Celebrating Tradition: The First Digital Palestinian Embroidery Database

Zain Masri vividly recalls the vibrant sensation of completing her initial cross-stitched motif at the age of seven. “For years, it remained my preferred holiday pastime at my grandmother’s residence in Jordan,” recounted the 31-year-old to DW.

Employed in marketing in Dubai, Masri rediscovered her family’s tradition of cross-stitching Palestinian patterns amid the pandemic. “I engaged with online embroidery communities for creative motivation while spending extensive time at home,” she shared. However, Masri swiftly recognized a critical challenge encountered by the global embroidery community—scarcity of high-resolution patterns.

“It’s imperative to establish a platform for digitized, printable, and freely accessible patterns, considering their significance as cultural heritage,” mused Masri. She questioned why she should await someone else’s initiation of such a database.

And so, nearly 24 years after her grandmother introduced her to Tatreez, the Arabic term for this age-old Middle Eastern needlework style, Masri founded Tirazain. This marks the inception of the premier digital embroidery database showcasing traditional Palestinian cross-stitch patterns, complemented by insights into their origins and aesthetic attributes. Notable examples encompass iconic palm trees, intricate multicolored motifs, and designs reminiscent of the tiles adorning Jerusalem’s Noble Sanctuary or Haram al-Sharif.

However, the journey of creating this database proved significantly more time-intensive than foreseen. Existing digitization software fell short in accurately deciphering the intricate stitches. Consequently, Masri undertook the manual breakdown of motifs using digital grids.

“I’ve devoted countless hours to meticulously digitizing each stitch in the motifs,” she reflected. This thorough approach guarantees their suitability for manual cross-stitching and availability for machine embroidery alike.

At present, her database offers approximately 1,000 such patterns available for download. Its growth has progressed gradually since October 2021, culminating in its official launch this past summer. Scrutinizing the statistics, Masri disclosed that over 1,000 individuals access the patterns daily, underscoring the flourishing expansion of the community.