Inspiration and Design
I designed the Seeds (Bizr) mini quilt especially for the Portland Modern Quilt Guild’s annual Rainbow Fabric Challenge Quilt Show on display at Powell’s City of Books this June and July. I wanted to acknowledge the complexities of celebrating Pride month during an ongoing genocide perpetuated by Israel against Palestinians.
I chose to quilt a Palestinian tatreez motif and literally centered the colors of the Palestinian and transgender flags. I based my quilt on the Bizr/Seeds and Btn Al Haya/Stomach of the Snake motifs made available by Tirazain. Tirazain is an online archive that preserves and documents Palestinian tatreez motifs digitized from books, journals, and photography. They offer an accessible, barrier-free pattern library in Arabic and English for artists worldwide to use.
While I am immensely grateful for Tirazain’s efforts to preserve Palestinian cultural heritage, in order to truly preserve tatreez, we must preserve Palestinian lives. I encourage you to take one action this week (however small) by donating your money, labor, or time to support Palestinians and to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the U.S. government supplying weapons and funds to Israel, and the reinstatement of humanitarian aid.
Learn More About Tatreez
Tatreez is a form of Palestinian embroidery or cross stitch developed over centuries (or millennia, depending on the source) by Palestinian women. Various tatreez motifs and thread colors represent specific towns and regions, while different styles and materials reflect unique family traditions and even social class.
In 1948, the state of Israel was established, resulting in the forced displacement of 700,000–800,000 Palestinians from their homeland. Tatreez assumed a heightened cultural and political significance, especially after 1987 when Israel banned all national symbols of Palestine, including its flag. In response, Palestinian women embroidered tatreez motifs as a way to resist both Israel’s occupation and their attempted erasure of Palestinian cultural heritage. Tatreez continues to serve as a symbol of resistance, an assertion of Palestinian identity and perseverance, and an important source of income for Palestinians in Gaza and in diaspora.
Further Reading
Quilt Details
This is my very first finished quilt (!!) AND my first self-drafted quilt! I used Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton fat quarters from Modern Domestic for the quilt top and a rainbow pointillism quilting cotton (Moda Fabrics Gradients Auras Prism) from Bolt Neighborhood Fabric Boutique for the backing fabric.
Since I used precut fat quarters, I’m not sure precisely which colors I used, but the Rainbow colorway below approximates my best guess. Note that I only used 10 colors for my quilt—I did not use the silver color but rather used my quilting lines to visually differentiate those blocks from the plain white.
This quilt was also my first time trying free motion quilting on a Bernina Q24 longarm machine and I think it turned out pretty well, all things considered.
Special thanks to Chloe Costello and Lane Hunter at Modern Domestic who taught me how to quilt and how to use a longarm machine, respectively, and to Casey Manley at the Portland Modern Quilt Guild for organizing the event that got me to try quilting!
You can see the rest of the quilts in the show and vote for your favorite here.
Seeds (Bizr) Mini Quilt Pattern
Cost
Pattern Use Guidelines
Quilt Size
Supplies
Patchwork Approaches
Assembly Instructions
Pattern Colorways
Rainbow Colorway (11 Colors)
Fabric Requirements
Color Name | Yardage Required | |
Fabric A | Kona White | 1/4 yd |
Fabric B | Kona Silver | 1/4 yd |
Fabric C | Kona Cardinal (Red) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric D | Kona Persimmon (Orange) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric E | Kona Bright Idea (Yellow) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric F | Kona Clover (Green) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric G | Kona Spa Blue (Light Blue) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric H | Kona Royal (Dark Blue) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric I | Kona Velvet (Purple) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric J | Kona Petal (Pink) | 1/16 yd |
Fabric K | Kona Black | 1/16 yd |
Uniform Square Blocks
Square and Rectangle Blocks
Watermelon Colorway (4 Colors)
Fabric Requirements
Color Name | Yardage Required | |
Fabric A | Kona Poppy (Red) | 1/4 yd |
Fabric B | Kona White | 1/4 yd |
Fabric C | Kona Pesto (Green) | 1/4 yd |
Fabric D | Kona Black | 1/8 yd |
Uniform Square Blocks
Square and Rectangle Blocks
Trans Colorway (3 Colors)
Fabric Requirements
Color Name | Yardage Required | |
Fabric A | Kona Baby Pink | 1/4 yd |
Fabric B | Kona White | 1/4 yd |
Fabric C | Kona Baby Blue | 1/4 yd |
Uniform Square Blocks
Square and Rectangle Blocks
Minimal Colorway (2 Colors)
Fabric Requirements
Color Name | Yardage Required | |
Fabric A | Kona Rose | 1/2 yd |
Fabric B | Kona White | 1/4 yd |
Uniform Square Blocks
Square and Rectangle Blocks
Keep In Touch
Thanks very much for reading! If you have any questions, feedback, or corrections regarding the pattern, please don’t hesitate to contact me! I’d love to see what you make, so please tag me on Instagram and use the hashtag #SeedsQuilt. You can also find me and this pattern on Threadloop.
Further Reading
All content (including photographs and text) on this site ©2024–2025 Aliya Hoff-Vanoni. All Rights Reserved. Do not use or reproduce without written permission.