DESCRIPTION OF THE BAGS
绣XIU is the collection of our Miao embroidery decorations and accessories. These vintage bags are hand woven with decorative silk embroidery and indigo dyes. Cross-stitch, counted stitch, satin stitch and other Miao traditional skills are used to create these pieces. All the bags are from 1980s and well preserved. Each could take few weeks to make.
Material: cotton and silk
Size: 30-40cm*40-50cm
Artisan: Mrs.Yang is the textile artisan from Huangping, Guizhou. She has been working in Miao embroidery and textile construction for 20 years. Yang learned the skills of natural dyeing, weaving and different stitches from her grandmother and mother.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
-Dry clean or hand wash in mild temperature
-Iron at mild temperature
-Do not bleach
-Do not wring
-Wash like colors together
*Due to the natural dyeing there may be color transfer. Please avoid contact with light colored fabrics or upholstery.
ABOUT THE EMBROIDERY ITEMS
Guizhou is one of the few remaining places in the world where women are still involved in all the process to make their finest clothes, baby carriers and other living pieces by hand through spinning, weaving, cross-stitching, brocading, wax printing, and sewing. Because of the complicated process, this usually takes two to five years. Miao embroidery is some of the most intricate and beautiful embroidery in the world which involves unique and complex stitches and is worked in brightly coloured lustrous floss silk with natural dyes. Because Miao embroidery is all made by hand, which is time-consuming and laborious, few people are engaged in it now, and few people are interested in and willing to learn. There were around 90 different stitching techniques in the past whereas only 20 stitches are found nowadays. This unique handicraft is on the verge of being lost.
We work with women artisans from Huangping, Kaili and other remote regions in Guizhou, China to recreate the accessories and decorations from the vintage embroidery, constructing which with new fabrics and embroidery. The new pieces imply high artistic and collection value. We hope to assist these women artisans to become role models to their communities in order to break the cycle of poverty. We also would like to cooperate with museums, institutions and individuals in order to let more people have opportunities to appreciate and study from these disappearing embroidery pieces and technique.