S4E6. Natural Dyes & Ancestral Ties with Farah
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I first met Farah El-Jayyousi through my husband’s family in Missouri—Palestinians have a way of finding each other even across states, time zones, and generations. And over time, we connected again through our shared love for tatreez, storytelling, and cultural reclamation. So it felt especially meaningful to sit down with her for this episode of Tatreez Talk and hear her speak not just as an artist and poet, but as someone who’s navigating diasporic longing in ways that mirror so many of our own.
In this conversation, Farah reflects on what it means to inherit fragments of culture—stories, materials, even plants—and how she’s been slowly stitching them back together. From learning tatreez in the early days of the pandemic to dreaming of foraged dyes and hand-spun thread, Farah’s journey is rooted in deep care for land, memory, and future-making.
Episode Shownotes
FARAH IS A TATREEZ ARTIST, CRAFTER, POET, AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER (@artcoloredglasses). Farah shares her family roots in the village of Kur near Tulkarem, and speaks about the generational trauma caused by the 1948 Nakba, which split her family across borders. Though her great aunts were seamstresses, Farah grew up cut off from the tradition of embroidery. She shares how this generational rupture shaped her longing for cultural connection while growing up between the U.S. and the Gulf.
Farah speaks about finally learning tatreez in 2020 through online classes. It became a way to reclaim something she always felt was hers but never had access to. She weaves in memories of learning Western-style quilting from her American grandmother and describes how tatreez opened space for healing, grief, and creative expression rooted in her Palestinian identity.
Farah also shares her excitement about making—and one day spinning—her own thread. She talks about hand-dyeing, using every last scrap, and dreaming of reclaiming thread production as a cultural practice. Her approach is rooted in sustainability, honoring natural resources without waste. For her, crafting is not just personal—it’s political, ancestral, and full of possibility.
If you’re in Phoenix, connect with Farah on all things tatreez and hand-dyeing!
You’ll hear about:
>> 0:40: Farah’s connection to Palestine
>> 4:44: Family connections, growing up in the US, and visiting Palestine
>> 12:58: Beginning her tatreez journey
>> 19:26: Art Colored Glasses
>> 26:03: Exploring botanical dyeing and what Farah has learned so far
>> 37:20: The influence of exploring hand-dyeing on her tatreez practice
>> 40:26: How tatreez inspires finding community
>> 48:42: What’s next for Farah’s tatreez journey
>> 52:15: Major life lessons from tatreez
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Links Mentioned
>> Find Farah at her website Art Colored Glasses
>> Find Farah’s graphic design work with Bahja Brands (website, IG)
>> Refining the Production Date of Historical Palestinian Garments Through Dye Identification article
Transcript
Amanne: Hi stitchers! Welcome to Tatreez talk, where we share conversations about Palestinian embroidery. I'm Amani here with my co-host, Lina, chatting with talented embroiderers and artists sharing their stories, inspirations, and the cultural significance behind their work.
Lina: On today's episode. We are chatting with Farah, a Tatreez artist, crafter poet, and graphic designer. Welcome to Tatreez talk. Farah
Farah: Thank you. Hi! Everyone
Amanne: Hello! Hello! We are so excited to have you so Farah! We always kick off the episode by asking about you and your family's connection to Palestine.
Farah: Sure. Okay, so I'm from Tulkarem or the Tulkarem area. I'm from a tiny little village called Kur. It's literally just my family. There's no one else but the Jayyousi family there. And I mean my family like overall. It's a very big family. We're spread out through the region. And this is all on my father's side. My, my mom is white American.
Farah: So my dad's side of the family. They're spread out through throughout the Tulkarim region, which meant that in 1948 our family was split in 2, so my grandmother Allah yerhamha was like separated from her siblings and her side of the family. They were in Galjulia, which is now part of like
Farah: like 48, which? Yeah, the occupied territory is in 48. And so until 1967. She had 0 contact with them right? Like they couldn't visit each other. They didn't have like phones that they could call each other on. There is no mail, there's nothing.
Farah: So in the
Farah: war of 1967, or the assault on the west bank in 1967, my grandfather was working in Kuwait at the time. My dad was 4 years old
Farah: and they were separated again. So during that time anyone who's outside of Tulkarem had no contact with people inside, so, like my aunt and my uncle, who are a bit older, were studying in Egypt right? They also, like all the Palestinian students in Egypt were essentially in a state of mourning because they couldn't contact their family. They didn't know if they were alive or anything, for I think, a few months from what I remember.
Farah: so long story short, I could say all kinds of things about what happened in 1967, but they? My family had to flee from the Tulkarem, like city to our like our hometown village of Kur, because that was a little bit more inland a little bit. It's like on a hill. So it's a little bit safer. That's what they were hoping.
Farah: I will share one story from that, because I have
Farah: I had a group of great aunts who they were seamstresses. They had a sewing business. They'd make athweb.
Farah: Each one kind of had her role.
Farah: And so one of them was with my grandmother Allah yerhamha and the kids at the time, and as they were running through the fields because they were all by foot. She for some reason had her sewing scissors with her. Nothing like they didn't bring anything right like they left everything in the house and went running, but she had her sewing scissors in her pocket. My dad, being 4 years old.
Farah: really wanted a cucumber because they were running through a field of cucumbers, and he was like, and my grandmother like was not having it. She was like, absolutely not. But my great aunt was
Farah: like she didn't have any kids, and she was like, I'll get you a I'll get you a cucumber. And she peeled that cucumber, too, like as they were running with her sewing scissors. So I like to mention that because there is some of that history of like sewing, and I'm sure is within my family. But I was cut off from that
Farah: because eventually, like my family, did leave in 1967,
Amanne: That's such a beautiful full story to have, but
Amanne: like in the in the chaos of everything that happened like that is a really beautiful story to have. So thank you for sharing that
Farah: Yes, my aunt loves sharing it. She was like 10 years old at the time, just like the picture of like
Farah: this Palestinian woman peeling a cucumber with her scissors while running like with bombs dropping right? Like.
Farah: yeah. But I I love that story so much, even even though, like in the moment. I'm sure it was not fun. It was horrible, but in retrospect.
Farah: It's such a wild image
Amanne: Yeah, no, definitely, definitely. So did you. You grew up here in diaspora. Correct?
Farah: Yes, so I grew up between the Us and the Uae. So I was born in the Us. Moved to the Uae for 7 years, and then came back to the Us. And have been here since then.
Amanne: And you had.
Amanne: Oh, sorry! Go ahead, Lena
Lina: I was just gonna say, and actually, the reason I met Farah is because she knows my husband's family very well in Missouri, and the other connection is, she's far unsure, but somehow related to Sara from Deerah
Amanne: I was gonna ask
Lina: Yeah, same thing.
Farah: I don't know, like the exact like connection on the family tree, but like same family
Amanne: He's gonna ask because of the last name. So okay.
Lina: So.
Amanne: Small world. Yeah.
Amanne: yeah, seriously. Well, hey, did you? Were you able to go to Philistine growing up, or have you gone back as an adult. What was that like for you growing up
Farah: Yeah. So I only got to go to Philistine once as a child. So I was like 14, I think, 13 or 14, and that was with my family. So we stayed with our family in Jeljulia.
Farah: and we were able to go to for like a brief visit through all the checkpoints and all the things, you know. It really should only be like a 1015 min drive, but I think it took like an hour at least, if not more.
Farah: We visited other parts of Falasteen as well like we got to go to, and I can't remember where else we we went, but it was a very short
Farah: trip.
Farah: It was very, very special to be able to do that, even with some of the issues like at the border, or with the checkpoints, and and all of that just getting to meet that side of family that I had never met before. Right?
Farah: And
Farah: I mean I took. I had a little journal, and I did like write all kinds of things. Whatever I thought was important as a 14 year old, which is very different than what I would have thought was important now.
Farah: But as an adult I went in 2017 with eyewitness. Palestine. There
Farah: they rebranded, you know, since they were eyewitness, Palestine at the time they are now
Farah: So that was more of like an interfaith trip. So it was like also in like cooperation with Amp, like American Muslims for Palestine, Jvp. And the Presbyterian peace fellowship. So it was basically a group of Muslims, Christians and Jews who were
Farah: advocating for Palestine, and wanting to connect a little bit more deeply with Palestinians on the ground, especially activists. So we went all over like within this, within the span of 10 days
Farah: at that time like that. This I remember very vividly, like being detained at the border like for 5 HI think they only questioned me for maybe 2030 min. But I was just sitting there right like, and 5 h really, compared to other people, is not that long.
Farah: but Alhamdulillah was able to get through and visit.
Farah: but that was the last time I was able to go to Palestine. I tried again in 2019, and I knew there is a higher risk of me being turned away at that point. They had just issued, like the law around, like their anti Bds supporter, whatever thing, and not that there is that much about me online to be honest.
Farah: But I still knew like there's always that risk, especially traveling alone.
Farah: So I went through Jordan, and they
Farah: questioned me again. I think it was like 5 or 6 h, and this time it was a lot more questioning by different people. They had, like 3 people questioning like interrogating me, and then they sent me to like the higher up.
Farah: and once they sent me to the higher up, Guy, who was like, Why are you lying like? Where did you go? All this wanting all of this information? And then he took my fingerprints. I was like, Okay, this is it? I'm not getting in
Farah: so they let me
Farah: wait some more, and eventually, like, gave me back my passport. We're like, we're we're not letting you through like we're sending you back and so.
Farah: technically like, usually like the bans are like 5 or 10 years when you're rejected, but they can also, just like, you know, Palestinians who are detained. They can arbitrarily extend that
Farah: that ban or that detention.
Farah: So I don't know. I don't know if I will try to go back anytime soon. I don't know if I have the stomach for it
Lina: Yeah.
Lina: So funny. I don't know
Farah: And worse
Lina: Yeah, I don't know if we talked about this, because I had a very similar experience
Farah: Really.
Lina: Yeah. So I tried to go by myself in 20. I wanna say, I tried to go by myself in 2018, or 2017.
Lina: No, sorry I would try to go again by myself in 2014, and I was visiting a friend in Philistine, and they turned me away, and what they told me was that I was being rejected. But I could try again the next day if I really wanted to. I didn't have enough time, so I couldn't try again that time. But I went again in 2017 with my Teta and my Teta like she like she really I mean she was like, I need my granddaughter. She needs to take me to Nablus. I can't get there by myself all this stuff, and
Lina: they were like, no, you like. She's she's banned. That's when they told me I was banned, and they told me that it was for 8 years. This was 20,
Lina: so 8 years would have been 2022 is like from the the 1st time that I got denied, or whatever but I just went again in October of 2024 with my husband, and they let me in. Now, it's it's like a hundred percent dependent on who you get. It's a hundred percent dependent on their mood
Lina: totally and
Lina: honestly, I think it really made a difference that I went with my husband because I tried going on. I think it's the when you go by yourself. It's like, what are you? They're like, what are you doing? What are you doing? They have this obsession of you getting married and having kids because they have like this fear of house
Amanne: Dad
Lina: It's actually a thing. It's actually a thing like they talk about it. And so all that to say you should keep trying, I know, like now is, it's a little bit different in terms of like the situation in Philistine, like, I think that's a little bit different. But but like, keep trying, because
Lina: oh, my God!
Farah: I know it's so important. It's
Lina: So important.
Farah: Because they that arbitrariness of like they
Farah: it depends on their mood. Like are they in a fight with their girlfriend like? What did they have for breakfast?
Lina: Literally, yeah.
Farah: That's literally all it is, and that, like randomness, is what they want people to be afraid to visit
Lina: So I know.
Farah: And I always tell people like Go visit for me. I'm just like I need some time to recover
Lina: Yeah, no. No.
Farah: I'm ready to
Lina: A 100%
Farah: Turmoil again
Lina: It's humiliating. Getting turned away is so, and I had to go through it twice, and every time the Jordanians are like, what do you what happened. And I'm like, I don't know. And they're just like, Oh, and then they take you back. And I'm just like, Oh.
Lina: it's really humiliating. It's it's a terrible feeling
Farah: Yeah, I mean, I was lucky that the Jordanians
Farah: that we're working that day were really nice to me.
Lina: Yeah.
Farah: Because they were like, how did you not get through? Don't you have an American passport like they were like astounded that I was not let through. I'm like. Don't you work here every day
Amanne: I was just gonna say, like, How are they like, how are they shocked by this like
Lina: Yeah.
Farah: They were. I don't know and like once I got to the Jordanian border, whoever, like the military guy that was working there gave me some Baklava and some
Lina: Oh, okay.
Farah: It was like, I think I probably looked like I was ready to like burst into tears, and he was like, Here you go!
Farah: Please don't cry.
Lina: Oh, man, yeah, I definitely bawled my eyes out
Farah: Well, that is good.
Farah: M.
Amanne: That's getting taking us to the perfect segue of your journey, and where that started, because, you know, you grew up in diaspora. But you also grew up, you know, both in the Us. And you mentioned growing up in the UAE. You grew up around this Palestinian culture. So where was Tatreez in your life like when did you learn it? What was your relationship to the Tatreez growing up
Farah: Yeah, so, growing up, you know, we were always surrounded by right, like I had a little this really cute little thobe that my aunt like got for me when I was really young, like a toddler? I think we probably I'm sure we still have it somewhere, but it was this cute little like white, shiny like thobe with some Tatreez on it, which my sister also wore at some point. And
Farah: there is this like.
Farah: I have like this little tradition with my aunt, who, like anytime like I would visit even now like she'll take me out to shop for a thobe
Farah: so that that was something that I grew up with, that I
Farah: like really appreciate even more now, as an adult
Amanne: Hmm.
Farah: That I had someone who who would like she'd be the one to like, know? Like, okay, this one's good. This one's not good like
Amanne: Yeah.
Farah: She was the one to go with, and
Farah: I always wanted to learn how to do Tatreez. But I didn't have anyone close to me that
Farah: I could ask right, or that knew how to do it. And this is also in part because I am from, and the area we don't have a lot of. And like we actually specifically have, like the saying, which is, which is like a lack of work
Farah: teaches you embroidery. So it's kind of like this dismissive attitude towards even right like it's like, Oh, these like rich women, or the women who are from merchant families who have the time for this like from like Yaffa, for example. Right?
Farah: So there is very much like this.
Farah: I don't know this attitude of like, why do you need to learn. We have better things to be doing, like women were usually working in the fields, but that was actually told to my aunt. This is another aunt who wanted to learn. She shared this with me like more recently, once I started learning to do total. She was like, Oh, I always wanted to learn, but I was just told, like the saying, right
Farah: like, what do you need Tatreez for? So I actually learned from Wafa Ghnaim from tea in 2020. I had met her through my work at LaunchGood, coaching her campaign for the second edition of her book.
Farah: and
Farah: I had wanted to attend one of the in-person classes because I was in New York at the time, and I just couldn't afford it because it was really expensive. And I had like, basically nothing. And then Covid hit. And she started teaching the classes online. And my sister was like, Hey.
Farah: she's teaching like on Instagram live. And then she started doing like the Zoom calls, and I like I did it with my sister, and I think my mother did at least one of the workshops as well.
Farah: And then my tel today's journey kind of took off from there because
Farah: I did actually like I've always been into crafting. I knew how to crochet. I learned some like basic, like hand sewing and quilting, and even like machine sewing like clothing, and all of that from my grandma on my mom's side of the family because she was a quilter, and she grew up like she was born in 1930. She grew up sewing her own clothes, and so I learned a lot from her. I just didn't have the technique for right, like, I knew some basic
Farah: like Western embroidery.
Farah: But I had never learned the technique for Tatreez I had tried. I honestly like tried to do it myself, like, just like I know it's X's. And I could see, like some of the motifs like on dresses and things like they're like other random embroidered things we had at home. But I couldn't figure out how to get things to line up correctly right? Or I didn't realize that. Like if 2 X's are next to each other, they need to share the same holes right?
Farah: Like really
Farah: things I just didn't know. And I didn't have any way to find this information which Alhamdulillah now, there's so many reasons.
Farah: They're online
Farah: online in person, just everywhere. But at the time there was just nothing. So I was just trying to like DIY, it did not go. Well, so yeah, I started in 2020, and
Farah: yeah, took off from there. My sister, I think.
Farah: ended up doing a lot more because I started getting busy with work, and so like she was learning like the Tahriri stitch she was doing. She did like a whole, like a bit like the chest panel on a shirt, and so
Farah: like
Farah: in that like period of time where I wasn't doing a lot of filters, I would sometimes ask her like, Oh, how are you doing this like
Farah: and trying to like? Learn from her? And she was learning from Wafa. So
Farah: either way, like it goes back to Wafa.
Farah: The community.
Farah: Yeah. Effort, yeah.
Farah: So yeah, like, like, since 2020 I was just doing filters on and off here and there as a hobby.
Farah: And it wasn't until like the last year or so that I started doing more authorities, in part because of what is happening in Palestine, and also because I had quit my job, and I had more time.
Farah: And so I was learning a lot more, and I finally opened the
Farah: book that what's it called like the 17 stitches
Amanne: No.
Farah: Sign which I had also, like found out about through LaunchGood, because I was working there at the time, and they fundraised for it through there
Amanne: Cool.
Lina: So.
Farah: I had gotten it like very early on, and I just didn't have the time to open it and try and like. Learn some of the stitches. Until more recently.
Lina: That's so cool, that's so cool. So then you also created a brand called art colored glasses, which kind of ties into what you're doing with? Can you tell our listeners a little bit about the brand? What you offer there? Where did the name come from? We'd love to hear all the details about art, colored glasses.
Farah: For sure. So art colored glasses has been my handle for like years and years and years, and I decided to just lean into it. I'm like there's no reason to try and brainstorm
Farah: a new name, and trying to rebrand myself and all of that when I've been art colored glasses like on Instagram and other platforms for such a long time.
Farah: and so like. The idea behind. The name was kind of a play off of rose colored glasses.
Farah: I tend to be a very optimistic person, so like that also applies to me. But I also like I've been an artist for as long as I can remember I've been crafting for a very long time. So when I go about my life and about my day, I'm looking at things as like, oh, that would be really cool to paint, or I want to take a picture of that because it it just looks really pretty. Or I wonder how I could
Farah: like incorporate this into the trees or whatnot, right like, I'm looking at the world through like literally art colored glasses. And so that's where the name comes from. I'm like, constantly inspired by what I see around me. And
Farah: yeah, that that's where that comes from. And also I'm
Farah: I refer to myself as like a multi-talented or multi-hyphenate kind of artist, because I do practice different forms of art like, I really love printmaking. I paint from time to time.
Farah: and I'm I can't just pick one thing right
Lina: Yeah.
Farah: I have narrowed it down to like a few things, but then, like I'll learn a new, a new skill, and I'll add that, and so I don't know. It evens out at the end of the day. So the idea behind art colored glasses and actually forming a business was I was working in marketing and
Farah: That had never been my intent intention. Like I studied psychology and women's and gender studies. I was like, I will never work in marketing. That's like, you know, the evil corporations. I don't want to use psychology for evil
Amanne: It's
Farah: And I mean I ended up like the way I justified it was I was using it for good, right
Amanne: There you go!
Farah: I was manipulating people to donate to good causes or support Muslim campaigns or different things like throughout my time.
Farah: and
Farah: the challenge I was running into with marketing was that I was so stressed all the time, and it didn't matter
Farah: where I was working or who I was working for.
Farah: marketing is just a really stressful job, and there's a lot of uncertainty with it, and
Farah: also like being someone who has a chronic illness. It was really hard to be working for
Farah: other people where I didn't have control over my time or didn't have. I wasn't able to like, take multiple sick days right like, if I'm like, I need time to just recover. I need time to rest or
Farah: whatnot. I didn't have that kind of control over my time, and I was like I need to figure out something else. I can't keep repeating the same cycle over and over again.
Farah: And so my business was born. I decided to do like art colored glasses, more like the personal side of things where I was planning to. Do. You know a little bit of sell my art sell some of my designs wasn't like prominent when I originally had the idea for this. I also have a graphic design business brands. Legally, it's the same business. It's just I keep it separate, like for branding purposes.
Farah: But yeah, kind of happened by accident.
Farah: I was talking to someone locally for graphic design, because she was starting a business, and we got to talking about other things and another group that she was involved with. And
Farah: I had mentioned that. Oh, I can also do like art workshops or Tatreez workshops, and I had just mentioned it offhand, right like, because it was something that I kind of had at the back of my head of like something I'd like to do eventually, maybe.
Farah: and then she like she jumped on it. She was like, wait! Can you do it till today's workshop for me and my sisters and my mother during Thanksgiving Break? And I was like, sure why not like. So I started preparing, like all the materials, like doing a little bit more research to make sure. Like all my information is correct, putting it together a presentation getting the supplies. And I was like.
Farah: why not do a public workshop as well like? I'm getting everything prepared? Let me offer this
Farah: to the general public, and see
Amanne: See who bites right.
Amanne: Hmm!
Farah: Is this is this something that people want?
Farah: And people got so excited about it? And then I got really excited about it.
Farah: And this is also how I ended up finding out about, like the whole world of botanical dyes, because I was looking for alternatives to Dmc thread, which, like absolutely no judgment to anyone like who uses Dmc. Like, I still have a bunch of Dmc thread with me, but I was like, if I'm doing a workshop like, I don't want to go and buy a bunch of Dmc thread like, I want to find an alternative, because
Farah: I'm sure everyone listening here knows, like the story behind Dmc. And Nina's petition.
Farah: but I was just so turned off by it. I was like, I don't want to support Dmc, I really want to find an alternative. And so I ended up finding Sashiko thread. And then I found botanically dyed Sashiko thread. And that's what I ended up ordering, because through my research, I was like, Wait, Palestinian women used to dye their own thread.
Farah: and this feels more in line with the tradition.
Farah: And
Farah: so that's how I did my 1st workshop, and I've like leaned into that ever since. And for the 1st workshop I did actually attempt to dye some thread I got like one skein of
Farah: like thread that was prepared for dyeing, and I dyed it with an avocado pit and skin.
Farah: and got a very nice little pink yeah
Amanne: Do. Okay? So I have, like a million, follow up questions. And I know
Farah: Yeah, I know.
Amanne: Okay. But the 1st question I have is, are you teaching people how to do botanical dying yet? Is that
Farah: Not yet
Amanne: That you've done. Okay.
Farah: It's in the works. I'm really trying to find more information about the what was traditionally done, which is really hard to find, because
Amanne: Yeah.
Farah: No one does this anymore.
Farah: so I was able to find, like some information about, like the mordant that they would use, which was alum which a lot of natural dyers still use today
Farah: But it's also a question of, okay, what kind of alum did they use? What form did it come in? And can I acquire the same form
Lina: Can you? Can you define for our listeners what's a mortem
Farah: Yes, so Mordant is essentially what helps the color like
Farah: stick to the the fiber of of the fabric, or the thread, or whatever it is because otherwise it might like wash out more quickly or
Farah: like it'll be more affected by the light. And it's not that like the mordant is going to make it like permanent forever. But it helps
Farah: the colors stay longer and absorb a little bit more. So like alum, for example, is a lot of times used for brighter colors.
Farah: whereas, you know, there are other mordants like iron, which is literally like you put a rusty nail or something in some water for a few days, and so you have iron water, and that will like sadden or darken colors.
Amanne: I've not tried that yet. I'm a little worried about putting a rusty nail in some water.
Amanne: I
Lina: No, don't be worried, don't be worried. I was literally
Amanne: That scares me too.
Lina: No, I was literally talking to. I did a collaboration with Fatima who owns Abuelita Fiber Company. She's based in Virginia, and she actually did do that, so she had. So what she did was she used cochineal to dye the thread, but then she also did various tests on fabric as well where she did like a version with iron.
Lina: and another version with something else. I forget what it was that she included. But it's really fascinating to see it. It really does darken the color of the fabric or the color of the thread. But it doesn't seem that scary. I think you should try it. That sounds
Farah: Yeah, I I will eventually
Farah: especially cause I'm having a hard time achieving like
Farah: a true red or green.
Amanne: The.
Farah: Are some of the hardest colors to get
Farah: green you can with indigo, but indigo is also its own separate dye process that requires. Like, it's essentially like a chemical reaction. I'm like.
Farah: I need someone to teach me. And so I don't like create an explosion in my kitchen or something
Amanne: We don't want that girl
Lina: Yeah.
Farah: Some toxic fumes or something. But yeah, I think I'll I'll have to try out the iron at some point if I want to get like a true red
Lina: Okay, interesting. And then can you also tell us about that? The research that you just found because I just opened it? And it looks like it's actually quite recently published
Farah: Yeah, and I hadn't realized it when I was reading it at the time. But when I opened it up again to send to you, I realized. Wait. This was published, published this year in January, like
Lina: Let me just
Farah: A few months ago, and
Farah: some of it, like honestly went over my head like I don't have like the the science background, like once upon a time. Yes, I was really good at chemistry in school, but didn't really progress. But beyond, like a college level, introductory chemistry class. So the research that I found was done by some researchers at the
Farah: was it the British Museum?
Lina: British Museum.
Lina: Yeah, another entity in France, but I don't remember the name
Farah: Yeah. So obviously, the British Museum has a lot of stolen Palestinian or dresses, and at least one of the researchers, I believe is Lebanese. So
Lina: Like, yeah.
Farah: I was like. This is great, and this is probably also what prompted it. But they had done a chemical analysis on a couple of like old Palestinian dresses, to see what dyes were used, and what like fixatives, and
Farah: I think the goal was to
Farah: have more accurate dating of the dresses.
Farah: because the introduction of synthetic dyes was like a very clear moment in time. Right? So if there's synthetic dyes present, then we know it had to be after like.
Farah: I don't know 1890 or something like that, right
Lina: Yeah.
Farah: Not that. That's the exact date, but I'm just throwing
Farah: there. So the dresses that they were analyzing they still had some botanical dyes and some synthetic dyes, or like a mixture of the 2 with to achieve the same like a single color.
Farah: So
Farah: yeah, like it. It did like affirm. That's how I like realized. Okay, alum is what was used. I might have found it in another book as well where it was briefly mentioned.
Farah: and they also mentioned like matter roots, and I believe indigo. So there's a lot of information about like what was generally used like the matter, root like
Farah: grape leaves or ochre, or all these things like in various books about Tatreez. But there's basically no information about okay, what was used as a fixative, what was used
Farah: like, how like? What was the actual process? Right like, I found, like very little information about indigo dying in the in Jordan, like in the Jordan valley like there's a specific tribe, that.
Farah: or village where they, their specialty, is indigo dyeing. And so their process. One is closely guarded right like that's their special secret of like certain parts of the process. They just do not share with the public, which I totally respect.
Farah: But it's not going to be exactly the same as the indigo dyeing process that I would learn from a random workshop here, because they have their own
Farah: like materials that they're going to use to like, reduce the vat. I don't understand all the the terms, but they're they are probably using more natural materials as opposed to like something you would pick up from a store.
Farah: And
Farah: yeah, it's really hard to find this information about the actual process, like, yes, it's probably pretty similar around the world, but I'm sure there are like
Farah: different approaches
Amanne: Yeah.
Farah: To it just like with the Tatreez itself, like cross stitch in Palestine, is different than cross stitch in Europe.
Farah: Same basic concept is there, but, like Palestinians, have this emphasis on not wasting anything. So how does that show up in the die process? So I've been trying to like apply like
Farah: what I know about Palestinian culture, what I know about, and how Palestinian women operate to my dye process right like reusing some of the water that I use for the mordants? Right? So I'm not wasting
Lina: And
Farah: Water like, I can't be watering plants with that water because it will kill them. But like
Farah: just trying to
Farah: about like, okay, like using up all the dye pot until, like there, it's not dying anything anymore and not throwing it out just because I don't have anything more to die like I'm gonna go run out to the store and buy something to die right rather than
Amanne: Hmm.
Farah: Throughout the die pot.
Farah: So yeah, it's I feel like I've been piecing together
Farah: information and assumptions just to kind of try and approach the process that Palestinian women would have once used
Amanne: Have you, and sorry I'm kind of thinking out loud as you're talking about this, because I'm getting excited. Have you like? Explored the opportunity of maybe going somewhere where
Amanne: dying like these kind of botanical dyeing is a custom, and seeing if you can learn kind of some traditional practices that way like is that I know. Obviously in Philistine it's it's really difficult and not really many people. Because Lena and I have
Amanne: talked about this, too. And it's very difficult with full scene. But like neighboring countries, or anything like that, is that something you've explored
Farah: I mean, it's a thought at the back of my mind. I don't know if I can like one, afford it, or figure out who to contact or
Amanne: Yeah.
Farah: Right now
Amanne: Totally, but it's
Farah: Something like on my mind. I did find, like an Instagram account of a fiber studio in Egypt that does natural dyes. So I followed them. And I like I did find like some information through that, like, they had a little bit of information about like matter root and what it's called in Arabic, and like how it might have been used. So I like.
Farah: like, I said, like piecing together all kinds of information from different places, because
Farah: Like Egypt, probably used very similar processes, same as like Syria, because I was actually listening to one of the episodes with Wafa, where she mentioned that sometimes the silk thread would be dyed in Syria, sometimes it would be dyed locally.
Farah: and the other thing that's been on my mind since I started is wanting to not just use the same materials that Palestinians used, but trying to forage locally for plants or things that I can use, and hopefully, like, I'll be able to connect with some of the indigenous, like crafters and makers here who could
Farah: maybe teach me like what can be used. And where is it? Okay to forage? Because so far, like the only things I think I've foraged are
Farah: acorns from like the neighbor's tree.
Farah: And I attempted a little bit with there's like a flower like growing in our backyard that I I tried to do something with. I don't think I did it right.
Amanne: Room.
Farah: So I might try again at some point. But yeah, I think like, what I would want to do 1st is try and figure out
Farah: like locally what I can do as opposed to traveling overseas, because what Palestinian women would do is look around them and use what was around them.
Farah: so I want to keep that spirit in it with my dye process as much as possible. Like, I'm still going to order some some dye materials online. Yeah. But I want to try and at least forage some
Amanne: I love that that's beautiful
Farah: And hopefully eventually grow a dye garden myself
Lina: Oh, that is cool. Yeah. Well, okay. It seems like Patrice inspired a lot of this interest. How has learning about hand dyeing
Lina: influenced your Tatreez practice?
Farah: I will say quite a bit. Actually. So right now, when I've been like my more recent projects.
Farah: I'm looking more for the like either hand, dyed or botanically dyed thread. And that's what I'm reaching for over the Dmc. Thread that I still have. Not that I don't use that at all, but like a lot of times my preferences, for, like some of those more natural colors, and
Farah: like honestly, I know some natural buyers really prefer, like the very even
Farah: dye look. But I I like the uneven dye so like this little project that I'm working on.
Farah: It's like a little mini tote bag that I found at an estate sale. It's made out of 8 o'clock. I think it's like 15 count.
Farah: and I only felt there were like 2 of them, and
Farah: I I dyed both of them. And so it has this kind of slightly uneven look to it, and I'm
Farah: the tortoise that I'm doing on it is it's not botanically dyed, but it is hand dyed silk thread
Amanne: And
Farah: And
Farah: yeah, like, I think it's influenced my choices and my style of quite a bit compared to before. And so I think I'm developing a more distinctive style, whereas before I was like, Oh, I like this, I'm going to do this. And it was just all over the place.
Farah: So
Farah: yeah, I think it's helped me feel more connected to the tradition of tatreez as well, because traditionally women were spinning their thread, dying it, and then doing the right like they weren't like.
Farah: just like the thread didn't just appear from nowhere. So it's made me appreciate also more like the whole concept of the clean back being. It's not about perfection. It's about
Farah: conserving the thread that you spent so much time making and dying and not being wasteful, and
Farah: it it creates like a certain like level of appreciation for that like, that's where that comes from. It's not just about like, oh, does it look perfect? It's
Farah: Am I using every last bit of thread I possibly can.
Farah: and yeah, not letting it go go to waste, because I spent so much time working on it.
Farah: so I think it's helped me feel more connected to that process
Amanne: Thank you for validating my craziness with my clean back. Because now I can just say I'm just being sustainable. So I appreciate that
Amanne: but but I also wanted to ask you in relationship to your practice and your botanical dying, and all of that like, how has that like? How has that influenced? How you're in relationship with community? Because earlier, you said that was one of my other. Follow up questions like about the these workshop that you did for the public right?
Amanne: and you kind of started doing that like, how is all of that affecting? And you also mentioned wanting to eventually like work with local indigenous makers, too. So I'm just curious what journey that's taken you on
Farah: Yeah. So
Farah: you know, before, like I mentioned, like Tatreez, was something I did on my own, maybe with my sister and my mother like, and that was pretty much it.
Farah: It wasn't something I did it. It wasn't something I really associated with community. Aside from like generally being part of like the Palestinian culture, right?
Farah: So once I started doing like that 1st workshop, it connected me to a lot of people so like we had one of the women who attended is from a Mexican background, and practices weaving, and so like. She was kind of bringing in some of her experience and sharing some of her knowledge, and that was a very interesting, like cultural exchange that I feel is also true to the spirit of, and how it was practiced for so many centuries, where
Farah: it was a conversation between cultures as well, not just within our own culture. And
Farah: so I I've only lived in like so-called Phoenix, for like a year and a half, or
Farah: on like I moved honestly. I moved here like 2 weeks before October 7, th and so
Farah: the main way. I have even met people since. Moving here is through activism for Palestine, right
Amanne: Wow!
Farah: Because otherwise I don't think I would have had, like that same motivation or those same opportunities to
Farah: to meet people and to form community because I was like, wait, I don't. My community is not here. I'm separated from my community. I need to do something. Where do I find my people
Farah: and so starting Tatreez workshops and classes really like.
Farah: I feel like it was a catalyst to
Farah: meeting even more people, and like really connecting, not just like
Farah: this, like surface level meeting right like, Oh, this is someone I met at some event like I was forming
Farah: closer relationships with people and learning about their their own cultural backgrounds, whether they are Palestinian or they were coming from a different cultural background. And from there, like, we recently started circles. We've had 2 so far. We skipped Ramadan. But, Inshallah! Like in April we'll start up again, and
Farah: so I feel like Tatreez is now becoming more of this
Farah: thing that I associate with community and with healing
Amanne: Tick
Farah: Collectively right, and like something that I'm really trying to be intentional about with the circles is not just like talking about nothing, right? Like we're coming to the circle to talk about something meaningful. And so I kind of put out some little theme for each month of like
Farah: the 1st one we were talking about.
Farah: what was it? I think community care versus like self-care, right? Like, what does community care look like? And I wanted that to be the 1st one, because
Farah: part of it is, you know, something like a little today circle
Amanne: I'm paying
Farah: It could be a form of community care.
Farah: And it's not just this trivial thing that we're doing, but like
Farah: pretty much everyone who's showing up to these circles are also activists who are like, we're all in the same place of being burned out, not sure what to do next. And the circle is a way to like, take a step back, have that time to heal together, to grieve together, and also to like be in that creative space of.
Farah: you know, sometimes, like ideas might come up through the context of a circle.
Farah: and like the the second one that we did, we talked about like rest, right like is rest earned? Or is it something that
Farah: is a right, or that you inherently like, have
Farah: So yeah, I feel like
Farah: the circles, the workshops. And then, more recently, I was tabling at the Eid Festival a couple days ago, and that was also an opportunity to meet a lot of people like, especially Palestinians who practice Tatreez. I'm realizing there's a lot of people from Tulkarem here because I feel like at least 50% of the Palestinians I talked to were like, Oh, I'm from Tulkarem, I'm like Wait.
Farah: and like even like some of the like, the older khaltos who are stopping by my table, who are like Oh, of course we know how to do Tatreez, right like everyone knows how to do Tatreez
Lina: That's what data says, though, and I haven't seen any of that of these. So wow.
Farah: Yeah. So like, there's like, there are a couple of women who were actually Jordanian. But you know, obviously practiced because we didn't have those same borders that we now
Amanne: You do
Farah: And they had, you know, a lot of information about okay, like the thobe of Karak is similar to. I'm going to mess it up. I don't remember which, thobe, she said, but like which thobes in Jordan correspond to the thwab in Falasteen. So there's that knowledge is there like, if we just find these people and talk to them. But usually they're not
Farah: like out in public, except for Aids.
Amanne: Yeah.
Farah: They're like, we're tired. We don't duplicate these anymore.
Amanne: I think that's why community stuff is so important because, like similar to you when I was at like after aid prayer, you know, everyone just hung out, and you know, like
Farah: Yeah.
Amanne: All these people I haven't seen in like forever. You only see them during a prayer. And like it was interesting talking, and like. There was a number of people I was talking to, and even like some of my friends who were introducing me to people, and like one of my friends. She's so funny, she's so sweet. She was like, this is my friend Imani. She does her.
Amanne: Do you want to learn Tatreez? She could teach you. And I was like, Oh, girl, chill! But it was actually really
Farah: I have a friend like that, too.
Amanne: Right, like we all do, girl, I'm that friend sometimes, too. I'm not gonna lie but it was like really cute and really funny. And like as I was like meeting people like so many people who were like, Oh, yeah, like, I've been meaning to come to the 3 circles or like, Oh, yeah, I've been wanting to learn. Oh, I've been seeing more people post about the threes on on social media. So it's like, I'm such a big proponent of
Amanne: the 3 circles locally and people connecting. Because exactly what you're saying, there is so much knowledge in the community, and a lot of this knowledge isn't written, it's not recorded, but being able to pass it through community is so so important and a way for us to preserve that knowledge
Farah: Yeah, absolutely.
Farah: And I think also, like, it's
Farah: like having people at the Tatreez circles or at some of the workshops who do come from different backgrounds, and especially like some of the older generations, because they're the women from Jordan. There are also a couple of women from Syria, for example, like that.
Farah: Wait.
Farah: I think, in diaspora, we're trying to piece together all this information about what our lives were once like and how our cultures interacted with each other
Farah: like some of the Syrians were surprised when I told them, like, we used to get our silk from Syria. And they're like, Wait, really. And I was like, yeah, like and
Farah: I think it's really important to have those conversations and to have that like informal time together. That's not just.
Farah: you know, going to the Masjid or
Farah: showing up for a protest. We're not necessarily connecting in those informal ways
Amanne: Very well, said very well, said.
Lina: Yeah, a hundred percent agree. So Farah, what is next for your journey? Do you have any projects in the works
Farah: I have a lot of projects all the time. So many ideas
Lina: Relatable, relatable.
Amanne: Same.
Farah: So right now, like, aside from the you know, the botanical dying which I'm continuing to explore.
Farah: I am trying to learn how to spin my own thread
Farah: and actually like again at the side festival, I ran into someone who like not Palestinian or Arab, or anything, but she knows how to spin thread, and she offered to teach me, and I was like, Yes, please. This is like what I've been wanting to do, but I don't know who to go to or who knows how to do this, because I feel like the world over like this is kind of a dying practice of like people might know how to spin yarn, but not necessarily thread, because it's slightly different.
Farah: So there's that I'm obviously trying to like develop a workshop for the botanical dying, and
Farah: I've also been working on a poetry book which has been years in the making. I've been like slowly compiling some of my poetry around Palestine.
Farah: and something was just like not
Farah: clicking with it where it felt like, why would anyone want to like buy this this poetry book with
Farah: like personal poems about Palestine. Obviously some of that is just imposter syndrome speaking. But some of it was like, How is this different than any of the other.
Farah: like poetry books on Palestine. What makes it
Farah: me right like what makes it stand out? And
Farah: as I've been doing more of the Tatreez, like something clicked where I was like. Wait, I can combine the totals with the poetry, because, like to me, these things are all linked right, like I'm not just a poet, or just a total artist, or just a painter, or just a printmaker like, I'm all these things at the same time, and I'm always
Farah: combining these things together.
Farah: like, even like the printmaking until 3 is like, I'm combining that right like that's natural for me. And so I had this idea to, as I'm like wrapping up this project. To
Farah: combine the poems with a Tatreez pattern, and ideally also, like, you know, stitch it myself and have a picture of that along with each poem.
Farah: Because I also, I mean, I designed my own motifs, not just the patterns, but the actual motifs. And so.
Farah: yeah, I just the thought occurred to me, and it just felt like, Okay, this is perfect. This is
Farah: me. This speaks to who I am and how I see the world.
Farah: And you know, like, if I have a poem that like, I have a poem about Za'atar, for example, like that's going to be combined with Tatreez pattern that represents za'atar, or like. I have a Baklawa poem that's going to be combined with a Baklawa which there's already a ton of like motifs, so like not everything will be original, I don't think.
Farah: but I think, combining the poetry, and the Tatreez just feels
Farah: so natural and make made it feel like everything was coming together. So, Inshallah, I'll like eventually get this out into the world.
Farah: because, like I said, it's been sitting in my drafts for years. At this point
Lina: But we need a publisher listening to hit us up. We'll connect you with Farah.
Lina: I love it
Amanne: All right before we let you go. We always have to ask, what are any major life lessons that you have gained from deities
Farah: I think for me it's honestly been about perfection. So I know we have this emphasis on like the perfect back and whatnot but
Farah: I also it's never like a hundred percent perfect, either. Right?
Farah: there's always going to be like some stray threads or like something that's going diagonal or like something right
Farah: and like, there's also this idea that
Farah: like you don't have to fix every mistake right like some mistakes. Yes, you absolutely need to fix them. But certain mistakes like aren't really going to affect the final piece. And it's okay to leave them in. And that's how I also teach my workshops of
Farah: like really
Farah: helping people overcome that perfectionism right? Like people get so stressed out when they make any little mistake. And I'm like, bring it over here like, let's see, does this need to be fixed? And if it does no big deal we just go back. We fix the mistake. We undo it. It's not a big deal like, make a mistake.
Farah: and that's how you learn. And also sometimes the mistake can be left in. It's like it gives it more character, or you work with it. You adjust the design to work with your mistake.
Farah: and I remember reading, and I wish I remember where I saw this, but something about like sometimes Palestinian women, who, even if they had the skill for everything to be perfect, they would deliberately make a mistake.
Farah: supposedly like because of has said, or like evil eye or whatnot to like prevent jealousy. But it's just this concept of like, we actually don't want it to be perfect, right? And I have such. I'm a perfectionist, right? I've really struggled with that perfectionism. So being able to be like, no, it's okay. If I make a mistake. It's okay. If it's not perfect, it's actually better if it's not perfect like, that's what gives it its character. That's what makes it look handmade.
Farah: And yeah, so that's been my biggest thing is the perfectionism, or like getting away from the perfectionism
Lina: I love that. It's 100% true, 100% agree. Thank you so much, Farah, for joining us one last thing before we let you go for real? How can everyone get in touch? Follow your work, keep up with all your what you're doing for those in Phoenix. How can they reach out to be a part of your circles or workshops? Tell us all the places
Farah: Absolutely so you can follow me on Instagram at @Artcoloredglasses, and that's also where I post any upcoming like Delta days, circles, workshops, all of that.
Farah: I might do some things online, we'll see. And
Farah: you can also find, like more information on my website, especially if you want to schedule a workshop that would be more private rather than just attending one of my public workshops. That would be artcoloredglasses.co.
Farah: and I do also sell some of like my thread. I'll be posting some of my like handmade items as well like I've been making these little like polymer Clay needle minders like I made. I'll show you my knafeh one
Farah: which is just like
Amanne: That is so cute. Okay, we have.
Amanne: You have to. You have to
Amanne: send a picture so you can post it
Farah: I absolutely will
Amanne: Playing with Polymer Clay and I sucked at it. But it's so cute
Farah: Yeah, it takes some. It takes some practice. So anyways, that was totally off topic. But you can find some of my handmade products, my thread, and all of that on Shams Bazaar, which is a new alternative to Etsy. That's Arab owned Bds friendly and all that. I also have it linked on my website and on my.
Farah: on my Instagram
Lina: Yeah, amazing. Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure
Farah: You.
Amanne: I'm so glad we got to chat with Farah. I know you've you connected with her before, Lena, and you had mentioned her to me, so I was glad we were able to find time to bring her on. It's really really cool. What she's doing with the botanical dying and really trying to revive a practice that has unfortunately, because of colonialism, died or
Amanne: is dying in Palestine. So it's really cool, and I'm excited to continue to hear about her journey, especially like once she starts connecting with some local indigenous dyers. And you know we talked a little bit about that with her. Even when we got offline. We talked a little bit about that with her, so I'm excited to hear how her journey progresses.
Lina: Yeah. And also the research that that I asked her to like reference. We'll put it in the show notes. I haven't actually read the whole thing because I just received it today. But it's really interesting, like.
Lina: there are a lot of assumptions that I think we make about hand dyeing versus synthetic dyeing specifically in Philistine and the introduction of Dmc. But I don't think we know the whole. We obviously don't know the whole story, and I don't know. I think there's a lot there that we could potentially figure out or learn together. So I'm so happy that she's exploring it. And you know we'll share, share the knowledge as as everyone goes. And yeah, I'm excited to see kind of where this takes us, because
Lina: has always been a connection to land. And this is just such a natural extension of that. By the way, that thread is actually produced, and you know, made into these vibrant colors, that that then get stitched on these dresses so
Lina: I'm really excited. We'll talk
Amanne: A lot more about it, like I'm sure
Lina: Oh, my goodness! Well, until then, thank you all so much for listening to another episode of Tatreez talk. We want to hear about your tatreez journeys. So please please share your stories with us at tatreeztalk@gmail.com, and we might just have you on an upcoming episode. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite listening platform, and be sure to leave a 5 star review. You can follow me at Lina at @linasthobe, Amanne at @minamanne, and of course follow the pod at @TatreezTalk. We will talk to you soon.
