Back to Learning,
Stitch by Stitch

It had been a long time since I had given myself the chance to learn something new. When I joined the Palestinian embroidery training at the Women’s Center, I thought mostly about the skill: learning the stitches, understanding the patterns, and making something with my own hands.

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What I had not expected was how much I would enjoy being a learner again.

Embroidery guided me to a different sensation of time. I had to concentrate, to be patient. If something was not right, I went back to it. And gradually, I began to enjoy not only the finished work, but every stitch along the way until it was finished.

That was where another change began. I started trusting my own ideas more. I became less hesitant about trying something new, and more interested in seeing what I could create. There were abilities in me that I had simply never stopped long enough to notice.

Our trainer saw that in us too. Her encouragement was constant, especially when we doubted ourselves. She did not only teach us how to embroider; she made us feel that our effort was worth something, and that getting better was reason enough to keep going.

By then, the course had represented more than a few hours of training in my week. I was making time for something I loved. I was creating. I was learning again. And I liked the person I was becoming while doing it.

I began the course wanting to learn embroidery. I finished it wanting to know what else I could learn.