Hilary Treadwell

Hilary Treadwell lives mostly in Providence, RI and sometimes in Ojai, CA. She spends her time sewing, knitting, moving piles of fabric, screen printing, beach combing, brainstorming, being an auntie, and making lists of all the things that need fixing.

Quilt For Palestine (2024) #1

My quilt block (Mill Wheel) is inspired by the Palestinian art of Tatreez embroidery, an artform which has adorned and enlivened textiles for thousands of years. This boldly colorful embroidery style, similar to cross stitch, forms pixel-like motifs depicting animals, the landscape, history, legend, and daily life. I have translated the traditional “mill wheel” pattern of x’s into patchwork squares. Tatreez needlework has long been a craft demonstrating the vitality and resilience of the women of the Palestine – a heritage of beautiful stitching that has outlived political boundaries, oppression, and attempts at erasure.

To me, sewing, mending, and adorning are the antithesis of warfare and cruelty, division and destruction. Stitching is connection. Embroidery is celebration and investment. To trace and interpret these patterns is an honor, and I offer this small quilt with gratitude to the past generations of Tatreez embroiderers. Hope, peace, and abundance to all Palestinian artists, now and ever more.