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Course Start Date
January 25, 2025 at 2:00:00 PM
Course Duration
16 Weeks
About the Course
Note: Payment plans are available for this course. If you need to set up a different plan other than the available options on the registration page, please reach out to Samia directly.
The course fee of $480 includes the following and covers the following objectives:
($50 discount available for participants in The Thobe Project cohorts beginning after 2022 - Please reach directly out to Samia for a discount code. If you are a new student, you may request this discount to apply to a future thobe-making course.)
A 120 page accompanying workbook/resource book to serve your thobe-making journey for years to come including hundreds of possible patterns for the thobes you will soon create.
Fabric in the color of your choice with which you will create your first child-sized thobe (black or natural available) including multiple colors of Saya fabric that can accent your little one's first thobe
16 weeks of instruction
Join our community: Access to bi-weekly stitching circles with participants from across the cohorts of The Thobe Project
A thobe-making pattern for sizes 2 years old-8 years old that are intended (for practical purposes) to "grow" with your child and serve your ability to create for them throughout their childhood
Learn a historic constructing stitch (all content/instruction differ from the curriculum in The Thobe Project course); this course is all taught by hand; no sewing machine is required or will be used.
Learn 3 finishing stitches for the neckline of your little one's thobe to include the 7abke stitch - a seldom practiced stitch today due to its difficulty in mastering
How to use, attach, and remove waste canvas
100s of historically influenced embroidery patterns that you can use and access later for creation of your little one's first thobe and many beyond their first one
A personal note: Like my practice and all previous courses, the instruction in this course is historically informed by the practices of our ancestors with a few practical adjustments (will be named in the course for the sake of historic clarity) informed by my experiences as a mother working to make the most sustainable and sensible thobes for my little girls.
The same course terms & conditions apply to this course as previous courses. This is not a course for other instructors - no portion of this course, curriculum, or accompanying workbook/resources may be reproduced or used without written permission.
Your Instructor
Samia Ayyash
Samia is a Palestinian-American public educator and embroiderer. She has been teaching Palestinian thobe-making and embroidery online since 2020. Since then, she has taught various project-based courses, high school embroidery courses for teens, introductory classes, and mentored practitioners on more advanced research-based projects including the remaking of historic garments stitch by stitch. Samia’s personal practice centers on the historic methods and materials of Palestinian garment-making.
Practitioner Reviews
I joined the baby thobe project because I was initially intimidated by the idea of making a full adult thobe. However, I also really wanted to create a thobe for my daughter to wear to my cousin's wedding. Learning from Samia has been an absolute honor and blessing; she made the process incredibly informative and fun, completely dissolving any intimidation I felt. After just the first two classes, I was ready to sign up for the adult thobe classes! I truly love the supportive community Samia has fostered, and I eagerly anticipate taking many more classes with her. I also appreciate the course's structured approach, including the book and note-taking process. It is clear Samia is a true educator, passionately applying her knowledge to preserve history and culture. - Practitioner, Winter 2025 Cohort
In the testing times of postpartum as a first time mum, the baby thobe project was my refuge! For so long, I have wanted to make my own thobe but felt like I was too time poor to do so. When the offering for the baby thobe project opened up while I was heavily pregnant, I felt a strong desire to join but was hesitant given that my life was about to flip on its head. I reached out to Samia and she was encouraging, and mentioned that the course is deliberately slower paced for busy mums. I registered at that point without further thought!
The skills you adopt and sense of community you feel throughout the course are unmatched. I am someone with many years of experience in tatreez, but virtually no experience is sewing. While this felt intimidating at first, the cohort of mamas and aunties and grandmas are all so supportive, and Samia is so patient and explains the steps really well. I feel so lucky to be able to learn from a Tatreez practitioner with such extensive knowledge and years of teaching experience.
If you’re hesitant about registering because you’re not sure if you can do it, let this be your sign that you can and you will LOVE yourself for it. -Practitioner, Winter 2025 Cohort
This course was easy to follow. I only have tatreez experience and was able to follow along pretty well. I love that we’re taught the historical methods rather than machine. It’s so important to keep these techniques alive. Everyone (including samia) in the cohort was so sweet and supportive. This is my second course with Samia and of course, not my last. - Practitioner, Winter 2025 Cohort
The baby thobe class was fun, engaging and fulfilling. I loved every second of it. The group was one of the most engaging and I think because we were making thobes that were all tiny we just had so much fun doing it. We were able to Tatreez and construct our own little Thobe in just a few months. Because the thobes were all small, they were quicker to finish and it was so motivating and encouraging to see everyone’s thobes all done and ready at the same time. Also I can’t stop looking at my baby Thobe! I’m really proud of how it turned out I can’t believe it looks like an actual Thobe and has arms and is constructed because I’ve never sewn or constructed a wearable garment before. I think making baby Thobes is my calling even if no one will wear them yet but I loved it so much I think I’ll be making a few from different regions just to have and keep; I know making multiple adult thobes would take ages so the baby thobe allows me to do that in a shorter time. -Practitioner, Winter 2025 Cohort