"Embroidery with the Nafash Needle Technique"... Artistic Paintings Woven from Cotton
As part of the eighteenth edition of the “Summer Cultural Festival” events, “Bayt Al Sadu” hosted a specialized workshop titled “Embroidery with the Nafash Needle Technique,” presented by trainers Badriya Al-Asfour and Mustawra Al-Shehhan, with the participation of a group of trainees. The event featured an interactive atmosphere that reflected the participants’ enthusiasm for exploring one of the arts of hand embroidery and its innovative methods.
The workshop witnessed active engagement from the trainees, who underwent a practical experience in handling wool threads and shaping them on fabrics according to various artistic designs. The session provided participants with the opportunity to closely learn three-dimensional embroidery techniques, transforming threads into raised shapes that add a unique aesthetic touch to the pieces.
Al-Asfour and Al-Shehhan explained to the trainees that the Nafash needle can be used in numerous applications, including decorating bags, hats, and clothing for adults and children, as well as carpets, paintings, and various artistic works. They highlighted the possibility of employing this technique through multiple methods that blend traditional heritage with a modern touch.
They noted that embroidery with the Nafash needle is not as difficult as some might think, but it requires practice, concentration, and patience, especially when executing fine details. They considered that working with it is very similar to engraving or drawing, as each stitch requires care and precision to ultimately form the desired image or design.
Embroidery with the Nafash needle is one type of hand embroidery that relies on a special tool to create raised, three-dimensional stitches on the fabric surface, typically using wool or cotton threads.
The Nafash needle resembles a pen in shape and contains a hollow needle through which the thread passes as it is inserted into the fabric and pulled, leaving a stitch in the form of a small loop. By repeating and placing the stitches adjacent to one another, areas of soft, raised fabric are formed, which can be shaped into lines, patterns, or various designs depending on the practitioner’s skill and the nature of the work.
Such workshops come within the efforts of the “Summer Cultural Festival” to provide artistic and heritage experiences that enable the public, especially those interested in handicrafts, to acquire new skills and learn about techniques inspired by heritage, while opening avenues for their development and application in artistic and contemporary works.
