One Needle, One Thread: Miao (Hmong) Embroidery and Fabric Piecework from Guizhou, China
Dr. Tomoko Torimaru
2008
According to a popular saying, "If you meet 100 Miaos, you will see 100 costumes." Miao treat costumes like a local signature -- a proud display of technical skill mastered by one's village. The wide variations in traditional dress underscore the central role textiles play in Miao culture.
With no written script, the Miao have long used textile making as their method of language to record their history and beliefs. Their techniques are an instrument of vocabulary. Impressively, in embroidery, the breath of intricate and stunning surface embellishments is achieved with them most simple of tools -- a needle and thread.
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