Designs in cross-stitch.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Farida Talaat, the cross-stitch and embroidery artist, is a quintessential Dubai girl. Originally from Canada, she has lived in the emirate for over 20 years. She moved to the UAE as a child and attended school in Dubai, where she first got introduced to the craft of the cross-stitch by her mother. “I would watch admiringly as my mother skillfully embroidered a large round artwork of cross-stitch, which would go on to adorn the walls of our house,” she remembers. It was from there that her affaire de coeur (love affair) with cross-stitchery began. She was hoping to revive the art of traditional needlework; her love for the art of embroidery has been lifelong and after becoming a fashion designer, she set out to incorporate cross-stitchery in her designs as well, to give more heft to her purpose. She creates her diverse creations in a kaleidoscopic mix of opposing themes and concepts. They range from calm, romantic flora and fauna motifs to bold, audacious geometric shapes. “A completed cross-stitch artwork is more than the sum of its parts, and each cross-stitch hoop has a special place in my heart,” Farida says. She says hand embroidery is like painting with thread. “Designs can be as modern and relevant as I like,” she says. “They needn’t be vintage or traditional. For me, cross-stitch tells my own story and journey of experiences, travels and aspirations as an artist and as an individual.”

Cross-stitch is a kind of fibre art where two thread stitches go against each other in direction forming a criss-cross pattern. The generative art form has endless design possibilities of stitches and, truth be told, is very time-consuming. Working on a 6-inch embroidery hoop can take as much as 10 hours to complete. “Cross-stitchery requires a great deal of legerdemain, and I am constantly learning new needlework techniques on my cross-stitchery journey,” Farida says. 

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Unlike other fibre crafting methods such as knitting or crochet, cross-stitch is highly intricate — and is not the most forgiving. Given the small size and delicacy of the stitches, mistakes, if made, are quite visible and they will deter from the beauty of the overall project. Despite the risk, Farida continues to cross-stitch her time away. So far, she must have completed over 300 cross-stitch hoops. Not one to do one thing at a time if she could do two, Farida launched ‘A Cross-Stitch Across Dubai’, a modern cross-stitchery initiative and sister project to ‘A Cross-Stitch Across Canada’. Both are modern-day embroidery projects that aim to raise awareness around several social topics from tolerance and world events, to inspirational messages and sustainability.

  Farida Talaat in her studio.

They merge corporate branding with fibre art, paying homage to the names and symbols of some of the nation’s iconic home-grown brands. In launching her needlework projects, Farida hopes to bring to life the old art of cross-stitchery and embroidery with contemporary topics and themes, with a nod to craftsmanship and heritage in the UAE. “‘A Cross-Stitch Across Dubai’ is intended to be a movement rather than a small business,” she says. Cross-Stitchery allows her to tell her own story and besides helping her detail her collection of experiences, it allows her to record and document the world around her. To produce a cross-stitch artwork, she first conceptualises the design on her laptop, then traces it on a special perforated canvas fabric called “Aida” fabric.

She then spreads the work taught on a circular wooden hoop and takes a few days — sometimes months — to handwork the design onto the fabric, using embroidery thread. Once the artwork is complete, she finally installs a backing and adds a label and fining touches. “The entire process is therapeutic to me. My hands, eyes and mind are all focusing on one task at any given time,” she says. Cross-stitching and fibre art in general has seen a resurgence in recent years. The arts and crafts scene related to it has been steadily making an impact globally. Catalysed by the 2020 pandemic, it has helped spur the growth of many successful small home projects and created many active communities that are interested in alternative art and hobbies.

To add flash, in keeping with modern times, embroidery, a typically traditional handmade slow art craft, has embraced a digital component. Farida says there is specialised software to create digital designs in seconds, too. ‘A Cross Stitch Across Dubai’ often collaborates with art galleries and similar creative organisations, and Farida participates in craft markets, bazaars and also sells her creations online. Her previous works include a logo project that depicts multinational company logos as well as cross-stitched themes and events and personalities from the UAE and the world, including the late Sheikh Zayed and Expo 2020.

Looking to the future, Farida hopes to grow a vibrant cross-stitchery community in Dubai and across the UAE. “There is room to grow the market, with possibilities for art collaborations, education, and applications in the fashion industry,” she says. “I dream of Dubai as an embroidery and cross-stitchery hub in the region.” One can follow her and her cross-stitchery journey on Instagram @AcrossStitchAcrossDubai.