DESCRIPTION OF THE BELT
绣XIU is the collection of our Miao embroidery decorations and accessories. This belt is hand woven with floss silk and dyed naturally with local plants. It needs at least five healds, interwoven with warp and weft, showing a strong three-dimensional pattern. purple and yellow, blue and white and other color lines are used to create the color crisscross, so as to realize the harmony and unity of the symmetrical pattern in the contrast. Brocade, cross-stitch, satin stitch and other Miao traditional skills are used to create this piece. It could take several weeks to make.
Technique: Miao brocade has a history of more than 700 years and is an indispensable item in Miao people's life. It is often used to make fabrics such as clothes, waistband, strap, backpack and belt. The specific way of hand weaving in the region is that one end of the brocade belt is tied to a fixed tree trunk, the other end is tied to the Weaver's belt, and then the heald is used to pick up the warp and weft on the brocade belt.
Material: Floss silk
Size: 30cm*120cm
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.