Weaving Identity: Lina on Turning Tatreez into Business, Story, and Community

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Marhaban, welcome back to Sitti Stories, a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices and celebrating the achievements of Palestini women. I'm your host, Leila, and today I have the pleasure of speaking with Lina, the creative force behind Lina's thob. Lena is a Tatriz storyteller, thob maker, and the co-host of Tatriz Talk, a podcast dedicated to Palestinian embroidery and heritage. Lina, welcome to We cannot wait to hear your story.

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Oh, thank you for having me. It's such a pleasure, and I love that you're focusing on Palestinian women and their achievements and really just helping to amplify everyone's work. I think that's really powerful and beautiful. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Thank you. Thank you so much. And it's so cool having another podcast host on the podcast as well. So I think that's really cool. And I'm really excited to delve into that. But before we um get to hear a little bit more about your journey, we love starting off with a Siddhi-inspired question. And so, what is one word that you would use to describe your Siddhi? And it could be both Siddhis or one Siddhi.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Well, my Sitzis are very different from each other. And I'll just like preface this with one of them is Panamanian, not Palestinian. It's interesting because when it comes to Tatriz, which is basically everything that I do, I actually connect a lot more with my Panamanian grandmother because she has experience with embroidery and sewing, whereas with my Theta, it's more of like a cultural connection and something that helps me tie back to her heritage and her background in Nablis. One word is it's a tough question. For my grandmother who's Panamanian, I think the word is just like soft. She's very soft and kind and um so easy to talk to. I talk to her every week, and it's such a special time of my week every every time every time we do chat. With my Teta, she is, I would say, strong-willed. So she's a she's a powerhouse. She um, you know, she has no problem with confrontation in like the best way possible, and we love her for that, Mary. She's also from Navnis. I don't know if there's any stereotypes.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

But we love it. We love it.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

I love that. That sounds like the most like stereotypical Palestinian grandmother, just very strong-willed, you know. Determined. I love it. Determined, yeah. Yeah, yes. That's what I say about my six-year-old, because she's a very strong-willed child. And then I keep reframing it to myself. She will be a very determined leader in the world. Exactly, exactly, exactly. Totally, totally. Yeah. Like all of our cities, exactly. It's always incredible to see what each guest says. And it kind of always like is that thread of like just a super strong, independent woman. I would love to hear a little bit more about you and get to know a little bit more about you and your background.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Yeah, totally. Well, so I was born in Virginia, but I did spend about five years in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and two and a half-ish years in uh Kuwait when I was growing up. So I graduated high school from Kuwait and then came back to the US and went to university back in Virginia. So, in terms of Beded, so my mom is obviously Panamanian, so she was born and raised in Panama. My majority of my Panamanian side is still in Panama. My parents actually met at the University of Southern Alabama. They were both civil engineering students and both didn't have the best English at the time. And all of the Latinos and all of the Arab got along, and they had their own little crew that they were hanging out with in university, and that's how they met and fell in love and got married. But then, in terms of my Palestinian side, so my grandmother's from Nablus, my juddo is from a uh town called Burkha, the one next to Nablus. I learned recently that it's actually two. So he's from from near from near Nablus. But they, I think my grandfather spent a lot of time in Tulkerem growing up, and then he met my grandmother, they got married, and then they moved to Kuwait shortly after getting married in the 50s. So my father and all of his siblings were born and raised in Kuwait as well. So yeah, so I so it was interesting when I moved to Kuwait when I was in high school, that was kind of an interesting experience for me because that's technically where my father grew up. So it was it was interesting to have that exposure to what it's like to be a Palestinian in Kuwait. I I mean I went in a very different capacity. We were, you know, American at the time, and it's a very different experience, but at least I was able to meet family who had lived there their whole lives.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Yeah, it's so interesting to see so many different layers and levels of diaspora.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

I just I like to start off that way to kind of root us into a little bit more of who you are before we talk about your art form or the really cool things that everyone is doing. Totally. I would love to shine a light on your Tetriz journey. How were you introduced to Tetriz? Can you walk us through what the start of your personal Tetriz journey was?

SPEAKER_02 4:47

Totally, totally. So my Theta never really practiced Tatriz. This wasn't something that I learned on my Palestinian side, but I did grow up learning cross-stitch embroidery from my mom's side. So my mom's side has a whole history of, I mean, I think both great-grandmothers were seamstresses. One of them had a seamstress school. They were very well versed in the art of garment making and embroidery and these types of things. It's like literally in your blood. That's so cool. Yeah, on both sides, I guess, technically. It's also known the people of Nables and that region aren't necessarily known for having that much Tatriz, so it kind of makes sense. I was definitely heartbroken when I couldn't find that many motifs representing Nables and Tulkerum and Purpa.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

But you know, we made it, we made it my own and turned it that in that way. So I didn't actually know what Tatriz was growing up. Like we of course we had the Tatriz pillows, we had the things on the walls. Um I didn't really have a thwab growing up. I think my mom had one that she had bought like in maybe in the 90s, but she never really wore it and it wasn't something that we knew to value at the time. And then I think it was about seven years ago in the summer of 2019. I happened to have a month in between graduating from a master's program and starting my new job. And I spent it in Virginia, and my mom found this Tatriz class, and it was with Wafat name of Tatriz and T, and it was in DC, and we are based in Virginia, so it's super easy for us to get to.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Love her, yeah. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Totally. And so that was the perfect mother-daughter bonding experience. It was a tie to my Palestinian heritage, but it was embroidery, so we had that in common. And I'll never forget, we went to this class, and apparently we had we didn't know, but apparently it was like the third class in a series of classes. And I remember what being worried, like we missed the first two sessions, like you missed a lot of the basics on what Tatris and the cross stitch are and all this stuff. And we were like, oh, it's okay, like we'll just, you know, see how it goes. And it turns out the technicality of Tatriz, we already knew. My mom and I already knew how to do Tatriz. It's just we had no idea that there was this whole library of motifs representing Palestinian heritage and stories and connection to land and all of these things. I I just became completely obsessed. I I was like, wow, I knew how to do this all my life, and I had no idea. How have I been missing out on Tatriz all this time? And so I got home that day and I just saw Tatris everywhere in the house. Like I just I never noticed it or like thought twice about it before. It's it's amazing, it's like remarkable actually. So I became obsessed basically, and I I found the there are two pillows that are on my parents' couch. I picked one up and I was like, I'm gonna do this one. And I I copied that design. I'd use different colors, and I spent the whole month that I was there in Virginia working on this pillow. I love telling the story because it just goes to show how disconnected we as a people are from the art form of Tatriz. So I spent that whole month, like I said, stitching this pillow. I mean, I'm talking like eight hours a day. I'm just sitting on that couch stitching along, and it's taken, you know, it's a it's a project, it takes a while. And my dad would come in and out. He would like come come downstairs, but he would have his coffee while I'm stitching, and then he would go to the gym and then come back and I'm still stitching, and then he would go for a meeting or something, come back and I'm still stitching. I think about three weeks in, my dad like looks at me. He's like, Are you seriously still stitching that same piece? And I said, Yeah, it's a big piece, like it's very manual, it's a lot of work, it's intricate. And he's like, Yeah, but I didn't pay enough for it. And that's when it clicked for him. That was the moment he's like, I only paid that woman of Ramallah, you know, so and so shakels. Like it was, it was worth so much, it's worth so much more. And I just remember like that clicking for him only because he had seen me working on it for so long. And and so that was, I think, one of those moments that kind of stuck with me over the years and has really made me that much more passionate about Taltriz and why it matters and the importance of our community in space in particular valuing it for what it is and for the work that it is. And so that was so that was the beginning. And then I I happened to be, I'm a little like unguided, I guess. Like I didn't know what I was doing. I I've had this struggle, and it kind of ties to the identity crisis of like, what is my purpose on this world and what's my like what am I supposed to be doing right now? And that has led me in a variety of directions. And so I went and got a master's in in in business administration, and it was kind of in the right m direction, but it still wasn't quite there. And so I happened to also be uh enrolled in another master's. So I did this second master's. Yeah, I was that's why I say I'm a little bit crazy. You are definitely an overachiever. I didn't know what I was doing, and honestly, to be perfectly honest, is I actually did I applied to that master's because their Autobi program is supposed to be really strong, and I really wanted to hone in on my Autobe. And the joke's on me though, because I had a full-time job, and so I ended up doing it part-time, and all of the Autobi classes were during the workday. So I actually never took an Autobi class with that master's, but I ended up doing the master's anyways, just on the side. It was it was also COVID, remember? Like I had I had some free time. And so what I ended up doing with that master's, though, and the reason I'm saying all this is because I ended up having my entire thesis and research on Tatris. And so I had it started my practice, right? And then I started this new master's, and the new master's um was a was a master's in near Asian studies at NYU. And I think it was the second semester we had a history class, and I had to write a paper. And just for reference, I have an engineering background and then I did business administration. I am a very much on the numbers side of the brain. I'm not very much on the other side of the brain. And so I struggled a lot with that other master's because it was very liberal arts. It was just so much reading and so much writing, and it was tough for me. And so I struggled with that paper. And then one of my classmates was like, Well, you can do a couple different things. Why don't you think about picking an object and following it through time? And that can be your history paper. And I was like, Okay, what object am I gonna follow? Oh, Tatriz, great. And it just worked out really nicely, and so that began like the continued obsession, uh, I guess, of Tatris. And so, but that was really valuable for me because then I got more of an academic lens on the practice, and I really dove deep into whatever research is available in the academic world on Tatris, and there's actually been quite a bit published. Um and anyway, so then I fell I fell in love with it, and part of that research led me to this place of realizing that we as a people have actually lost something very, very important, which is this idea that you do taltriz for yourself. And in 1948, when when when the nekbah happened, all of these women who were doing taltriz for themselves, who were making a thwab for themselves, and like this isn't to say that everyone did taltriz for themselves, but the vast majority of taltri's practice was something that you did for yourself within your community. It was an expression of identity and of yourself and creativity, etc. And so when 1948 happened, all of these women who were practicing taltriz were forced off their land and were removed from their main source of livelihood. They turned to tartriz as a form of livelihood. And that's when I think a rupture happened in our culture as a people. And so I became obsessed. Again, I obsessed, uh maybe obsessed is like the word to describe me, but I became very intentional about this is my purpose. That's when it just completely clicked for me. Why don't we do taltriz for ourselves? Why is it that we're like just buying Tatriz for the sake of having something Palestinian in the house, but we're not actually diving deeper and up, like peeling back those layers of what it means to practice Tatris and what it means to have Tatris as part of Palestinian culture and heritage. And so then I decided to do my thhoap. I bought I bought a sewing machine and I did a practice round. I did, I made my own pillow with Tatris on it. And then I was like, oh, okay, this wasn't that bad. How difficult could it be to make a thhoab? And that's not the easiest task in the world.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

It's probably not the easiest, but it's very clear how passionate and knowledgeable you are about tatris. And it kind of seems cross-stitching in general has always been within you and a talent that kind of was untapped. And so I'm so happy that you were able to hone in on that skill. And so you created your platform, Lina's Thob, which is about empowering people to tell their own stories through Tetris. Can you share a little bit more about that mission and how that came to be? So, how did it go from something that you were so passionate about, obsessively passionate about it? So, how did it go in from that to you wanting to share that with the world?

SPEAKER_02 12:52

Yeah, uh, it all makes sense when you think about my trajectory as a person, as a human, and where I studied and what I did. So I created Lina's Thulb, the Instagram account, when I was starting my Thulbe. And at the time it was more just a way to document. I was like, oh, how cool people can learn what I'm doing and they can keep up like friends and family. My whole goal was like I want to put all the mistakes on there so that people can believe that they can do it themselves and also they can avoid the mistakes that I'm making. And so that was the start of the Instagram account. And then I will say in the background, when I did my business degree, one of the things that I fell in love with was the idea of entrepreneurship and thinking about solving a problem and bringing that solution to the world in the form of a business. And so that was always kind of in the back of my head. I really love this concept of thinking about product and how do you make the experience that much better for the consumer, the customer. I was also getting some of those skills in my day job at the time. So that was in the back of my head kind of playing around. And so when I started experiencing all of these issues and roadblocks making my own thulb, that's when I started thinking, okay, maybe there's something here. Maybe this is a problem that I can solve and I can bring a solution to the market and at the same time go towards this vision of helping connect the maker with the person who wears the piece. Essentially, you be the person to make your own thulb and you would be the person to make your own thaltries. Um, so that was happening as I was working through my thob. So for context, the thalb took me two years. It's not for the faint of heart. It was two years. I remember significant moments of crying and bleeding and like, you know, all the experiences. But I was so determined. I was so determined to make this dress. And so, yeah, so I ended up making the dress, and alhamdulillah, actually, it worked out that I was able to get married in the dress. So that was always in the back of my head. When I first started, I really wanted to do a practice thhoab, and I was like, okay, this will be my practice thob. And then, because I was single, and I was like, it'll take some time before I meet someone, then I can make this grand royal type of thob in my head, and like it just took me too long. Um, but it was it worked out. I think I literally put it together and finished it about two weeks before my ketup kitab. So I was stressed out of my mind. But then it also worked out really nicely because I had the photographer focus 100% on this thob. And um, I was like, don't worry about the ketup kitab, just yeah, you know, get some pictures, but like really, I want you to just capture this dress. So that was those are my photos for my business, essentially, is from my ketchup kitab.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

It worked out amazing. You know what? The story of you making your own thob and it taking time, like you were single and then you met someone, and then you got married, and you even were able to wear it for your wedding. I feel like that rings true to how people used to make a thwab. It really did take so much time and they gone through so many life events through it, and it really is a story of those life events that they were going through while they were putting the thob together. And so I love that you were also able to experience that within your own life. I think that's so special. And so when you create a thob for yourself, how do you choose motifs and the colors and the patterns that you want? Can you walk us through what that journey looks like?

SPEAKER_02 15:56

Totally, totally. So, Greg, I'm a big promo proponent of you telling your stories through Totis, because that is what the history tells us is what women used to do. And I think that doesn't necessarily have to be a remake, remaking of a thhoe. It can be something completely unique and new. And one of the most common things I hear about my thobe is like, oh, I've never seen a Palestinian thhoap like that. And I'm like, yeah, of course not. It's my own take on it, that's why it's called Lina's thob. Um, and so for me, the journey was very iterative. So when I first started, I had some colors that I had in mind, and then I received this fabric and it had this other color, and I was like, you know what, that would look really great. And so that was how the color palette evolved. And then when I was thinking about design and motifs, I really wanted it to be a representation of what Palestinians do with their work. And so I first started trying to look like I mentioned, I was heartbroken. I started looking for my own Palestinian roots and what motifs are represented in those villages. There's not much, and so I didn't actually use anything from there. I actually leaned more on the meanings behind the motifs that I chose. And so Lina, in some translations, is little palm tree, and so you'll see some palm trees on the on the on the design. Um, I I really love this uh motif called Malolo, which also translates to like curl, and for me that represents my curly hair, which is like something that I always have identified uh with me. And then the other thing that I really wanted to do was embed my own my my mom's side. So I did this in two ways. One was more of a literal way, so I made up a motif actually, and it's um an orchid that I that I just created on my own, and that's the national flower of Panama, and so it's on on most of the pieces of the thobe, but I have them as really big statement pieces on the ebb bit and then in the in the in the bottom, or I think it's in the back of the thobe. So that was a not Tatriz technically, it's like a my own made-up thing, but it fits within kind of the geometric design and and it's in the colors that I chose and everything. I'm very close to my Panaminian grandmother, who also has an appreciation, very much high appreciation for handmade things. She's been with me on this journey, and so I remember telling her, like, oh my god, I just learned about Tatriz and here's what it means. It's a direct connection to the land and all of this stuff. And she's like, oh wow, that's so beautiful. And you know what you should do with your thulb, you should make it a representative of the land. And in her mind, the way she described it was let the bottom of the dress represent the land, the earth, flowers, things that grow. And then as you move up the dress towards the chest piece, you hit sky and mountains and birds and bigger trees. That way, your entire dress is a representation of the land. And I thought that was such a cool idea for design. It's so beautiful. Yeah, and something that hasn't really been done before either. And so I tried to implement it a bit. It's not 100%, but my chest piece is designed in a way that kind of had like goes to that idea. So when you look at the ebb bit, the bottom of the ebb bit has like the flowers, and then as you're moving up, you hit a water spring, and then as you move up, you hit um palm trees, and then there's some stars as well towards the top of the of the chest piece. And so that you know, that was that was the the inspiration behind the design for the chest piece. So I started with the chest piece and then I tackled the other pieces as they came. I was someone who needed to get into the stitching very quickly. I didn't want to have to design the whole fold before I started stitching. So I literally cut out one piece at a time, which I never I don't recommend because it's so painful to go back and then cut out the different pieces. But that was just the way I did this one. And I did design one piece at a time and it was just very, very iterative. So as I as a piece would come to life, I would get a new idea on how to design the next piece, and I would just iterate as I went until I finished. It's interesting for the Thulb, I ended up mixing different fabric types. So I had the main fabric that's what I stitched on, but then I also had this red velvet and I had a Saya fabric that really complemented the colors of the stitching and the rest of the dress. But I didn't really have the idea until I got towards the end. So I cut out those last. It was an idea that a friend of mine had that who had been on my Philip journey with me as well. So all of those pieces I'm gonna remember when I look at this dress. I I know I know exactly where everything is, I know where all the mistakes are. There's a hole in the ebb bit. Like I'm very proud of all of the things, you know, bad and good that went into the stress. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

You should be very proud, and that's such a special moment to also share with your grandmother. Yeah. And then also, like you said, your friend, it was kind of a community project, which I feel is exactly how like Tetri's and thumb making should be, and how I remember Lysith's describing it to me as well. So that's so special. You also co-host Tetri's talk. What inspired you to take it to that next level and start that podcast? And how has it deepened your connection to the work that you do?

SPEAKER_02 20:38

Yeah, so that's a great question. So I have a co-host, Amani, who is wonderful and fabulous and is very well known for her love of pink. And she's amazing. So when COVID hit, that was around the time that I was really kicking off my Taltriz journey that I was getting into the thob and things like that. She was one of those first people that I met online. We were one of the first Instagram accounts, if you will, in the Taltriz world in COVID, at least. And so her, amongst others, we just started talking and had virtual Zoom sessions where we would just stitch and talk to each other and stuff like that. And so we just happened to keep in touch, and she happened to be in New York for work at some points. And every time she would come to New York, we would go get dinner and just hang out and talk about Taltriz. She had mentioned this concept of a podcast very early when she was visiting New York. I think at the time I was really distracted. So either I was graduating with the second master's mine, I was getting married, like all of these things were happening. And so she finally You were working on your own thumb. Yeah. I was doing a lot. I I get excited about things and I go all in every time I do this. So she asked me several times, and I just I was just so honest with her. I was like, this sounds amazing, but I don't have the capacity. But I actually think it worked out really nicely because when she did ask me again, it was November 2023, is when she asked me again. So the genocide had begun. Yeah. And she was like, I think this is something that we need to do now. And I Said, I think you're absolutely right. And so we decided to just dive into this podcast, Tatriz Talk. And what we do is we feature different Palestinian artists and artisans. And ultimately, like the idea is that this can be something that you listen to while you stitch. Like that was the general idea. But then also we're trying to amplify all the other Palestinian Tatriz artists who are doing what they're doing and then encouraging new Tatriz artists to come into the fold and want to join the Tatriz party. So we've been going on for over a year now, which is crazy. Uh, and we've been very consistent. I'm so excited. Yeah. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Thank you. We were really worried about running out of guests or topics to talk about. It hasn't been an issue. We have too many. There's so much talent. Yeah. There's so much talents.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

No, there's so much talent out there, and I'm so glad that you guys are celebrating that and amplifying that. I also listen to your podcast. Yeah. I have a deep love for tatries and appreciation. Yeah. Even though I don't actively do it myself, I still have that deep love and appreciation. And it was something that me and my city's really bonded over. So I love to pop in and listen and see what the new artists are doing and hearing their journeys. Many Palestinians in the diaspora struggle with maintaining their connection to their roots. How do you feel like Tatriz can be a tool for cultural preservation?

SPEAKER_02 23:20

Yeah. No, Tataris is the best connection. It's the best tool that you can use because it's not something that, you know, you have that you're born with or like if you like for me, for example, I wasn't raised in Palestine. I visited a couple times, but that was, you know, out of privilege. And it's a very different experience visiting for a limited amount of time versus living there. And then I also have struggle with the language. So that that always made me feel as outside the club of Palestinians. But Tatriz is something that you can do at any, like at any point, whenever you're ready. Like the tools and resources are now out there, especially now. There's a lot of people who are making tartriz kits who have lessons online. Like I have a whole series on how to learn Tatriz in my community. There's so many books that you can read and learn. And then you have now the podcast, Tatriz talks, so you can learn the stories behind Tatriz and why it matters and how you can get involved. One of the most beautiful like visualizations that I've started to like lean into, especially now during this genocide, is you know, like when you're practicing tatriz, your hand motions, those are the same hand motions that your ancestors were doing. So imagine like just leaning into that concept of like as you're stitching, you're doing the same thing that your ancestors are doing. It's like not even just a connection to Palestine, it's a connection to your lineage, to your family, to all of the things that make who you are in this moment a you, essentially. So yeah, I I mean I'm obviously Tatriz is my love. I but yeah, it's a hundred percent that first and foremost, it's the connection to Palestine and to your family.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Yeah, there's going to be a new love language. It's going to be Tatri.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Oh my God, yes, yes, that is a love language.

SPEAKER_00 24:58

Yes, exactly. I love how you center yourself through thinking about how your ancestors were doing the same thing once. I just wish I was left fly on that wall to be like, what were they talking about as they were stitching? You know, how how did those conversations go? What were those stories? And you know, our podcast is called Sitdhi Stories because our sitties hold so much wisdom and are the keepers of our traditions. I love it when I feel like I find other people who are as passionate about their grandmothers as well. Because you've been talking about your grandmothers kind of throughout so far. But can you tell us a little bit more about your grandmother and your teta as well? And what their stories were, where they grew up and kind of where they ended up. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

Um, so I'll start with my teta. So my teta was born in Nables, and I think her love is forever Nablus. Right now she's in Virginia, but she just all she talks about and remembers are is her childhood and going to school. I I remember when I visited Nablus, for me, like my vision of Nablus is just stairs because I just remember there being so many stairs to get to their house. She was born and raised in Nablus and then married my grandfather, moved to Kuwait, and spent the majority of her life outside of Palestine. But I don't know if she'll go back again given it's difficult at this age. She has made sure to go back frequently as much as she can. And I think it's hard for her to come back here to the US when her whole love is in is in Nablus. My grandfather passed away in 2009. I was in high school. And at the time, so he passed away, he was going through a lot of health issues. And he stayed with us for a little while. We were in Kuwait at the time, and they had gone to Nablus and then come or gone to Falestine and then come to Kuwait for an extended period of time before he passed. And I I this ties back to Teta, I promise. And so he used to have all of these- It's okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

We love hearing, you know, there's like a everyone when they come on, they're like, Oh, wait, can I share something about my SIDO too? I'm like, Yeah, like just because it's called Sidney's stories, we still love hearing about the SIDOs too. It's okay. Yeah, totally, totally.

SPEAKER_02 26:56

Well, so he used to have to do these exercises in those days, and he we had the first floor, he would just walk back and forth and the first floor. And so I had a really special moment uh with my zitto. And I came home from high school one day and he was doing his exercise. He's walking back and forth. So I decided to just walk with him. I don't usually do that, but I, for whatever reason, I decided to do that. And again, like my language is horrendous. My Autobe needs so much work, and there's a little bit of a language barrier between my Teta and Jito. And so I was just trying to ask him questions and like get him talking. He's also, I don't remember him being a very talkative person. My Teta was definitely the more talkative one. And so I whatever, I was having a conversation with him, and I for some reason I asked him, you know, I was in high school in my teenager years, and I was like, So how did you meet Teta? was my question. And he was like so simple. He was like, Oh yeah, I saw her in a play, and I decided I was gonna get married to her, and then we got married, and that was it. And I was like, that's it. And he's like, Yeah, that was that was it. And and so I'll never forget that because when I asked my Teta, she just told me the exact same story. She's like, Yeah, I was in a play and he saw me, and then that was it. And I was like, Okay. Um, and so that like those are like that's what I think of when I think of my teta, you know, is like that that story of how she met my jutto and like her love for Nables.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

Yeah. Also, that's so cute because if she was in a play, I'm assuming she's an artistic person, and you're also an artistic person, and so I feel like there's also might be a thread there. I don't know. I haven't heard of her doing anything artistic since then. I think you have to inquire a little bit more about the play. Maybe I will. That's a good idea.

SPEAKER_02 28:29

I should ask more. I should definitely ask more. Uh to speaking about Teta, I have a more recent story. So I was I was holding a Tatriz workshop the other day, and these two sisters came to the Taltriz workshop. And it happened to be that my cousin also lives really close by. So him and his wife also came to my Taltriz workshop. And so they were sitting next to each other and they were chit-chatting as I was doing the Taltriz class. And they ended up finding out that the two sisters are also from uh Burkha, like and they're they have they also have a grandmother from Nablus. And so they were talking about it, and oh subhanAllah, a few days before, for whatever reason, my dad told me like the year that she was born. I don't know why, but it came up in conversation. So then when they told me that their grandmother was from Nablus, I was like, oh yeah, like my grandmother was born in Nablus in so-and-so year. And they're like, Oh yeah, like ours is just a couple years younger. And they mentioned that their grandmother went to the nun school. So there's a nun school in Nablus, and like this is where all the that's where all the Muslims were thought was the best education because it was still kind of in a religious setting. And so my Teta went to the nun school, and I was like, wait, your Teta went to a nun school and my Teta went to they must know each other. How big could this nun school be? So my grandmother haram's memory is a little bit tough, so I couldn't really ask her and probe more questions, but their grandmother has incredible memory, and so I told them my Teta's name and they went and asked their grandmother. Her grandmother was like, Oh yeah, I know her. I I know Naida. They started sending me whatever their grandmother was sharing with them, and it was so I like I wish I had it ready to read it to you. But basically, her grandmother was describing my grandmother and what she looked like, and I would I then shared it with my my dad and my aunts, and they're like, Yeah, that's that's what Teta used to look like. She was known for her long hair and all this stuff. And the reason that their grandmother remembers my grandmother so well is because she was the one person who gave her flowers on when she got married, because that woman also married a falahi. And my Teta had gone through that experience, and so she had congratulated her for marrying someone not from Nablus. Um, so I don't know. That was just such a powerful story and like an insight into my grandmother's life from a time that I couldn't have possibly have known or seen. Like I would have had to ask such a specific question to find that story. Like just so sweet. The power of Siti's stories, like truly.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Yeah. Yeah. When you are Palestinian, the world is so small. So small, so small. And everyone's stories is so different, but yet literally all the same at the same time. That's so special. And also, that's something that you are doing is bringing people together to create these kinds of conversations. And so I think that's so special. Was there a tradition that your your teta or your grandmother practiced that you still really like to cherish?

SPEAKER_02 31:10

Pateta, the love is through food. Maiteta is a one, I know everyone says this, but really my teta is the best cook. Okay, like a hundred percent. Um, and so the the language for us or the things that we do. I mean, it had been a long time since we've done this, but every time I would visit her, especially if I was visiting solo, she would look my favorite meal, which is melfouf, and we would lit together, and and that's been the best melfouf of my life.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

How is your favorite dish, melfou?

SPEAKER_02 31:35

Okay, don't get me started. Don't get me started. Melfouf is the best, it's the best out there. It's the best. I'm sorry, the water ain't up because my husband's obsessed with water aina. It's so overused. And like mel is good. But melfu is so underrated, nobody gets it.

SPEAKER_00 31:52

Just you know what's so funny? My dad said that the other day. My mom made Wateraktawari, and um, he was like, and he was like, I don't know. I mean, if you made melfoof, it would have been better. And I was like, Yeah, yeah, like who's he? He's I'm with him, I'm with Ammo. There we go. Yeah. That's so funny. But um, when you do the work that you do, do you feel like it's a continuation of your grandmother's legacy? I know that you said your teta from Nabus, that wasn't something that she was really doing, but maybe just tying it back to your other grandmother. Is that kind of a continuation of their legacy?

SPEAKER_02 32:25

Oh, totally, a hundred percent. Yeah, I I definitely think there's something there for sure. With my Panamanian side, like because there are so many women who have done handmade things in that lineage, there's such an appreciation for just like handmade things in general, like paintings and woodwork. And like we like they will happily spend extra to get high quality handmade things because there's such an appreciation and value for it. And I think that's 100% like one of my values in what I'm doing and what I'm trying to push forward. We as a community in particular need to value our art in a way that, you know, really shows how important and how critical it is to our culture and heritage. So yeah, I think 100%. I definitely feel like there's something in my fingers, there's something in my DNA, and it but maybe it's just the Panamadian side, but I there might all you never know. There might be something in my Palestinian side as well, you know, just I just idea of working with your hands, which my grandmother did a lot of, just maybe not with a needle and thread, but with other things. So I think there's also connections there as well. Yeah, yeah. I haven't really thought about it in that way, but it's it's such an interesting question to think about.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

Yeah, I feel like you are honoring their legacy with the work that you're doing. Panamanian culture is so encouraged by beautiful art and handmade crafts. And then also obviously with your Palestinian grandmother Tetris is something that is so highly valued. But you did touch upon something that I find really interesting with like our work isn't kind of like valued. And how do you think like we could kind of get to that?

SPEAKER_02 33:54

I think this is definitely a worldwide problem. I think with Palestinians in particular, just a little bit more important because of what our people are going through right now and because of this like risk of erasure of identity. So I do think that we as a community really should lean in a lot more into that because it's not just having something to preese in your house, and it's not just having something that's red thread on black fabric or whatever people think is a generic Palestinian thing. It really is the stories that are told and embedded in those stitches that we need to understand. And for me, I think one of the reasons I'm passionate about is because my Palestinian side didn't have that before. And so when I found that, I was like, what are you guys doing? Why wasn't this something that I was taught? Like, because if we don't do that, nobody else is going to do that. It's it's just become more and more of why I think what I'm doing is what I believe to be important work. This, I think this concept of understanding its true value, honestly, at the end of the day, it's probably only gonna come for the most part when you practice and when you try it for yourself. And I'm not saying like you need to go make a thob, like I get it. Not everyone enjoys this experience. But just having that a little bit of exposure where it's just like a small project or something that you learn in school, just so that you know how much time and love goes into these pieces. I think that's ultimately what I hope to bring to the world because I I understand not everyone is obsessed with that with the whole shebang as I am.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

No, I'm obsessed with it. I just I know where my skills lie and where they don't. And so I appreciate it. And I always grew up with it. That was the way actually one of my grandmothers was able to come to America was she sewed Thwab and sold it, and that was her way of being able to buy her ticket. And so I've always been really lucky to see the thwab and them being made. So I always knew how long they took, but I have just such a deep appreciation and wanting to look to the more research side of things, learn more about motifs and learn more about the symbolism and the stories that come up with it. And is there a particular motif that reminds you of your grandmother's?

SPEAKER_02 35:55

The Panamanian orchid one that I made obviously reminds me of my Panamanian side, and it's also a lot more like curvilinear, it's not as geometric, so it that also kind of gives me more like abuela vibes. She all loves the Panamanian national dress has cross stitch on it and it's very big and curvilinear. So that one for sure, which isn't Tatriz, but you know, it's uh Tatriz-esque when you see it on my hope. For my Teta, I mean, I I don't know, I haven't thought about that, but now you're making me think I need to make something for Teta.

SPEAKER_00 36:26

So through Nina's Thabs and Tetriz talk, you cultivated a really strong community of people who are are just as passionate about Tatriz as you are. How important is it to create and sustain women-centered spaces, especially for Palestinian women? And like how do you go about fostering those spaces?

SPEAKER_02 36:43

I think there is something really important about our Tatriz communities that we're creating for everyone who's interested in participating and practicing the art form. And it's it's so it's so wild because no matter the Tatriz circle, like whether it's one that I've curated or it's one that I'm attending or I'm like in a different state, like no matter what it is, if the people there are practicing Tatriz, you automatically feel safe. You automatically feel like you can just show up as you are, bring out your project, and you don't even have to have much in common. All you have to have in common is Tatris, and that's enough for a beautiful session, a beautiful conversation, a beautiful way to get to know each other. And I think one of the biggest examples of that was so Amani and I, alongside another Taltrizer, her name is Bayane from Bedan Collective, we also host.

SPEAKER_01 37:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:29

Yeah, I love Bayanne. Yeah, Bayane's fantastic. We also host an annual Taltriz retreat. It was very low-key. It was just people who had already been connected online. And when we got to the Taltriz retreat, we realized like we're actually so different. The women who showed up, I think we were about 12 women total, all of us have different family lives, different economic circumstances, different education, different ages, different times in life. Like you had people as young as uh, I believe like 23, 24, all the way up to like 50s. And it didn't matter at all because Totris was the thing that connected us, and we automatically felt like we could be around each other and safe and secure and it was the common thread and opened. If you will, if you will. Exactly. So yeah, I mean that's that's why those spaces are so important, is because I've I've gotten it so many times, so many times. Like, oh my god, I'm so grateful that I found this community because I I haven't been able to be myself at work or or wearing kufia out in public. Like it's a scary time to be Palestinian right now. And Taltriz offers us that automatic filter for people who you know is safe and who you know you can trust and just come as yourself. Yeah, so that's why it's really important.

SPEAKER_00 38:43

I love that you are part of like creating spaces like that. Like, you know, a Mami and Bayane, like you guys are all a part of creating those safe spaces, and I think they're very much needed. Throughout your work, you mentor so many. What has been the most rewarding part of that? And are there any like particular impactful stories that like you want to share? So many, so many stories.

SPEAKER_02 39:04

I just love seeing people feel empowered to tell their own story on their thwabs in particular, but also in any Tel Tri's design, really. A few stories. I have several people who are doing their thob with me, and what I love seeing is people coming up with their own motifs. One woman who has two young boys, they both love toy trucks. And so what she did was she created a completely new motif that represents train tracks going down her uh ebbe chess piece, and then at the end of the train tracks is another motif that represents um a train. And in each of those motifs, she has the letter of both of their names. And I just that makes my heart sing. It just makes my heart sing because she's literally doing what Palestinians do, which is embedding herself in this thalb. She's tying it to her sons who maybe won't practice Tatriz. Maybe they will, but maybe they won't, and that's fine. But it's her, it's her design, it's her story, and so that's her piece. That's probably one of my favorite stories. Um, I have a lot of people in my classes actually who are non-Palestinians, married to Palestinians, and that has also been so beautiful as someone who comes as half-half. Like for me, that resonates. And just seeing these women who want to be so respectful of Palestinian ter tradition, but also want to make sure that their kids are born and understand their tradition and have access to their culture makes me so incredibly proud of what I'm doing and what I'm offering as being accessible. There's so many of these types of women who are just such beautiful souls. And even if they're not Palestinian, they are they're they're doing something more Palestinian than a lot of Palestinians out there just by investing time and energy into making these garments and making it their own.

SPEAKER_00 40:46

No, totally. Yeah. You're giving such a gift to so many people, Palestinian or non-Palestinian. That's just such a gift and such a way for people to tell their own stories through thobs, which is literally the basic of what labs are.

SPEAKER_02 40:59

Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:00

You know, we talked about mentorship, but has there been a mentor in your life that has guided you throughout this journey?

SPEAKER_02 41:06

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I've had plenty of people. It's very much a community exercise, I feel everything that I do. So I I feel like the community in general has been a mentor for me. I mean, Manny obviously has been a huge part of my Tahiti's journey, especially through our podcasts and talking to other people. But I also had a fantastic coach, actually. Like this is her job, is to be a coach. She's Palestinian. Her name is Bissan. Shout out to Bissan. So she was actually my coach during the first year or so of me actually bringing it into a business form. And that was so empowering for me because I would get stuck in my head. And oh, it's it's tough. It's tough putting yourself out there. Like it gets easier over time.

SPEAKER_00 41:48

But putting yourself out there, it's hard. I'm finding it honestly like really hard. You have to give yourself a lot of credit for like putting yourself out there. Also, you're doing something that's like so personal to you. And so to kind of put that out there is like, I don't know, it's like so sacred. I'm sure like your mentors and the women who have kind of guided you throughout this way are very proud of you. Your business actually teaches people step by step how to make their own thob, which is like beyond incredible. You're making it so accessible. What is some advice that you would give to people who are starting off to kind of not make it feel so daunting?

SPEAKER_02 42:24

Yes, that is an excellent question. Take it step by step. I think with all things, it's one day at a time, one step at a time, one moment at a time. Don't feel like you need to have the whole vision ready to go from day one, because honestly, even if you did have a vision from day one, it's probably going to change because it's such a long journey and you're bound to get inspired, you're bound to get motivated by different things. Things might happen to you. You're gonna have different experiences, and you're that's just gonna influence what the end result looks like. So the beauty of this journey of making your own thulp is the journey itself. The dress at the end of the day is gonna be beautiful and you're gonna wear it to all these beautiful occasions and everything. But when you finish the dress, you're gonna be so sad that the journey's over because you'll have spent so much time with this piece. So take it day by day, enjoy like the beginning excitement of curating inspiration. Like I find it very helpful to have like an inspiration board. So whenever you see something interesting or beautiful or catches your attention, put a picture, put it in this board so that you have references. And I think when you start looking at the board over time, you'll start to notice the pieces that will make up your dress and it'll just naturally organically come to life. And yeah, the technical pieces you'll figure out, but but yeah, enjoy the journey.

SPEAKER_00 43:39

That's like that's the most important part. Yeah, I think that's perfect advice. Um, it's clear that this work is so much more than just embroidery, it's about storytelling and reclaiming what is ours. Before we wrap up, can you share with us like what's next for you? Is there any exciting projects you have on the horizon?

SPEAKER_02 43:55

Yeah, well, I'm gonna make my thulp course available again soon. So if you're listening to this, Get your butt on the wait list because that's where I share all the information. So definitely email is gonna be the best place to reach out and know all the things that are happening with what I'm doing with Lina Shtlob. We've got some incredible episodes coming out for Totri's talk, so definitely tune in there. And honestly, I'm kind of taking it easy because it's Ramadan and also genocide starting up again. I mean, it never stopped. But so I it's hard to feel motivated these days. So definitely if you're listening to this and you don't know what to do or don't know where to get started, write your representative, do something, act in some way, even if it's just, you know, one small thing that you can think of. It's it'll matter. And if you want to pick up Tatris, I have all the things. So if you want to learn Taltriz, I have a whole series, it's pre-recorded, it's available, it's baked into my online community called the Tatriz Lab. So in the Taltriz Lab, every month we have virtual Tatriz circles, we'll have featured guests, we will do a lot of fun projects together, and then you have access to all of the resources on how to do Tatriz as well in there. So that's definitely a good place to start. Uh, no matter the time of year, it's it should be around, hopefully.

SPEAKER_00 45:05

Where can our listeners follow along with your journey and support your work?

SPEAKER_02 45:08

So, best social media is Instagram. I'm at Lina Slobe with an I L I N A. But yeah, email And that's the same thing for your website as well. Same thing at www.linastlobe.com. If you're an email person, get on my email list. I send out a fun newsletter every Friday. Um, and it has like all the fun things with Tatris, and then you know, you'll be the first to know about certain things that come up in my business as well. But yeah, I think those are probably the best places to connect.

SPEAKER_00 45:34

Awesome. Looking back at everything we've talked about today, if your grandmothers were here with us, kind of drinking their shea um and listening to our conversation, what do you think they would be the most proud of?

SPEAKER_02 45:48

Uh well, I think my Teta would just be really proud of the connection to Palestine and Palestine. She's a very proud Palestinian. And I think she would be the most proud that I'm really leaning into my Palestini identity because it is one that I identify very strongly with. My Panamanian side, I think, would be super proud of just me being myself and showing up no matter what and just trying my best. She's yeah, she's who I tell all of my updates to. Like we have a weekly session to help me maintain my Spanish. I I we read a book together, so I read to her in Spanish. And then before I start reading, I give her an update on my business of the week.

SPEAKER_00 46:25

And oh, that's so cute.

SPEAKER_02 46:28

I love that. So she's she's definitely had her hand in a few of my projects and my ideas. I think one of the things that she loves is just being yourself, being happy, bringing that to other people, showing up no matter what. And yeah, I hope I I hope I do that. I hope I do it justice for her as well.

SPEAKER_00 46:44

Yeah, I'm I'm sure you have. I'm sure they're both very, very proud of you. Lena, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today. Your work is not only beautiful, but it's also a powerful act of preservation. We can't wait to see what's next for you and how Lena's thob continues to grow. Thank you for sharing your story and your Sithi stories with us as well. Thank you for having me, Daida. Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Sithi Stories. Lena is redefining what it means to build a business through culture and art, from guiding others and making their first thob to co-hosting Tatri's Talk. Lina's work is a reminder that heritage isn't static. It's something we can shape and share. If today's conversation sparks something in you, whether it's curiosity, pride, or the urge to pick up a needle and thread, follow at Lina's throb and keep learning. You can also listen to the podcast that she co-hosts, Tatri's Talk, as you stitch. And as always, follow Sitti's stories for more voices weaving the past into the present. All of the links to follow along with Lina and to connect with us are down below in the show notes. Until next time, keep sharing your Sithi's stories. Ma Salema