Hmong is located in the high mountainous regions of the North Coast in Vietnam. Embroidery in Hmong is traditionally used as a form of decoration on clothing, accessories and crafts to make it look beautiful. Bright colours like blue, pink, red and green are typically used to contrast with yellow and brown, overlaid with white. Girls are taught how to sew and embroider at a very young age, learning from their mother and grandmother. Girls who can sew beautifully are admired for their potential to create lovely clothes and accessories for their future husband and family.
The Hmong people value their textiles art as a form of identity, culture and language. The designs and patterns used to create a piece of fabric are symbolic in Hmong culture and most are derived from nature. The traditional Hmong flowercloth or storycloth is called ‘Paj Ntaub’ and is a cloth where Hmong women embroidery on, to create a story of their daily life. In Hmong there was no written language until about 50 years ago so people had to use oral language or pictures. They formed this way of recording their life by making this Hmong flower cloth. Traditionally, women would sit for hours embroidering each little feature by hand but now, most Hmong people have migrated to the US and China, therefore learning new and simpler techniques. The flower cloth is made using many textiles techniques that we still use today. For the storycloth which tells their family life, their village life, death or any other personal situations they encounter; appliqué, cross-stitches, batik and embroidery are all representations of the personal life. The designs below are some traditional symbols that all Hmong people use in there fabric making.
The Hmong people value their textiles art as a form of identity, culture and language. The designs and patterns used to create a piece of fabric are symbolic in Hmong culture and most are derived from nature. The traditional Hmong flowercloth or storycloth is called ‘Paj Ntaub’ and is a cloth where Hmong women embroidery on, to create a story of their daily life. In Hmong there was no written language until about 50 years ago so people had to use oral language or pictures. They formed this way of recording their life by making this Hmong flower cloth. Traditionally, women would sit for hours embroidering each little feature by hand but now, most Hmong people have migrated to the US and China, therefore learning new and simpler techniques. The flower cloth is made using many textiles techniques that we still use today. For the storycloth which tells their family life, their village life, death or any other personal situations they encounter; appliqué, cross-stitches, batik and embroidery are all representations of the personal life. The designs below are some traditional symbols that all Hmong people use in there fabric making.
The Storycloth can be used as a banner or a painting to display around the house. Not only can it portray the daily life of Hmong people, old traditional legends can also be told. The Storycloth originally was made out of hemp as a base while designs were sewn on using different types of fabric, but after groups of the Hmong people migrated to America, cotton started to act as a replacement for hemp. The Hmong people created these Storycloths as a way of communicating and recording the history of life. Because there was no written language until recently, people had to get their thoughts out about how life was for them and how they escaped the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War, the Hmong people got separated and people migrated to parts of China and America. Hmong embroidery is also used to decorate women’s skirts, men’s collars and outfit wrist cuffs. The design of traditional Hmong clothing varies depending on your social status.
The Hmong people embroider all the designs on a flower cloth by hand, without the need of a sewing machine or any other forms of technology. Instead they use a spinning wheel to make yarn. The amount of effort and the authenticity in what Hmong people create, is what draws tourists in to buy them. Buyers often are interested in the symbolic meaning of the appliquéd patterns and designs on a flower cloth. Hmong people also make their own outfits to wear to public events and celebrations. All embroidery work and sewing is done by hand with intricate needlework and reverse appliqué. According to the UNESCO seal of excellence, Hmong handcrafted pieces of work all meet the highest standards of quality because they were created with careful regard to cultural authenticity and environmental conservation.
The process of planting hemp and creating yarn in Hmong:
Hemp seeds are sown very close together to ensure that they grow straight and with few leaves. After three months when the hemp has flowered, Hmong women cut it and dry it out in the sun for a week, making sure to turn it every 2-3 days so that it dries properly. Hmong women cut the hemp by hand, breaking the stems one by one. Once the threads are wound on their wrist first, then transferred onto a spool, the fibres are spun and twisted tightly into yarn on a spinning wheel. The yarn is boiled, bleached and then finally washed in a river to create a soft white yarn. To achieve colour, Hmong women traditionally created organic dyes and mordants from plants, roots, insects, resin and soil which they either crush or slice and then boil to extract the colour. These dyes are absorbed into the fibres of textiles and last much longer than paint. Hmong women use the tabby weave and twill weave to create the strong fabric used for embroidery.