2. Embroidery "Tatreez " is the most indigenous form of art in Palestine. It is a language for expression. It has a history of more than 4000 years. Village women gathered after finishing their house chores to talk and embroider dresses. Some older women made cloth articles for their daughters or for their son's dowry. Each village had it's own design, so it was possible to know where a woman came from by looking at her dress. The embroidery skills were passed from mothers to daughters. Some dresses were used at different times of life. For example, there were different dresses for a young woman, for a bride, for a pregnant woman and for older mothers.

5. The most common items are the cross – stitch embroidered dresses made by village women from natural handmade materials. The earliest embroidery combine geometric and abstract patterns (triangles, eight pointed stars, squares, chevrons ) with some representational motifs such as flowers and trees. Later, other motifs were introduced as a result of the influence of historic events. The following Photos show some of the Palestinian basic patterns

15. Cross-stitch is a very simple, but there are various rules to observe for the best results. - Make sure the beginning and the end of your thread is well secured. - Don't use a knot or the lump will show. - Start by inserting your needle leaving a short end at the back of the fabric which you work over with your first Few stitches,making sure it's firm before continuing. - When you start the next new thread, run the needle under several of the stitches you have already made. - Oversew it securely through the back of the last stitch before proceeding with the embroidery. - When you finish a thread, pass it through the back of the fabric, then sew it firmly over four or five stitches. - Cut the end neatly

16. You will do some rows of embroidery horizontally and others vertically or diagonally. You may find it easier to do the cross- stitch in different ways. When working horizontally, the easiest way is to work a row of stitches by doing one set of arms on one direction then crossing them in the other. this is more economical with the thread. But if you need to do a vertical or diagonal row, you may find it easier to cross each stitch as you go along. The diagrams below show the difference between these techniques. Once you get started, you will work out the method which best suit you.

18. After the lives of the Palestinians were turned up side down as because of the political misfortune and after the exodus of most Palestinians from their homes, villages and cities, first in 1948 and second in 1967, the art of embroidery became a luxury which most Palestinians could not afford. However, Lots of organizations and almost all the girls’ schools encourage and teach this form of traditional art. Some Palestinian families now depend on selling embroidered articles to earn their income

19. The following articles were produced in our school