Sharjah24: Bracelets cannot go out of fashion, and the adolescent girls who queued up to take part in the “Bracelet making” workshop at the 43rd Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2024) were no strangers to fashion. As they imbibed the craft of weaving bracelets using strands of cotton thread from instructors belonging to the Sharjah-based Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council (Irthi), an Emirati tradition called talli was being revived to its rightful place in the nation’s heritage.
“Talli is a traditional Emirati heritage craft where silver threads are used to decorate clothes. Since we don’t want this tradition and craft to disappear, we are teaching the younger generation a simpler way to do this craft and weave bracelets instead of something very difficult. Using cotton threads, we will weave bracelets inspired by the talli tradition. At Irthi, we use simpler ways to raise awareness about the craft among the younger generation,” said trainer Amal Ismail of Irthi who along with her colleague Omnia Eid kept the youth engaged and engrossed in the activity.
To prepare the bracelet, the girls were given 12 strands of coloured threads in two contrasting shades, which were then divided into three sets of four threads each. After knotting the top of the threads, the two ends of the threads were pasted to the table with cello tape to keep them steady. The threads on the right were then bent at right angles and made to pass through the central one to create a knot; the same technique was then used with the threads on the left to create a knot and the action continued until the threads created a pretty pattern that was about 7 cm long or long enough to go around the wrist in a neat bracelet design. The ends were tied and excess threads cut off to create a fancy bracelet that the girls could proudly show off and take home.
SIBF 2024, a 12-day cultural extravaganza themed ‘It Starts with a Book’, has in store 1,357 activities for children and adults alike. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the fair is being held at Expo Centre Sharjah from November 6-17 and will present a comprehensive programme of 600 workshops for various age groups, including 465 sessions for adults and children and 135 for early childhood, covering heritage, media, entrepreneurship, technology, environment, arts, life skills, and creative writing.
For an optimal experience, please
