palestinian art and identity.

You’ll hear about:

>> 1:01: Joanna’s connection to Palestine

>> 4:53: Introduction to art and incorporating tatreez into her art

>> 9:02: Heart Strings and what it led to

>> 15:39: Beginning @thetatreezcircle

>> 25:39: The significance of contemporary artists using tatreez

>> 34:54: Narrative Threads by Joanna Barakat

>> 47:34: 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!

Links Mentioned

>> Joanna’s Website

>> Order your copy of Narrative Threads here

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

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 villages, which she wore to protests. The response was overwhelming. It wasn’t just a garment—it was a walking statement of memory and resistance. That project sparked a deeper connection to her heritage, eventually inspiring her to begin stitching her own thobe. Though she’s never set foot in Palestine, each motif she selects is intentionally tied to a region, flower, or village—turning research into reclamation.

For Nisreen, tatreez is a source of grounding, pride, and power. It’s her way of telling the world: we are here, we have always been here—and we are not going anywhere.

BUT make sure you sit properly! Posture is critical for your tatreez practice.

You’ll hear about:

>> 0:43: Nisreen meets Amanne in Paris

>> 4:54: Nisreen’s connection to Palestine

>> 11:18: Her Palestinian identity growing up in the UK

>> 14:48: Tatreez is Palestinian and Nisreen’s journey

>> 22:40: Going from zero to tatreez on a denim jacket

>> 26:14: Nisreen’s next goal, a thobe!

>> 33:53: Her tatreez design style

>> 37:15: Connecting with family and others through tatreez

>> 47:13: What’s next for Nisreen

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!

Links Mentioned

>> Nisreen’s Threads on Etsy

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