S4E1 of Tatreez Talk: Season 4 Premier!
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You can’t imagine HOW excited we are to come back with our summer season…
LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE LISTENING PLATFORM because you’ll want to know what we announce!
Episode Shownotes
We’re back with Season 4 of Tatreez Talk! In this episode, we catch you up on what we’ve been up to—from Amanne’s workshops with the San Francisco Public Library during SWANA and Arab American Heritage Month, to Lina’s recent trip to Japan and her exploration of sustainability through thrifting and reimagining how we can bring new life to what’s already in our closets. We reflect on how tatreez continues to be a tool for storytelling, connection, and intentional living.
We’re also excited to announce our first-ever live podcast event in NYC, happening in about six weeks!
Join us—Lina Barkawi (@linasthobe) and Amanne Sharif (@minamanne)—for a powerful in-person panel titled Why Tatreez Matters: Memory, Grief, and Liberation. We’ll be joined by fellow Palestinian tatreez artists Samar Dahleh (@tatreez.w.samoor), Sam Sundos (@sabri), Zaynah Alsharif (@kanaancollective), and Nada Esmaeel (@nadasink) for a deep conversation on why this ancestral practice continues to be a lifeline for Palestinians today.
🗓 JULY 12 | Doors open at 3PM | Panel at 4PM | Q&A at 5:30PM
💸 All proceeds go to Prosthetics for Palestine
💞 No one will be turned away for lack of funds
🎟 Book your ticket here
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Transcript
Lina: Hi stitchers. Welcome to Tatreez talk, where we share conversations about Palestinian embroidery
Lina: today. Amani and I are here to chat with you on what we've been up to welcome to season 4 super super exciting. Yay, we made it.
Lina: We made it. Yeah, it's going to be our summer season, so we'll kind of give you guys a little bit of a sneak, peek into what you can expect from us during the summer, and who we have coming on with us. We're very excited for all of our guests. We've only been gone for a short while, but we have been quite busy between recording and our own personal projects. So we thought we'd give you also a little update on what we've been up to. Amani. What have you been up to?
Amanne: I have been a busy, busy bee. Okay? So last month, April, here in the Us. Is Swana Heritage and Arab American heritage month. And so I was really really busy. Last month. I got to teach 5 different classes for the San Francisco Public Library, which was amazing. You know, libraries are such a huge
Amanne: community pillar, like just an important community pillar, I think, in every like, in every area in the country. And so it was great to be able to work with them and bring Palestinian embroidery to San Francisco Public Library. And obviously because it's the Public library like they sponsor the class
Amanne: which is great. You know, they're able to sponsor the class. So people are able to attend and not really have any like barriers to attend. So it was really cool, and I think one of the fun parts. So again, I taught 5 different classes, right? So I'm like teaching all over San Francisco and like different neighborhoods in San Francisco, are very distinct, like, if you know San Francisco, you know this. And so one of the 1st
Amanne: classes I taught was like in the Hayden Ashbury area, which you know is known for kind of the hippie area era, and all of that. And so I definitely had some old, some older women who definitely were.
Lina: Oh!
Amanne: Hippies back in the day. But yeah, definitely, a lot of older pro-Palestinian non-Arab attendees which was just really cool. And you know, a lot of people who attended. Also, like they straight up said they're like, Oh, no, I know how to stitch like I know how to cross stitch. I know how to embroider. I know how to do all of this stuff. I'm here to learn about the culture and the history. So that was really validating in a lot of ways, and that was just great.
Lina: Another reminder like, Why, Tatreez, matters like it's not just that. It's a beautiful art form.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: It's that history.
Amanne: Exactly, and that's literally what they all were saying, you know again, a lot of the people who came, especially that 1st one and then the most recent one. I did. A lot of them that came were people who were already familiar with cross stitch, but they were not familiar with the history, and that's what they wanted. The context of history. I also had a class recently, actually, no, this was the last class I did. With them was a class where I had a large group
Amanne: of anti Zionist Jews who came, and actually one of them found it. She shared it in like this. Whatsapp group that they have like a community Whatsapp group and a bunch of people came. So it was like, really cool, you know, again, coming in non Palestinians coming in
Amanne: as a form of allyship and support, and again like trying to learn more about history through art. So that was also beautiful. And that same class. I also had 3 Palestinian women in my class, who all 3 of them were from Gaza. And so that was just really nice. It's always look. I love teaching
Amanne: classes to connect with people, and there's such a beauty in non-Palestinians coming to my class as well as Palestinians. And so it just it brings me so much joy when both are able to come and like what each of them get out of it. And actually one of them I saw pretty recently at a fundraiser event. So it's just nice to to continue to see, especially locally continue to see people in the community.
Lina: Yeah, there's also I feel like there's something really special about
Lina: when you're teaching a Palestinian. There's like.
Lina: not necessarily like a moment. But it's, you can see, kind of the transition happening where it's like their their relationship with tatreez before they practiced. And then the relationship with tatreez after they practiced. And it's just it's so powerful. And I feel like that's
Lina: I don't know. I just more Palestinians need to try to trees, because, like you, just you don't understand
Lina: how amazing that yeah
Lina: can be for you, especially if you're not in Philistine, like, there's something really special about practicing tatreez.
Amanne: Totally. And it's interesting because one of the Palestinian women who came to my last class afterwards, she had said, she's like, you know, I did not know a lot of the stuff that you discussed in your presentation.
Lina: She's like I.
Amanne: I was just not familiar with all a lot of the stuff. And I was like, Yeah, like, why would you be like, you know, like you were just.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: Because of the occupation and
Amanne: part of that is being aware your culture and your history. And that's why it's important for us to learn, and like obviously, like my class, is a 2 h class. Y'all like only an hour, like 45 min to an hour, is like a presentation part. So it's not like I can dive as deep as like needed. I'm also not a historian. You know there are plenty of resources for that. But even just being able to give like a little morsel of context. For people really changes the perspective for for Palestinians and non-Palestinians alike.
Lina: It's and it's also for Palestinians. It's like they're they're gonna hear some of those villages they're going to hear.
Amanne: And.
Lina: Names that are familiar to them, that their family has been talking to them about for their entire lives, perhaps, and like that. That's that. Anyways, I just I don't. If you're Palestinian, or if you have a friend who's Palestinian who doesn't do tatreez, go tell them to go start doing tatreez.
Amanne: Yes.
Lina: So many resources like, please use them. There's there's digital courses. There's free Youtube videos, there's in person workshops. There's so much out there now, and like, truly, it's like an hour, 2 h of your time, and I like assure you I say this with like so much confidence. It's going to completely change your life, even if you don't practice the ever again. It's just. It's just that connection that there's so much there. I just wish every Palestinian could like, wake up and join us on this journey.
Amanne: No, I completely agree in this context of like, Oh, yeah, it doesn't mean like, even if you don't become obsessed, even if.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: You practice regularly having that context. I've had people in my classes who stitch and who are like. This is really difficult. I will never, ever, ever question the price of handmade.
Lina: Exactly, exactly.
Amanne: They may never pick up a needle and thread again. But guess what? They learned something.
Lina: Exactly. Yeah. And they're more. They're more connected now as a.
Amanne: Yes.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: Definitely. Definitely. So that was just great. I also did a class at Pixar, which was my second year doing it. I did one last year, and I did one again, and
Amanne: that was really fun, because the Pixar team obviously like, if you work at Pixar, you're surrounded by creativity like even I feel like, even if you're in the accounting team like you're still surrounded by creativity, like there has to be some interest there for you, right? And so, being able to teach a bunch of creative slash, people who are into creativity was so fun as it was last year, and it was okay. So it was hilarious because part of
Amanne: class, as we all know, I love me a clean back, and so I have a slide about it on my presentation right before we dive into stitching. But it's kind of, you know, it's a teasing thing, and I also have a variety of pictures. And another thing I do, very, but I like to flip over my thobe that I'm wearing, which is usually like a vintage thobe that usually has like a back that's like
Amanne: all over the place. And so I like to do that to kind of show like, look, there's so many different iterations of what a clean back is like it is what it is. A clean back is what is the most comfortable for you, and how you like to stitch. And so I say that, obviously. But as I stitch, I talk about, or sorry as I teach how to stitch, I also talk about thinking about strategy, and where your needle's going, and so on and so forth. So
Amanne: I think a lot of people take away people who think like me take away the clean back thing right? Yeah. So I taught this class at Pixar. It was great. They were awesome, so much fun. I came back a week later because they had a Swana heritage month market, and they invited me to come and sell my kids.
Amanne: I cannot tell you how. And I think I have. I did post pictures and videos on my Instagram. I gotta tell you how many of my students from the previous week came back to show me their finished products and show off their backs.
Lina: I love it.
Amanne: So cute. It was really cute and they also they were all just so into tatreez literally that day, while I'm there at lunch for this market they started a slack group for tatreez.
Lina: Oh! So!
Amanne: Started a Tetris group like that. They get together and stitch at lunch, and like the next week, like, they sent me a text message of like a few of them stitching together. It was.
Lina: On!
Amanne: Great and so amazing. So it was like April definitely. There was a lot of good vibes. Oh, also I almost brought to. I did an Arab heritage month festival in Sacramento, and I got to hang out with Paige and Dana. Yeah.
Lina: Is really.
Amanne: Really fun. Paige had a little setup at my booth with me, so we hung out all day, and then Dana was in a booth across from us. So we got we got to, you know, chat here and there and hang out. But that was really fun, and again, always just really exciting to meet people from the local community, even though Sacramento is like 2 h away from me, like, you know. Still, it's Northern California. So I know people who've moved up there, too. So it's just it's it was good vibes. It was very good vibes.
Amanne: Arab heritage month. 10 out of 10 would recommend.
Lina: Too bad. No one else recognizes it.
Amanne: Yeah, it's fine.
Amanne: I did.
Lina: I loved it. It was a blast.
Lina: honestly, if they had that kind of thing at Pixar that they end like at my previous company, I probably wouldn't have quit. I would have hung out there, too. I would.
Amanne: I, you know. So
Amanne: no, it was great, and it's there they have a swana erg, which is an employee resource group, and they're the ones that brought me in last year, and they brought me back
Amanne: this year, and they're great. The 2 people that I worked with one is Kurdish, and the other is Palestinian, and they're both just like Super awesome. And everyone at Pixar is like so respectful and appreciative of the art. So that was great. I definitely have been dropping hints. Hey? We should do like Tatreez Short, you know.
Lina: Oh, my God! Yes, wait! Yes! Oh, my goodness!
Amanne: I have.
Lina: That happened.
Amanne: I wouldn't hold our breath, I know. But say, never, never say never.
Lina: Never know you never! Interesting!
Amanne: Yeah, yeah, speaking of you never know. Okay, I know you know this story, but I have to share the story with the listeners.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: Okay? So if you follow me, you know, I have a little obsession with doing photo, Tetris. I started doing it a number of years ago, and
Amanne: I've been teaching classes here and there, and it all really started when I came across in 2020, when I came across a collection of images of archival images from 1927 from my mother's family's village, and I've been very slowly, because we also know I'm a slow stitcher.
Amanne: I've been very slowly stitching these pictures, and I'll post them on social here and there when I finish. And God, now what? It's been like a month. Probably. Now I get a message one day in my Dms. And
Amanne: I think maybe because that's like my Instagram is like a. My Instagram is like a business profile like some. I don't know if you get this, but, like sometimes, like messages, go into like this random folder, and you don't see them for a while. Sometimes they randomly wind up in your main inbox. It's like all over the place. But
Amanne: I try to do a good job of checking my messages. I don't always anyways get a message. Check this message.
Amanne: and it is somebody who's like, Hey, I'm from El 'Qbab. But I'm there, too.
Amanne: and I was like, what? That's crazy. I never met anyone else in my family. Yada Yada. So we start exchanging messages right? I'm like, I wonder like, if our families know each other.
Amanne: So we're exchanging messages. I'm telling him this is our last. This is the 2 names of our family. They just all intermarried each other. You know how it is, and I was like, oh, what happened with your family? And he tells me that you know this family got displaced. They went to lid, and then they moved around, and you know they're still in 48 now.
Amanne: and I tell him, oh, my family got displaced, and then they after 67, they permanently wound up in Brazil. He's like, Oh.
Lina: My grandmother had family in Brazil, I think. And I was like, Oh, yeah, I mean, I wonder who? Because I know there were other people from al-'QBab, who went there like, you know, because it was like my grandfather's cousin. And then my grandfather went. And then, because of that, other people come right. So.
Amanne: He is like, huh! Let me ask my mom.
Amanne: So I guess he messages his mom.
Amanne: Ask his mom for the grandmother's maiden name.
Amanne: Grandmother's maiden name turns out to be my grandmother's maiden name.
Amanne: So so I was like, yo, we're cousins.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: Log. Well, no, I'm not even going to say long story short, because I always do that. And it's not going to be short. But basically.
Amanne: But basically we start exchanging family names. I start talking to like elders in the family. Turns out his maternal grandmother is my
Amanne: maternal grandfathers.
Amanne: Falto. I believe it was.
Amanne: And my one of my mom's cousins.
Amanne: Her father is sisters with this grandmother. So there's like all Yanni, basically.
Lina: Yeah, that's very confusing.
Lina: Yeah, family.
Amanne: Is very confusing, but the point being the branches are very intertwined. Yes, yes, so I now have a long lost cousin who lives in 48. It was really cool. He was so sweet. He like ordered kits for his wife. Like.
Amanne: I'm like, you don't need to order kids from America's kids from America. It's like.
Lina: But, like, you know, you know. Look at family supporting family, and I already told him I said, you and your wife get ready, because when I come I'm staying with y'all, we're family.
Lina: Yeah, I am. I am.
Lina: They're family. I have no shame. Did they do that kids yet? Do you know.
Amanne: I don't know if they did the kits yet, but we also have been like. I sent him all the archival pictures that I had to see if anyone in his in his side was able to recognize anyone. Unfortunately they weren't
Amanne: oh, actually, also, I forgot this one piece of it. So as I was like asking elders like, you know, trying to figure out my mom's is one of the people I asked. Right? Well, his daughter, my cousin, and you know, whatever. Anyways, I was asking, and turns out as I'm as my cousin was talking to her father about all of this, he tells her like, Oh, yeah, a manny posted a picture. I think it's my mom
Amanne: and my cousin's like, what? Why are you just telling me this. And what picture are you talking about? So one of the one of the photos, the archival photos that I stitched that is literally hanging in my living room right now. It's the one with the blue stitches, the blue stars, apparently, and it's obviously it's old. It's 1927. It's blurry like my uncle. My mom's animal was like a baby. So
Amanne: it's you know he was young, so I don't know if he fully remembers. But he basically said, like, I'm pretty sure that that's my mom like that. Look, you know, again, it's blurry, but he's like, I'm pretty sure that that's my mom. So
Amanne: my great grandmother, I think, is potentially in that picture.
Lina: Oh! And you had no idea.
Amanne: No idea. We had no idea.
Lina: But they knew the photo was from Al-qbab.
Amanne: When I 1st got these photos I printed them all out before I started stitching them, and I took them to my mom's shadow, and I asked him if he knew any of these people. He recognized any of these people, but again he was young like when when all this happened, so even like Post Nakba. Even if he grew up with these people they changed. They looked different. It's not like they had pictures of when they were younger for him to know what they looked like. So.
Amanne: But again, there was also some pictures that were very distinctly like, Oh, this person's 100% related, like, I know that face like
Amanne: and yeah, it's just like it's crazy. That that person in this picture is potentially like my great grandmother, you know, like who knew. And then these pictures connected me to a long lost cousin like. So it's it's kind of crazy the different ways that the threes can bring us together.
Lina: Oh, man! Oh, my goodness! That's wild!
Amanne: Right. It's also like kind of like, I don't know. For me it was kind of cool thinking and reflecting on the fact that, like
Amanne: this.
Amanne: These images, these pre-Nakba images, right, these preoccupation images, these images of the past today in 2025 like connected me with like almost a hundred years later.
Lina: Actually, crazy.
Amanne: With like
Amanne: a relative that I would have never known otherwise, like we would have never. There's no way we would have known that we were related otherwise.
Lina: Like, if that's.
Amanne: To. Why, I know it's Japan. A lot like.
Lina: Because yeah, cause that photo.
Amanne: Pretty, wild.
Lina: Photo was documented at 1927. It's 2,025.
Amanne: Yep.
Lina: 2 years it'll be a hundred years.
Amanne: Exactly.
Lina: That's exactly.
Amanne: I know.
Lina: So crazy.
Amanne: I know. So it was. It was a very cool moment. It's definitely a fun story I am now telling in my classes.
Lina: Of course you should. Yeah.
Amanne: I think this might be my new fun. Fact. It's a very long fun fact, though, but I don't care. I talk too much anyways, so.
Lina: No, I love it. I love it. I mean, I've I've shared the story before of a workshop that I held, and it turns out that it's
Lina: it was well, it wasn't. Yeah. They were related to me, the but then the grandmothers knew each other. Yeah, so like it happens, our our community, we roll deep. Yo.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: Like we are.
Amanne: Okay.
Lina: We hold on to relationships like our past and present. And now we need to carry that and.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: Push it forward.
Amanne: True, because if we didn't know like if I didn't know my grandmother's maiden name, which a lot of people don't.
Lina: Yeah, exactly.
Amanne: I mean. My grandmother also never changed her name. But you know, like still, like a lot of people I know like, but still, like, you know you don't. If you don't know, you don't know, and.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: It just shows how easily with each generation things like history can get lost. And you know again, that's also a goal of the occupation for us.
Lina: To forget.
Amanne: And for our histories and our stories to be erased.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: So we're stitching those stories.
Amanne: you know, every day, and not letting that happen.
Amanne: Sorry, not sorry.
Lina: Sorry. Not sorry. Yep.
Amanne: Yeah. And then what else has been going on? I mean, those are like the 2 biggest things I've been occupying my time with, oh, okay, we can talk about what just happened last night.
Lina: Yeah, I was waiting for this.
Amanne: We're going to talk about just what happened last night. So by the time this airs we're recording this a week before, literally a week.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: Okay. So for those of you who don't know, we have a Facebook Tetris group.
Amanne: it's like something that a bunch of us started like a few years ago, before the podcast before we were like super active on Instagram. Like, you know, it was just because the thing that we found was like, Instagram is great for sharing, but it was hard to like hold conversations with a bunch of people. So we just threw together a Facebook group right. And it's just like organically grown. And it's like a fun community. People share a lot of their work. Yada, Yada.
Amanne: So we normally don't have issues like we've probably had to remove. I think we've only removed
Amanne: well with this person 3 people from the group in all the years, and all of those 3 people were just people who like didn't pay attention to the rules, who like were using the group to like, just sell product, and as opposed to like engage in community. Right? So
Amanne: anyways, this last person,
Amanne: was removed from the group after breaking the rules, multiple times, and which is like it is what it is, whatever. It's not a big deal. It's just a Facebook group. But they decided to be petty and to instead start their own Facebook group, which is fine. But they decided to start releasing free the threes patterns
Amanne: in that Facebook group, including patterns that I, my original patterns that I designed and offer on my website and.
Lina: That you offer, not for free.
Amanne: Not for free, no, for for purchase, because they are original. Like, obviously, as we know, I use traditional motifs. But I use traditional motifs to create my own original designs. And so yes, this person decided to do that. And obviously they activated my petty, too, because, Sis, I was mad yesterday. I was not in a good mood yesterday. They caught me on the wrong day. It's also very easy for for people to activate me.
Amanne: I was activated like it pissed me off for 2 reasons. One stealing thought like stealing my art like, obviously like, Look, I sell these patterns here and there. It's not like. I'm paying my bills like it's not like I'm going to go bankrupt because you distributed a pattern that I sell, and you distributed it for free.
Amanne: It's not even the point of the money. It's the point of the principle and the respect for art. This is like I've spoken to other Arab and Palestinian artists, not just within the Tatreez community.
Amanne: And this is like an issue in our community of like not having respect for art, and you know, not like. Look, none of us are perfect. I am not the greatest all the time about citing sources. I try to, when I know the sources, and I could do a better job of trying to find the sources when I don't know the sources.
Amanne: I think that's like we're human. It's good to hold ourselves accountable. It's good to respectfully hold each other accountable.
Amanne: But there is a difference between oof my bad. I didn't know, or I messed up versus blatantly
Amanne: stealing someone's work. Obviously, they're not profiting off of this. This was like A, I'm gonna be petty because you guys kicked me out of your Facebook group which is so stupid. But to me it just speaks bigger volumes about your lack of respect for artists, for art and artists work. I think the other thing that really bothers me. And if I'm gonna be honest, not just bothers me.
Amanne: Discuss me and something that we've discussed, I think, on our season finale with
Amanne: last season's finale, with Bayan and Iman, and it's something that a lot of us have discussed in private and in community since October 7.th There have been a lot of new businesses popping up that pop up in the name of. We're a Palestinian business. We're a business donating to Palestine. We're a business that is raising funds. We're a business that's supporting Palestinian refugees, whatever it might be.
Amanne: And there are a lot of people who mean well, and there are a lot of people who are doing good things, and I do not want to take that away from anyone, and I don't want to shame anyone. But there's also a lot of people who are using Palestine who are using genocide for profit and as a marketing tool. And that's what's gross. And look, this
Amanne: place, these people. It's apparently like multiple people they claim to be like, I don't know, like they claim to be very young, like they claim to be like. There's like people that claim to be 10 years old 17 year like I don't get it. They claim to be based in the Uk. I don't understand any of it, and they claim to be a nonprofit
Amanne: that might be a hundred percent. True, that might be a thousand percent true, and if so. Bravo! But
Amanne: if you claim to be like supporting Palestinian art, and for Palestine and for Palestinians.
Amanne: don't steal from Palestinian artists like, there's no point like. I don't get it. It's just you're just all you do when you do. That kind of thing is devalue the art as a whole and
Amanne: and also like devalue, like Palestinian culture. If you're only going to use it as like this marketing tool for charity and fundraising. I don't know if you are actually charity and doing charity and fundraising if you are again great. But if you're not, then like
Amanne: gross, and if you are still be ethical, yeah. So
Amanne: I was on it last night. I put them on blast on Instagram and all of that, and so that was fun. And now I'm over it. Well, I'm not over it. I'm over them and their existence.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: But I, yeah, I just wanted to to share with the world. Because I know this is a problem. I know I'm not the only one, because so many people.
Amanne: Yo people. DM, me, who like are like I don't even like, sell patterns or like create things and people, have stolen. My, my.
Amanne: had not credited me. So again, it's not like
Amanne: it's not a financial thing, it's an ethical thing.
Lina: Yeah. And I think, like the biggest takeaway from this experience that you unfortunately had to have
Lina: is like, do a little bit of research just a little bit, especially especially if it's something that's being marketed, as you know, going towards Palestinians or in support of the Palestinian movement, like explicitly, if they're explicitly saying that, then they can explicitly say how they're doing that. Who are they impacting? Who are the connections that they have in Philistine? And if they're not sharing that, and if you don't, if you can't tell, ask.
Lina: and then if they don't answer, then that's not a great place to spend your money, or spend your time, or promote or amplify
Lina: like this. That should be a minimum. And I think, actually, this is kind of a little preview into next week's episode, which we it comes up in the conversation. But the companies that are doing really incredible work, like paying people equitably. And, you know, doing the research on the types of designs that they have, making things that are super intentional. They welcome you to come and ask them about what they're doing and like, you know, for example, if you have a company, and I don't want to like steal, sawdust, thunder.
Lina: and ha! Ha!
Lina: But like, if you have a company who says that they pay women equitably for their work and doing handmade. Ask them, how are you doing that? And they're going to be really excited to tell you, because from their perspective, and this always stuck with me from their perspective, that means that you really care about the embroiders that they're supporting. And so I think that's like this is all kind of related, because
Lina: the person who is making this art it means something to them. So if you can just do them the favor of recognizing where you got the pattern, getting their permission. Obviously, like most, everything is probably not meant for
Lina: business, it's meant or meant for profit. It's meant for your own personal use. So confirm before you use it on like your apparel, for example, and also like, don't. We don't need any more sweatshirts to be honest
Lina: like. That's a lot of the companies that are coming out for Palestine like we don't need any more T-shirts, and, like
Lina: all due respect, like the world already, has a global environmental crisis and a lot like the bulk of it is coming from the fashion industry. We don't need to participate in that. If anything come up with something that's a little bit more intentional, that is, actually, you know, more circular. I don't know. It's just everything is so connected. And I think this entire experience is just springing up all of those things for me as I hear you talk about it, and at the end of the day it's like, Do your own work, Bro.
Amanne: Literally like but anyways, let's talk about something fun like your trip to Japan.
Lina: Oh, so that's that.
Lina: Well, I'm sure it'll come up in like future conversations, so I'm not worried. And unfortunately it'll probably happen again and again and again. So anyways, Japan was wonderful, highly recommend. I think everyone should go. And there's something about Japanese culture that
Lina: it was hard for me to have probably learned it without going there and experiencing like just life in in Japan. And my experience was so. You know it was very not that deep. But what I noticed about Japanese people is like they care about everything like they care about the cleanliness of the city. They care about your experience and your comfort levels they care about just like doing things with a lot of
Lina: care like I just, I'll never forget the like. The the stark difference from like going to a shop in Japan, and and the way that when you, when you pay at the cashier, oftentimes they'll like, come with you and like, take you to the door, and then give you the things that you bought by hand. You know, as you're exiting the shop.
Amanne: Little anxiety. I'm not gonna lie like.
Lina: No, it's really beautiful. It's really.
Amanne: No, I know I know the intention. I know the intention, but for me.
Lina: No, it? No? Well, that's because that's the we've been like, you know. What's it called
Amanne: I like my personal space.
Lina: I know. But no, no, it's good, it's very communal. It's very like, let's take care of each other kind of thing, anyways. Then I came back to the Us. And it's like people have such an attitude.
Lina: I mean, I live in New York, and honestly, people's lives suck here, and you have, you know, trump. And there's a lot going on in this country that is kind of crazy. But people like don't really care. And the problem is that they're doing their job to survive and to make enough money to like have a roof over their heads. They're not doing it because they enjoy it for the most part, and whereas in Japan, like I mean, I don't know, God knows. Maybe I misread everything but the vibes that I was getting was
Lina: like. They take care of everything. The city is beautiful. It's so like there's no way that no one is cleaning up and no one is.
Lina: and it's not. But it's the thing is, it's not like one person who's doing that. It's everyone as a collective is like. For example, there's no trash cans in Japan like there's no trash cans. You are expected to take care of your own trash in private, like you like you can throw it at a restaurant or something, but there's no trash cans on the sidewalks so like, how is it that there's no trash all over the floor? And it's because people are so mindful about these things. Anyways, it was just oh, and New York is just such a trash.
Lina: I'm in garage.
Amanne: New York. Okay. But can you tell us about the 3 stuff.
Lina: Oh, oh, oh, I'm sorry. Yes, okay.
Amanne: I want to do her. I'm like, girl. It's a threes.
Lina: Okay?
Lina: so I have been following this account. That's based in Japan. And it's this beautiful collaboration between the Japanese kimono and Palestinian Tatreez, and I've never really known who was behind it. I've just seen this account, and thought it was powerful and beautiful, and a really cool use of, or like a good sign of solidarity or whatever.
Lina: So I messaged them before I went. And I actually didn't hear anything back. So I was like, Okay, whatever. Maybe they're private, or maybe they're not like really engaging with other people. They had an event. But I wasn't going to be in Japan for the event, and so somebody else sent me another account who tends to do a lot of collaboration posts with them, and they're Palestinian. And so I messaged them, and they immediately responded, and this person Haneen, is amazing. So she's Palestinian, based in Tokyo and has been living there for like I don't know 20 years like a long time, and
Lina: and she's in touch with a lot of the she's in touch with the woman who's doing all of this work with Tatreez and kimonos, and so she was able to arrange essentially a visit for me where I could
Lina: engage with those, and so turns out this woman had gone to Palestine in 2013,
Lina: and from the moment that she got there she was like, what on earth is happening like she was completely active. I like the word you used earlier activated. She was activated, and from the get go like to the point where she visited Palestine about 20 times like she's gone back, and like 3 or 4 times a year she would go back because she felt so passionate about what's happening in Palestine. She wanted to learn what's happening in Palestine, and she wanted to partner
Lina: with people in Palestine.
Lina: And so she got the idea because she saw tatreez. And she's like, Oh, that would actually look really great on the obi of the kimono, which is kind of like the belt of the kimono. And so she has. She's been working with these women from Sulafa who are based in Gaza. And this is, I mean, she's been doing this for years. So this obviously hasn't been happening for the last
Lina: year and a half more, but before that she was, you know, commissioning them to Tatreez on these obis, and then she would bring them back to Japan to raise awareness for Palestine in Japan by making it relevant to Japanese people. And now she has like she does these events. She'll do fashion shows she'll have different exhibits.
Lina: and just like use it as a conversation starter. And now they sell the obis to people. If you'll if you're interested, if you're Japanese. And do you want one? She sells them, and they're absolutely.
Amanne: They're really cool.
Lina: Oh, my God, they're breathtaking! And it's so much work, it's so much fabric. The kimono is so much fabric.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: The Obi itself is like this, long, long, long. It's not like just a belt. It's like a long piece of fabric, and you have to place it in the right places in terms of how it's constructed on you afterwards.
Amanne: I think it's also just a really cool way of infusing 2 cultural traditions, while.
Lina: Still like.
Amanne: I mean, obviously, I've I've never been. But I have also followed this account for a long time, and like I'm familiar and like, I feel like they've always been very, very, very respectful of
Amanne: shouting that this is Palestinian.
Lina: And.
Amanne: Are mixed with Japanese cultural wear. And so that's like that's very unique and different. And you know, I don't think everyone can pull that kind of thing off.
Lina: Yeah, yeah.
Amanne: They've done a very good job of doing that in a very like respectful way. I think.
Lina: And it's not surface level. That's the part that I just. I'm so like impressed by or like, I just love so much. They're honoring the Palestinian history they're honoring like they're talking to you about the history of the villages like she knows like where, and she knows the women and where they're from and what motifs like. She's choosing the motifs intentionally. So then she can then educate people in Japan like it's everything is super intentional and honoring. Essentially. So it's yeah, like you said, the collaboration is absolutely incredible.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: Oh, yeah, Japanese people, though I'm telling you there's something about their culture that is really grounding. And even they have their own. They have. I did so. I did also other textile stuff while I was there, like I did a dyeing workshop. I learned about their dyeing at least one of the techniques they have. And then I had learned previously another embroidery technique called Sashiko, which I'm I just. It's so much fun. And what I love about everything like even at the dyeing workshop they have, like a small museum on top of on the second floor.
Lina: the Sashiko and the dyeing like they're so conscious of not wasting, of, like using what they already have of, you know. Not again, again, not basically not upcycling, not wasting, like I remember, for the dying the way that they do it. It's like, you use a bunch of pieces of thread to wrap around the fabric like. I mean, it's it's incredibly
Lina: time consuming. And like very, you have to be really nimble with your fingers to be able to do that so so much. And what happens is like after you dye it. Those threads are not necessarily useful. Like like holos, they serve their purpose for the dying process.
Lina: and even that they were able to use that and create art out of it. And it's just it's just so beautiful. And Sashiko is the same way Sashiko is actually the origin of it was to help keep like one, keep, make things with more layers, so make it more durable for the winter months, but also, like patch up certain pieces so that you're not just throwing out whatever you're wearing. You want it to last a really long time. Like all of those elements I find to be very
Lina: in common with, like the tradition of Tatreez, and how we think about the the purpose of Tatreez. And like it's beautiful, it's art, but it also serves a practical purpose.
Lina: And so that was just really, I just loved being in that environment. And even if, like, it's not like Japan is a place where you see people doing Sashiko on the train like it's not like
Lina: good.
Lina: you know, like that would be really cool, you know, but the people value handmade things like you can tell. They value these things. They value quality exactly, and it goes back to like what I was saying earlier about. You know how they treat you in the store, and how they clean their streets and like they value these things. And I think there's something that we can learn as an Arab community, Palestinian community, I think, in that regard.
Lina: So I don't know. These are just my musings.
Amanne: I used to work for a Japanese company for like 4 years. And so I got to learn a lot about Japanese culture. I mean, you know, I say a lot, but like not as much as I probably could have, obviously. But I had coworkers in Japan that I interacted with very closely. I had Japanese coworkers locally, who obviously, I worked with, and because of brand marketing. Obviously, like, I need like our brand story revolved around the whole Japanese thing right? The Japanese heritage and all that.
Amanne: So I got to learn a lot. And it is a culture that definitely values quality. It values handmade, and they value community.
Lina: Yes.
Amanne: And I think that's
Amanne: beautiful. It's as you said, like, very reminiscent of what what it looks like in our community. But we definitely need to bring it back to that, because I think.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: I forgot who said it, and so I apologize for not
Amanne: like quoting this person as we talked about citing sources. But I do apologize because. I don't remember who said it. But someone. And it might have been honestly. It might have been a conversation that wasn't even recorded for the podcast but I remember someone saying, like because of the mass production that we see with
Amanne: and not to demonize machine, like made embroidery. I think there is a value in it. Of course there is like an accessibility thing from a financial standpoint. I think there is good quality machine, and there's a lot of bad quality. There's more bad quality machine than there is good. Let's be honest. But so I don't mean to like demonize machine embroidery, but because of the mass production of machine embroidery. It's even another layer that has removed us from
Amanne: the handmade work and makes it more difficult for us to understand. Like, okay, this is quality.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: This is why it takes time. This is why you know these women when I go back home and try to get a thobe made. This is why they're quoting me what they're quoting me. So there is something to that as well.
Amanne: But I'm glad you had a good time, and I was supposed to go in April of 2020.
Amanne: I know.
Lina: We all know what happened then.
Amanne: Yeah. My ticket booked in.
Lina: Covid.
Amanne: I know also.
Lina: Wait, wait. The other thing. The one last thing about Japan was, they have a huge, thrifting culture. So it was my 1st time. It was my 1st time thrifting. I've never thrifted before.
Amanne: That was your 1st time.
Lina: Yes.
Amanne: Did.
Lina: Yes, I'm tell. Yeah, I know.
Amanne: Oh, that is kind of crazy.
Lina: I feel like I've always had this stigma that you know it is dirty, or you know there's Bo, and I'm sure there is.
Amanne: Dead!
Lina: But you know it's used things that people put on their body. You never. It's up to the person who takes care of their body and how the quality anyways like. So I've had this stigma. So I've never really explored it.
Lina: And I've definitely like, you know, it's interesting. I feel like we should have an episode on
Lina: soul making and like how it impacts your
Lina: like perception on your closet. But anyways for me, like when I did my flow. That was the 1st time I was actually, I like looking at my closet in a very different way, and like being very intentional about what I buy what I keep making sure things last like I'm not like, that's that's when I started like, really, I mean, I wasn't very that big on fast fashion to be.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: But I was very conscious not to do fast fashion, like as I went through that process. And now this was kind of like the next obvious step was okay, not fast fashion, but also by secondhand, like, think about things that
Lina: you know, so that you're not adding more waste to the world. And so, because I was in Japan, and I had like friends who had gone, and they like. There are whole neighborhoods where they have thrift stores. And it's like the most wonderful experience, because they're so clean. And it's just beautiful. And they have really high quality thing like you can tell, everything's taken care of. So yeah, it's my 1st time thrifting, and I got a few things, and also it's the most affordable option. I got 2 pairs of jeans and a shirt for $12.
Amanne: Yeah, yeah, like.
Amanne: And really, they fit really, nicely.
Amanne: Thrifting is great. Thrifting in San Francisco is really hard because everyone does it. So it's hard to find.
Lina: Like that.
Amanne: Yeah. And a lot of the good thrift stores have like really raised their prices. So it's kind of like.
Lina: It might have been like.
Amanne: Makes sense to thrift sometimes, but I'm also. I wish I had this gene, but I am not great about like being able to dig through things and find the gem, because I just, I think it's mostly honestly, because I get overwhelmed. Yeah, but people who can. Also, my mom is one of those people.
Lina: No.
Amanne: Actually totally reminds me. I totally forgot to talk about the estate sale I went to, but.
Lina: Oh, yeah, yeah. Talk about it. Talk about it.
Amanne: I'll give a quick little quick little thing, but I went to an estate sale, so I never go to estates. I've never been to an estate sale, but randomly.
Lina: Kind of like thrifting for the house.
Amanne: Exactly. That's why.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: You bought it for me.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: But I saw that this random video popped up on my tiktok like my Tiktok for you, page has been getting my algorithm has been getting a little bit more localized, which is cool, because then I get like all these like cool events locally in the Bay Area and for some reason this, like
Amanne: pop up, Video, came for like thrift or sorry a state sale, and I noticed very quickly that there was some Tatreez pillows, and I said, Oh, hell, no! So I commented on. I was like, Hi! Can you give me the information about this? These are Palestinian Tatreez, and they should go to a Palestinian. I'm so annoying.
Lina: It's so annoying. You said all of that in the.
Amanne: Oh, 100%! I've you know me. I have no.
Lina: You don't need to share that. I mean.
Amanne: I needed to share that I have no shame. So! And of course, like there was like people like liking my things like, yes, I'm like, thanks, Sis. So I guess the way these things work like the day before. Okay, so it's like a whole thing. It was actually really wild because I was like I had no idea what's getting into. So the day before.
Amanne: I'm like, this is ridiculous. So the day before they drop the address on social media. You get the address.
Lina: Actually wait. If I remember correctly, we were actually supposed to record this. And then you asked.
Amanne: Lina, can we push this back because there's an estate sale I need to go to, and there's Tetris and I need to get it, and I need to make sure no, Zio's get it, because.
Lina: Honestly valid, valid 100% valid.
Amanne: So so anyways. So they dropped the address the day before I get the address online. And then I'm seeing in the comments people like, can I go to the house and put my name down? They're like, yes, the moment the address drops you could put your name down on the list I was like, oh, damn! I gotta go put my name down on.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: And of course the address dropped. We were recording an episode for this season. We were actually recording a Pre. Well, I'm not going to spoil it.
Amanne: So for the season and the address dropped. And I was like, Okay, I'm gonna go. Afterwards I go. Afterwards. I was number 22 on the list.
Lina: That's nuts.
Amanne: It was literally like not even 2 h after they dropped the address, and I was like Whoa! But then I'm looking at the list, and I see a bunch of Arab names in front. There's like a group of like 4 Arab.
Lina: Amazing.
Amanne: Like. And so I was like, Okay, cool as long as like we get the stuff.
Lina: Yeah, yeah, so.
Amanne: Next day. Okay, so you know me. You know me. I wake up early. The thing starts at 9 am. So I wake up. I'm already up at 6 30 in the morning. It's already, you know, beautiful. The sun comes out early. We love it.
Amanne: I'm like halos. I'm going to go, because also it's in a bougie part of San Francisco. It's in this area of San Francisco called the Marina, which is Ya3ni kteer Bougie
Amanne: Nice. It's by the water. It's like very nice homes. So I was like, Oh, these are, these people are like, you know, and I also didn't know if the homeowners like. I didn't know who the homeowners were. Right. There was a follow up Video, and the woman in the comment or in the caption said, like, it's a Middle Eastern family, but that's still vague.
Lina: Yes, yes, exactly.
Amanne: And so I was like, I don't know what. I don't know what this is, so anyways, I get there bright and early. It's a beautiful day. I'm hanging out. Well, I get to the the house, and I'm like, because I read, you know, I just need to show up like right before they open. I get to the house. There's a swarm of people. There's hell of people there. I was like what is going on. And so I was like, Okay, whatever it's fine.
Amanne: So I went and they called names, and they let the 1st 40 people in. So I'm like.
Lina: Oh, nice. Okay. Yeah.
Amanne: Great. And then these Arab girls are before right in front of me. Right? So like, okay, so we go.
Amanne: And I I bolt straight to.
Lina: Aywa.
Amanne: Like be like.
Amanne: So I
Amanne: go or no. Actually, before I even go in, I asked the woman at the front. I said, I am here for the Palestinian stuff. Where is the Palestinian embroidery? Where is the Palestinian art? And she did say, like the family took a lot of it with them. And I said, Okay, that's fine. But what is here? And she's like, there's a couple things she's like. I'm not sure but there might be a couple things. She goes, go upstairs and look, there's art upstairs. I said, Okay, Bet. So anyways.
Amanne: I go in. I see a three's pillow on the couch. I want to go grab it, but before I grab it someone else grabs it. I was like, Oh, but then I look, and it's clearly like an Arab girl. I was like, Okay, that's cool. And then we make eye contact. And she's like, Oh, my God! Like saw you outside like, totally. Because obviously I was wearing like a sweater like you know me.
Lina: Resist big.
Amanne: Big old Palestinian map on my chest. And and I think we've also like I think they like had connected previously from like the fifties stuff, anyways. So I was like, Okay, cool as long as like, you guys got it. And I was like, I told the girls we're talking, you know, to be right. And I'm like, Okay, banette. We got us like, you know, we got to make sure
Amanne: team. We can help. Yeah.
Amanne: like we'll let each other know. Blah blah! So I go upstairs. I find these 2 to 3 pillows. I grab them. There was like another like pillow cover. I didn't like it. It wasn't my style, but I grabbed it because I was like I need. I'm gonna give it to one of these girls. Found a
Amanne: a dress. It's like a very casual, a very, very casual dress that has like the Tahriri stitching hand Tahriri like. So I got that because I was like, oh, this is a vibe for me to like. Lounge around. I found a map of like historic Palestine, and then I found this like mother of pearl jewelry box that they clearly got from Syria. It was like they had beautiful stuff. And then but yeah, they took a lot of the stuff I also taught
Amanne: to the woman who posted the video. She turns out she's half Iraqi, and she told me that the family she's like, Yeah, they're Palestinian and Lebanese. But like I didn't want to like, you know, just like, put that out there
Amanne: to protect them. And I was like, Oh, yeah, girl. I definitely listen. I walked in that house, and all of the Arab Christian paraphernalia, the decor it was. I was dying. I was like, Yeah, I just Arabs are so opulent, and I
Amanne: like I mentioned before, like I grew up in a community where we do have a lot of Palestinian Christians. I grew up with a lot of like Palestinian Christian friends, and like going to their houses and seeing like these, big like these, big like art, pieces of like Virgin Mary, and it says, Jenny Salam.
Lina: Yeah, yeah.
Amanne: Big like the wooden carved out Jerusalem, and like I love it I love. Are you kidding me? It was great. I was like. If I had, if I brought in like bags with me, I would have gotten them for some of my friends. But yeah, the family was definitely like Lebanese and Palestinian. They're like moving to the east coast. So they were downsizing. So I wasn't mad that a lot of the they took with them. But I did grab some pieces. God, you know. Why did you let me tell the story? I talk way too much. Oh, my God! I'm so annoyed.
Lina: But it's great, it's great. It's a great story, and it's all related. It's all related. You guys go to your estate sales. Look at thrifty like, I mean, thrifting is a whole thing. We had a whole episode with Linda about.
Amanne: Yes.
Lina: Basically rescuing a thwab that have been anyways. Actually, I have a story about that, too. But I'd like to. I want to do some research before I share more like I did get a film like probably years ago. Now, honestly, and I just haven't taken it out because I don't want to. I want to do it justice.
Lina: But anyways, yeah, all related anyways, a long story short, on my end, on the thrifting part was, I am completely astounded that I have not done this before, and it's opening up so much creativity for me from a perspective like, imagine all the things that I could from things that I buy.
Lina: Yes, like.
Lina: just imagine, anyway. So it's inspiring. My, I want to do a summer stitch along, and it's inspiring that. And I think my summer stitch along is going to be along those lines of like, either you thrift something or you get something from your closet, and you add to trees to it, and.
Amanne: No, I want to participate.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: Yeah, yeah.
Lina: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like, there's probably like some central theme, I really want to explore flowers, florals.
Amanne: There's something.
Lina: About florals. And but I want it to be really intentional and educational. So we're working on that. We're figuring it out. But that really was an inspiration from Japan. And like just this concept of thrifting. And I'm just I'm so pissed with all of it, because I feel like there's such an opportunity here. Oh, there's so much that you could thrift, I know, like
Lina: interesting, because you can add tatreez to it. That's what makes it so interesting like. It's.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: I'm so excited I'm so excited!
Amanne: Love it, love it, love it.
Amanne: Yeah, so that's totally joining that stitch along.
Amanne: Yeah, yeah, I just need to. I need to wrap it up and create. I have, like all my notes and ideas, and on paper I have to actually flush them out. But
Lina: So that's something to look forward to this summer. And otherwise, I've been working a lot with my online community in the Tatreez lab. And
Lina: because I've been with these people now for the last.
Lina: probably like 9 months like since last August, and most people have been kind of around since the beginning. I've gone to know them very intimately, and I know them very well. And what I've the thing that comes out to me from everything that we've done together is that
Lina: everyone has so much to offer. Everyone has so much of their lived experience, of their own knowledge, because everyone is so different. It's kind of similar to how we've spoken about the Tatreez retreat in many ways where, like, they're not necessarily Palestinian. But everyone who comes to the retreat, for example, Palestinian or non-Palestinian. They're so different from each other. They are
Lina: yeah, ranging in age, group and careers and family life and all the things.
Lina: But the one thing that brings us all together is Tatreez and like basically.
Amanne: I would go even further and say, and our shared support of Palestinian liberation.
Lina: Yes, exactly. There's like an automatic understanding. We're on the same page, on all of that stuff. And it's the same thing, like everyone is so different. These are people that I probably would have never gone in touch with otherwise.
Lina: And what I've been doing every single month is we do a workshop type of session every month.
Lina: and what I've been doing is kind of tapping individuals from the community to do something that is within the kind of their realm of whatever. And so, anyways, like tomorrow, we're doing a hand dyeing workshop or Saturday, this weekend. We're doing a hand dyeing workshop. We've done like presentations on thinking about media and like representation. We've done artist therapy. And these are people who have like their own expertise. And so they're bringing it. It's not just like someone Googled this thing, and we're doing it together.
Lina: It's beautiful. And so something that's been happening in the last month or so is kind of reframing the community, as
Lina: like in my mind, I was kind of anticipating it as being Palestinians wanting to learn more about Palestine through Tatreez like. That's what I thought. That was my hypothesis. And actually, what it's proving out to be is using Tatreez for collective liberation. And this is where all of us can participate. We have, like everyone has, like permission to bring in whatever they're thinking about. So whether it's like Palestinian liberation, whether it's, you know, thinking about environment, sustainability, thrifting, repurposing, upcycling all of that stuff.
Lina: you know, whatever it might be, even like liberation for yourself, like feeling more confident in your identity, or any of those things that's kind of what we're starting to explore together. And it's oh, it's making me so hyped up for, like what's to come, because I don't know what it is, but I'm just like so excited for what it will be. And it's I was actually literally talking to a community member before this, and the way that they were describing it was.
Lina: we're all kind of grieving collectively, and Tatreez is a way to grieve, but also create this new world that we want to see, and I feel like the Tatreez lab is an extension of that. And I'm just. I'm so excited about it. So that's kind of been happening in the Tatreez lab in my community.
Amanne: No.
Lina: It's open to everyone. You're more than welcome to join wherever you are, and it's all virtual. So you can participate. And other than that I've been doing a lot of really fun pattern making stuff for a thwab. So working on a couple of updated patterns for the full sewing pattern, perhaps making a smaller version of it as well and really excited about that. It's actually been I don't know. Sewing has gotten really fun for me recently. I've gotten.
Amanne: I've noticed.
Lina: Yeah, I'm so.
Amanne: I'm jealous. I'm so bad at sewing.
Lina: It took me a while. It took me a while. It's it was it was. And I think it's because maybe you feel the same way with other art forms. I don't know, but for me always came naturally, because I've kind of been doing it for so long, so I haven't really had to struggle. If you will like new techniques were fun because I had my my foundation
Lina: sewing, it didn't come as naturally. It was. I had to like learn on my own, basically. And so there's a lot of you know. And it's making me. It's humbling me and also reminding me where a lot of people are coming from when they start to trees as well. So I need.
Amanne: To remember.
Lina: That. But now that I've been doing it for a while, and I've been making a thwab like I can say that now I've been making multiple a thwab. It's it's becoming really fun. And it's opening up like thrifting is like one level. This would be next level. It's like thrifting and then making it my size and making it fit better like. That's even more of all of this.
Amanne: Altering it.
Lina: Alter it. Yeah. And rethinking, and like the idea that Jill does where they take these old ebbas and put them on a new.
Amanne: Like.
Lina: I could probably do that after like, I mean, I think all of us could do that. Actually, you'd be surprised. It's not as hard as people think, but it's more like accessibility to having a sewing machine and.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: Learning and taking the time and not getting frustrated when it doesn't work.
Amanne: I hear it. There's someone in my local community here, Asma, who's also on social. She's great and she is a sewer. She teaches sewing classes. We just she doesn't. She lives a little further from me, so I wasn't able to like sign up for her upcoming class. But she's coming out to a 3 circle next week, and she told me she's so sweet. Oh, my God, she's so sweet! She messaged me, and she's like, Hey, no, you can't make it to the class.
Amanne: If you're down I can bring my sewing machine.
Lina: And bring that.
Amanne: And show you and do a project with you, and I'm like, Are you like kidding me.
Lina: Amazing.
Amanne: She said. She'll do that and we'll see. I honestly like you know what for me was the is the hard part about sewing because I have taken a sewing boot camp before, although I will say like I forgot everything, because if you're.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: It regularly, you forget. But the threes. I think one of the things that I really liked about the threes is that
Amanne: it's very controlled because it's on a grid.
Amanne: And yes, there are a million ways to mess up, but for me personally it feel it felt very safe in that way. I like to
Amanne: like when someone tells me like I've been to like a water painting classroom. They're like, just paint whatever I'm like. No.
Lina: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Amanne: Don't tell me that. And with Tetris, even though I very early on started designing my own patterns.
Amanne: The grid was my starting point. If that makes any sense right. So it felt very safe for me when I took the sewing class, and I remember I made a little pillow, and I did make the pillow, but I got so beyond frustrated. I was getting pissed off at myself because I could not sew the line straight
Amanne: and straight, and everyone's like, it's fine. It takes practice it takes. I'm like, no like, it needs to be straight. I'm like, I hate this because I was trying to learn so that I could do like a thob. And I was like, I'm not doing all of this stitching and then messing up on the like.
Lina: Okay. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. Here's the thing. Sewing like is so forgiving that, like kind of lopsided line, you won't even tell when you put it on, I promise you, because if you look at my 1st goal, it's a hot mess on the sewing side, hot mess, hot.
Amanne: I know. I know. I know I just need to. I mean, you know, we've talked about this I am going to do. I don't want. I've decided I don't want to make a quote unquote traditional fold.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: I want to do in a Mani version. And.
Lina: Yes.
Amanne: So that's that's the that's the next one. That's the next.
Lina: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's get a smart, a smart. Come on. Come through.
Amanne: Ha-ha!
Lina: Show our girl so she can enter the sewing.
Lina: Oh, my God! You know Iman is also another great resource.
Amanne: Girl.
Lina: Wonderful.
Amanne: Told her so. She, you guys, by this point you guys will have seen this on her Instagram. But she did a really cute coffee, and I was messaging. I'm so annoying. I stay in people's dms. I was messaging her. I was like, Hey, girl! So when are I coming to San Diego for you to teach me.
Lina: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that that piece looked intense. That's a lot of pieces.
Amanne: But remember when she remember her 1st episode like that's she came from that world like.
Lina: That's true. That's where she started. Yeah.
Amanne: Same with Asma, like Asma. Also, like I see the worksheet like they know how to like, create clothing from patterns like that's what I want to learn. I think.
Lina: It's not, it's not complicated. It's not complicated.
Amanne: That's 1 of the things like, I went to the sewing boot camp, and it was great in the sense like teaching us the fundamentals. But I kind of want to go, and I just have not had a I have not been.
Lina: Yeah, I know.
Amanne: Right class. I want to go to a class that's like a multi series where, like, I learned the fundamentals. But I want to be able to like. Learn how to read a pattern. Let me teach me how to cut the fact, because that's the stuff that scares me. That's what like intimidates me a lot. And like, yeah, I know, there's like again, everyone learns differently.
Lina: You know, Amani, you could. You are in my 3rd class. I do walk. You step.
Amanne: I know no how to read a cell phone.
Amanne: I know. I know. I know I need the Imper. That's what I was. Gonna say.
Lina: I know. I know it's different. It's different.
Amanne: Once I get the UN. In person, it unlocks the video for me.
Lina: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. You got this girl. I'll show you. I'll show.
Amanne: I know, I know.
Lina: Actually, actually, because I know we're probably way over. That's.
Amanne: We're talking way too much. We're talking. This is honestly, it's also my fault. I need to shut up. I'm so sorry.
Lina: It's okay. No, but there's the very nice segue right now, because it's a very hopefully you made it this far because we have such an incredible announcement, and we probably should have started off with it on.
Lina: But it's okay. You've hopefully enjoyed our banter and enjoyed this experience. So
Lina: we're just fast forward through my talking.
Lina: We're in no shame. It's okay.
Amanne: Whatever.
Lina: But basically, speaking of collaborations, things that we're working on, that we've been thinking about Amani and I in particular, and things that we could do in person. Amani and I, Amani, would you like to share.
Amanne: Drumroll. Yeah, that sounds decent on, yeah. So we are doing our 1st live event. We are doing a Tatreez Talk, live.
Lina: Oh, so good!
Amanne: Really excited. So what we're going to do is I'm coming to New York. We are hosting a live panel discussion at the People's Forum on Saturday, July 12, th the event goes from 3 to 7, and the panel discussion is going to be all around. Why, the threes matters now we have some amazing panelists. We have Nada from Nada's Ink.
Amanne: We have Samar, who you guys have heard from before. You've heard from everyone except Zainab. Not yet. But we have Samar from tatreez with Samara, and she's been on the episode before we have Sam Aka, Sabri. And then we have Zainab from Kanaan collective. And so we're really, really excited. They all come with different perspectives, as artists, as teachers, as community organizers.
Amanne: as people who are working directly with women in Palestine and displaced outside of Palestine, and really just coming from different perspectives to talk about why Tatreez matters. And so we're just really thrilled. We're going to record hopefully, like fingers and toes crossed, that everything.
Lina: Yeah.
Amanne: But the plan is for those of you who are not in New York. We will definitely want to release the episode later on after the event, and for those of you who are in New York or nearby. Please come, please. We want to meet you guys. So in addition to the panel. We're going to have vendors. We're going to have, you know, some treats, some coffee, some sweets, and also we are raising funds for prosthetics for Palestine. So
Amanne: the event we do have a suggested we have not 8. We have multiple suggested ticket prices.
Amanne: And I will say that 100% of the proceeds, go to prosthetics for Palestine. It's an organization that I work with here locally in the Bay area. We are an organization that is under physicians for Palestine, and we work with a number of existing organizations like Heal, Palestine, Anera, and Pcrf. And so 100% of the proceeds from the ticket sales will go to prosthetics for Palestine, however, absolutely no one will be turned
Amanne: way due to lack of funds, so I think the lowest tier is like a $25 ticket, if that is a barrier for you.
Amanne: Obviously we understand, and we still love to have you join and join the festivities. And obviously, we have time. So we also want to hear from you guys like, what else do you guys want us to bring out for this event? And what else do you guys want to do? We're hoping where there's a few more details that we're trying to finalize with the venue. So hopefully, more to come. But we're excited to to do something, live and get to meet you guys and talk, and hopefully do more of this kind of stuff.
Lina: Yeah, and we are still also on the look for vendors. So if you are a local vendor, and you're interested in participating and supporting this event. Please get in touch because we would welcome you. And yeah, I'm really excited to do something in person. We haven't done this before. So.
Lina: yeah, really exciting. And like, Zainab is coming up from DC, so.
Amanne: Yes.
Lina: And you.
Amanne: Someone is coming from Philly.
Lina: That's right.
Amanne: I'm from Philly.
Lina: Exactly.
Amanne: And Nada's coming from North Carolina.
Lina: Oh, my God!
Amanne: You and Sam are the only locals I'm coming from California, like, yeah. So it'll be a bunch of us, and I think it'll be cool to meet tatreez-res in the area. Last year, when I was in New York, we did like a small little tatreez circle which was like cool, and we actually did it at the People's Forum now that I remember. But it'll be nice to kind of get to know more people. And you know, obviously.
Amanne: we have, like time built in for mingling and connecting and chatting in addition to the panel. And we want you guys there to like, ask questions and like, let's learn together. Let's grow together.
Lina: 100%. And we're so excited. So if you are in this area, if you are East coast and are down for a weekend in New York. Come on by, please book your ticket or book your spot. So we know how many people are coming. There is a limited capacity, so we'll you know we'll keep. Keep that in mind. So the link will be in the show notes. But we'll also start promoting everywhere.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: And if you can't come, but you know someone who will, or you want a friend to come with you. Send them the link, have them join seriously. We are so excited to have something in person for the very 1st time goes live.
Amanne: That's so cool. We love it.
Lina: Yeah. And with that season 4 has officially begun. Thanks for.
Amanne: Hanging.
Lina: On with us for the duration of the session episode
Lina: won't be this long. The rest of the episode.
Amanne: Yes, they will.
Lina: Not all of them? No.
Amanne: Oh, my God!
Lina: Anyways, we did give you a little bit of a preview earlier, but next week you can look forward to Sara. We're bringing Sara back from Deerah. She's wonderful. We love talking to her, and the focus of the episode is actually a wonderful one. So we gave you a little bit of a sneak peek. But honestly, the bulk of the conversation is actually around
Lina: the wear and care of your Tatreez. How do you best take care of the Tatreez in your closet, in your art, wherever you might have it, even machine embroidery. We talk about it so we're really excited to release that episode, and we hope you guys enjoy it as a really great it's thought as a fantastic resource, like.
Amanne: Yeah.
Lina: Incredible. Yeah, we also have other cousins who have met depending on.
Amanne: Yes, yes, we have. We have some really cool people. We have someone who is based in Canada who is going to talk a little bit about the work that they're doing with other indigenous art as well, which is really cool. We have some people talking about hand dyeing stuff. So it's just a lot of like some old swab and all that stuff. We have just a lot of cool, cool people.
Amanne: I feel like I don't know every time we do one of these, I'm always in awe of our community and the different ways like that. People are interacting with the tatreez. And it's just beautiful to see. And hopefully we continue to chat with more people about it.
Lina: Yeah, thank you guys so much for listening to the very 1st episode of season 4. You guys all know the spiel. But please subscribe, share. Give us a good rating. Send us your stories about Tatreez. If you'd like to be on the podcast if you know someone that would be a great guest. Please send them our way. We're always looking and hoping to amplify everyone's amazing, Tatreez-related. work and show up on July 12.th We'll be in New York, and excited to see you.
