The Stats Behind My Handmade Thobe Will Blow Your Mind
It’s no surprise that something handmade will take more time. That is the point, isn’t it? Handmade means focus and attention to detail… but understanding this in theory is verrryyyyy different from experiencing it for yourself.
I’ll never forget one of my first tatreez projects that I completed while staying at my parents’ home. I decided to copy an embroidered pillow that my parents bought 20 years ago from an artisan in Ramallah. It was about 15x15 inches in size and used a beautiful geometric pattern in varying hues of blue.
I was in-between graduating business school and starting a new job, and so I was able to spend every waking moment stitching this piece together before I headed back to New York City.
…and when I say every waking moment, I mean EVERY single waking moment.
My Palestinian father would walk past me sitting in my favorite corner on the sofa and tell me that I was obsessed. He then began to worry for my eyesight (which is fair).
But what was really incredible to witness was a moment when something clicked for him around week four of me stitching this project.
I distinctly remember it was around that time of day (3ish pm) when you crave a second cup of coffee with a piece of dessert - at least I crave it every day around 3 pm - and he sat down with his cup and stared at me stitching. I actually remember feeling his gaze.
After a minute of observing me stitch, he said something along the lines of, “wow, we did not pay enough for that pillow.”
That was the moment he understood the value of handmade tatreez. And it was only because he had been witnessing me for WEEKS working on the same project and seeing how slow the process was because it was intricate and required sustained, dedicated focus.
I didn’t keep track of that project but that moment has stuck with me and I keep thinking about how can I help other people come to the same realization without having to stitch in front of them for weeks at a time.
When I decided to embark on the ultimate tatreez project there is - a thobe - I knew I had to keep track of all the work that would go into it. To do this, I leant on the one thing that never fails me: numbers.
Without further ado, I present a look into the time and work that is required to make a handmade thobe:
The basics:
FOUR panels with embroidery, including the front yolk or ‘Qabbeh’, the front panel, the back panel, and two sleeves
FIVE color present, DMC 919, DMC 959, DMC 580, DMC 762, DMC 922 for the stitchers wondering
STARTED: Oct. 11, 2020 (according to Instagram)
FINISHED: Sep. 4, 2022
By part:
Front Yolk or ‘Qabbeh’: 13,602 stitches
Front Panel: 23,850 stitches
Back Panel: 10,196 stitches
Sleeves (both): 22,714 stitches
In total, my first handmade thobe was comprised of 70,362 STITCHES taking approx. 234.5 HOURS*.
Mind. Blown.
If there is one takeaway from this post that you should capture, it’s that whatever someone is charging for their handmade work is not enough. The time and love that goes into these types of pieces needs to be considered so much more deeply and once you have something handmade, cherish it that much more!
*Calculated assuming a rough estimate of 300 stitches / hour. In my next post, I’ll show you how to calculate the time it takes for your own work!
