Chapter 3 - Creating a Tatreez Pattern
Now that you’ve selected your fabric, thread, and tools, it’s time for the fun part -
choosing your colors!
Color is a powerful element in Tatreez. It carries tradition, tells stories, and brings your design to life. In this lesson, we’ll guide you through choosing a color palette that is both meaningful and visually striking for your first project.
Tatreez Color Palette
Traditional Palestinian embroidery is known for its vibrant colors. While various regions often exhibit similar colors and motifs, there are instances where each region showcases its unique elements. Remember that your choice of colors adds visual appeal and tells a unique story about the region or tradition you're celebrating in your Tatreez project.
While certain regions favored specific color combinations, many shades—especially deep reds—were widely used across Palestine, each carrying cultural and symbolic meaning. The following charts display traditional DMC thread colors that were most commonly used in Palestinian embroidery during the end of the 20th Century, as per the Encyclopedia of Embroidery of the Arab World.
