The Yaffa Chest Panel: A Stitch of Memory, A Tapestry of Resistance
In a time when so much is being erased, we stitch to remember.
We stitch to resist.
We stitch to rebuild.
We’re proud to share the completion of one of our most meaningful collective projects to date: The Yaffa Chest Panel — a monumental embroidery piece co-created by over 90 people, each contributing a thread to a larger story of heritage, resilience, and identity.
Inspired by the traditional chest panel of a Palestinian thobe from Yaffa, this piece measures an incredible 120 x 100 cm — the size of a full chest panel on a historic dress, expanded to honor its detail and symbolism.
Each part of this chest panel was embroidered by a different hand — across time zones, languages, and life experiences — yet all bound by one shared intention: to preserve and celebrate Palestinian culture.
✿ A Collective Act of Making
This wasn’t just a stitching project; it was a community effort that brought together seasoned embroiderers, first-timers, artists, and curious learners. Every participant was invited to embroider a small section of the panel, following traditional motifs carefully redrawn and enlarged to scale.
Week by week, square by square, the design came to life — a labor of love, stitched slowly and intentionally over months.
✿ See It in Person
We’re honoured to exhibit the Yaffa Chest Panel at the Royal Society of Arts in London — a space where craft meets culture, and stories are told through the hands that make. This exhibition is not just about embroidery; it’s about the people who made it, and the place it comes from.
✿ Why It Matters
Embroidery — or Tatreez — has always been more than decoration. It’s a form of storytelling, resistance, and cultural continuity passed down by Palestinian women for generations. This chest panel is a reminder that despite displacement, our stories can be held, shared, and reimagined — one stitch at a time.
Come see the final piece. Stand in front of it. And feel the weight of 90 hands that said: we remember.
