DIA550xH600mm, China
This small umbrella has a silver handle, a structure is made of bamboo and yawn, the shade is non-waterproof, to top it off, it has 2 pom pom on the top of the cap. This is in fact a Chinese dance umbrella. Around the Sung dynasty, merchants from the northern province acquired the umbrella from the south and brought them home as a novelty, in order to show it off a dance show is invented. The moral of the story is – product promotion started early in China.
W100xL600mm, Thailand
The Hmong tribe is one of the 5 major hill tribes in Thailand, the Hmong is a sub tribe of the Miao tribe in China. It is believed that due to the cultural reforms brought on in the Qing dynasty, a search for more fertile land that have brought on a massive immgration in the 18th century. According to records in the Chinese literature, the Miao tribe can be dated back to 3rd century BC.
These embroidery were decorative pieces on the sleeve or collar of the Black Hmong costume, unfortunately the garments which these embroidery have been on were too worn to be kept, these are the pieces that have been salvaged. Traditionally, these garments were worn during the Hmong New Year in November or December when the harvest has been completed. They are combination of cross stitching and patchwork, the embroidery patterns all have a subtle symbolic meaning; (left) a protection cross, (center) flowers, (right) snails. These embroider pieces are a perfect for any handmade projects, bags, jackets, etc.
W600xL600mm, China
This Miao embroidery started its life as a traditional baby carrier. The cloth baby carrier was once very popular, looking at old photos I too have spend some time wrapped up in a much less elaborated version of it. For those who are not use to carrying baby around with belt and cloth, the Miao has converted the embroidery as a cushion cover. The embroidery is made with cross stitch, a basic stitching of the Miao.
China
This is a jacket designed and tailored by our shop in the style of the Miao tribe. The decorative pieces are embroidery from the Miao tribe in Gui Zhou. The red eye creature in the embroidery (can you spot it?) is a three legged toad. The toad represented wealth and good harvest. This representation is shared by an old Chinese folk story; once upon a time there was an evil monster, the young Lui Hai had him defeated and it turned out to be a three legged toad. The toad turned good and followed Lui everywhere fighting other monsters. Lui also has a habit of aiding the poor, the legend has it that the toad has the ability of bring wealth, at where he reside there is treasure. The toad became a symbol of fortune and blessing.
W200xL200mm, China
There are 2 lucky symbols on this glass bead mate; the Swastika signs at the corner and the longevity sign in the middle. The 卐 (Swastika) sign has been passed on to China along with ancient Indian Buddhism religion. In the 7th century, the Tang Empress Wu Ze Tian, ordered for its inclusion as a Chinese character, selected the right spinning version, to be pronounced as Wan with the meaning “the focal point of blessing from all direction”. Since then apart from its original Buddhism uses, 卐 was also used as a household blessing symbol from embroidery to pottery and architectural decorations, the symbol also become more graphic and elaborated. Longevity, has long been a symbol the Chinese adores for decoration. This symbol on the beaded mate is one generated from the typography of the word Shou (longevity).
W80xL100mm, China
(If you see this image on an iphone, that will be close to the actual size. This embroidery is very small)
This is a piece of typical Beijing style embroidery with the use of the Da Zi stitch which is a specific to the Beijing embroidery. With the Da Zi stitch each stitch is required to be of the same size, spacing and height, this demand a embroider to be able to use the same pressure for each stitch and to know where each stitch should be located. The Beijing style embroidery uses Da Zi stitch as a colour shade filler, each stitch is looped individually. The Beijing style embroidery work is labourious; in 1 sq cm, there would be 150 Da Zi stitches!
W180xL250mm, China
This is an embroidery hat for a child, flower pattern is embroiled on silk. The embroidery would usually be made by girls in the family. Please note that this is not a baseball style cap, the extension is not the bill but a cloth that drap down the back of the neck.
W600xL900mm, China
This is one of the traditional costume of the Miao tribe from the Qian Chung Nan area In fact there are over 200 different styles within the Miao tribe, different district would have their own costumes (hairstyle, accessory, clothing, etc) which has been modified along the different dynasty. From the Qing dynasty, embroidery, silverware, Manchurian style left or right breasted garments were added into the collection. This garment would have been worn by a middle age female; made with blue cotton, tailored to be loosely fitted with no collar.
L1400xW1000mm, China
This is a patchwork embroidery duvet cover of the Miao Zu minority tribe. As the name patchwork embroidery suggests, its a combination of both type of needlework; colours are created by the patchwork and the detail added in by the embroidery. The Miao has their own individual language but not an individual text; their history is passed down the generations by word of mouth in form of songs or as a design on their embroidery. The story is symbolised by the pattern of the embroidery, for example in this work, bird = happiness and freedom, flower = young girl, butterfly = mother, dragon = power, etc.
W400xL400mm, China
This is believed to be a piece of Han Xiu embroidery from the area around Wu Han. Han Xiu differ from the famous four Chinese embroidery styles where the colour scheme are flat and without shades. Flourished in the early Qing Dynasty, this style has now become a dying trade as the artisans have disappeared during the war. This art has recently been listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Chinese Government. This particular piece of embroidery is a remnant of the decorative piece of a duvet cover.
Mountain Folkcraft 