Palestinian embroidery project takes off in Edmonton

An Edmonton cross-stitch project is gaining traction around the world.

Tatreez, a form of traditional Palestinian embroidery, started off as a simple project but has become a symbol of hope and defiance.

"This project is about maintaining and preserving Palestinian culture," Danielle Jabbor with Threads of Diaspora told CTV News Edmonton. "Combating erasure, we're combating trying to hide Palestinian identity."

The embroidery dates back thousands of years and each traditional pattern is used to tell a person's family history.

In 2021, the United Nations' cultural agency added Tatreez to its list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

"Once I learned that this was a big part of my heritage, the Palestinian heritage, I thought this was a perfect opportunity for me to learn something, part of my cultural community and to be a part of a major project," Nada Asfour said.

The Canada Palestine Cultural Association started the project last summer.

"Phase one was supposed to take nine months and it took three so people were very, very excited from the get go," Jabbor said.

A group of Edmontonians is cross-stitching a quilt as part of a Palestinian embroidery project. (Credit: Threads of Diaspora)

Some people in Edmonton are very good at Tatreez, like Khalida Yousef. She created several squares for the quilt and sewed the pieces together.

Organizers are receiving squares from as far away as Mexico, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Qatar.

"How beautiful is it that my connection with someone across the world who I've never met is a piece of unity and community and peace," Jabbor said.

The hope is that the quilt they are making will one day travel around the world and be displayed in different museums and galleries.