Tradition · Questions
What is the difference between fallahi cross-stitch and tahriri?
Fallahi and tahriri are two different techniques, not variants of one. Fallahi is counted cross-stitch worked into the weave of the cloth by counting its threads. Tahriri is couching: a silk or metallic cord is laid on the surface of the fabric and stitched down with a finer thread.
Fallahi (فلاحي) takes its name from fallah, meaning farmer or villager: it is the cross-stitch of village embroiderers, and it is what most people mean by tatreez. Because the stitch is counted into the threads of the cloth, it produces stepped, geometric forms and needs a ground with a countable weave.
Tahriri (تحريري) works the other way round. The cord sits on top of the fabric, held by small stitches of a finer thread, so the line is not constrained by the grid of the weave — which is why tahriri yields winding, curvilinear floral and medallion forms instead of stepped geometry. It is documented as the signature technique of the Bethlehem area, worked in silk or in gold and silver cord, and is also recorded around Hebron.
The two coexisted on different garments. The malak (ملك), the ceremonial wedding dress of Bethlehem-area families, is worked in tahriri with silver, gold and silk cords across the chest, sleeves, cuffs and side panels.