Textile Treasures

H'mong baby collar

A lovely little lovingly hand stitched collar for the back of a tradional baby's jacket. With reverse applique and cross stitching.

H'mong people of Northern Thailand

Size: 8 x 10 cms

Embroidered strap with maze designs

A finely embroidered and appliqued apron strap used by H'mong hilltribe women on their fabulous embroidered costumes

Size approx 50 x 8 cms.

Hand stitched child's collar

A child's hand stitched collar salvaged from the back of a tradional H'mong jacket.

Tiny hand stitches - all lovingly stitched by a mother's hand.

Size: 13 x 13 cms

Cross stitch apron strap

A hand stitched band which is made to go on the end of a H'mong tribal woman's traditional apron straps

Size: 9 x 52 cms

Embroidered and appliqued panel

A beautiful hand stitched panel - part of a tradional woman's apron from the H'mong hilltribe of the Golden Triangle area.

Predominantly red and blue with cross stitched patterns and hand stitched applique.

Size: 68 x 12.5 cms.

Silk tritik sash

An old and rather damaged silk sash from Bali. The technique is called "tritik" and is a stitch and then dye technique found all over Asia (and often mistakenly called "tie dye")

Sashes like this are often used in ceremonies and worn wrapped around a woman's waist.

Lots of repairs and holes, but still an example of an old craft. Deep purples and oranges.

Size: 52 cms x 2 m

Turkish traditional spindle

A traditional wooden spindle used for spinning woolen yarn. Bought in southern Turkey about 30 years ago. 

The spindle comes apart and is in three parts. Once the spun yarn is made into a ball, the wooden arms can be slipped out.

Size approx: 23 x 17 cms

For a great article about Turkish spindles have a look here.

Turkish kilim beater

A heavy wooden hand made tool used by a woman to beat down the weft yarns as she weaves a kilim on an upright loom.

We bought this from a weaver in a village in southern Turkey around 30 years ago.

Size: 26 x 10 cms (10.5 x 4 inches)

Miao sequinned jacket piece

The bottom section of the back of a Miao woman's jacket from Guizhou province in southwestern China.

Very fine metallic thread work with sequins and backed with fabulous burnished indigo cotton.

Size: 31 x 41 cms.

To read more about the wonderful indigo and embellished textiles of Guizhou, have a look at my blog "Indigo Central!"

Laos brocade wallhanging

A beautiful 100% silk finely woven brocade with blue, red and white silk threads on a pale yellow silk background.

This piece was woven in Laos to be worn over the shoulder, although it has been cut across the middle to make a wall hanging

Size: 47 x 108 cms (with a black strip at the top to hang it from)

Gold thread square

An old and rather tatty silk square with a supplementary weft of gold metallic thread. Faded glory!

Probably from South Sumatra

Size: 75 x 75 cms

Embroidered Bai baby carrier

An old and very worn baby carrier with some fine hand stitched embroidery panels of fish and birds and folded patchwork squares.

Old hand made baby carriers have now been almost universally replaced by modern machine made versions.

Size: 70 x  72 cms  

Laos dragon silk skirt hem

A wonderful piece of supplementary weft weaving with two undulating Naga dragons. Made to go around the bottom hem of a northern Laos woman's wrap skirt.

Silk threads on a handwoven cotton background

Size: 39 x 125 cms.

Thai silk ikat

A piece of 100% Thai silk ikat (or "mutmee" as it is called in Thailand) from the Surin area in northeastern Thailand.

We bought this piece from the weaver who made it. The design is a very traditional one of fine diagonal zig zags.

Size: 1m x 1.85 m

Padded baby carrier

A padded embroidered and appliqued baby carrier from the Flowerbelt Yi group in Yunnan, southwestern China. In soft velvet and corduroy fabrics with motifs of fish, peonies and water lilies.

Rather damaged byt still very attractive.

Size: 67 x 80 cms 

Banjara stitched and tasselled square

An old and used opened out bag made by the Banjari people of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in northern India. Totally hand stitched with running stitches, cowries shells and a lovely hand made tassell at the bottom.

Size: 56 x 56 cms

Sumatran ship cloth

 Supplementary weft weaving from southern Sumatra.

The design is naturally dyed deep reds and dark blue on natural pale brown cotton background

Size: 75 x 83 cms.

Banjara embroidery with cowrie shells

An old indigo dyed padded square with hundreds of hand sewn running stitched lines and patterns, decorated with cowrie shells.

Squares like this are usually made into bags by stitching the four corners up into a container shape.

From Madhya Pradesh region of India

Size: 60 x 60 cms.

Sumatran gold songket

Exquisite hand woven piece from Sumatra. Deep maroon red with pale gold thread woven in intricate detail. Weavings like this are known as "songkets" and are famous in western Sumatra where they are used in ceremonies as expressions of family prosperity.

Edged at both ends with fine lace work trim in gold thread

Size 31 x 86 cms (including edgings)

"Dodot" Javanese wedding cloth

An old fashioned wedding cloth made in Java for a traditional wedding.A double batik cloth like this would be worn by both bride and groom and hung behind them when they sit on their wedding thrones. A dodot is also worn by the Sultan and his family for special ceremonial occasions.

It would look amazing hung on a large wall 

This cloth consists of two batik cloths sewn lengthways together, then starched and gilded. A plain green central diamond is appliqued onto the centre on one side. 

Size: 2.35 x 2.05 metres

Abaca fibre "T'nalak" from the Philippines

An ikat weaving made from "abaca" fibre also know as "Manila hemp". This is a species of banana native to the Philippines and the fibre is made from the plant stems (like hemp or linen)

The weaving is called a T'nalak and is used for ritual and ceremonial purposes. Making one is a long and labour intensive process and all the dyes used are natural plant dyes. Originally bought in Lake Sebu, Mindanao.

Size:71 cms x  1.65 mwith a rolled hem for display

Black H'mong embroidered fringed sash

A wonderful intact piece of two very finely embroidered panels on a deep dark indigo cotton base.. The work is finely kotted and stitched in floss silk yarn.

The whole sash is worn around the waist by a woman from the Black H'mong tribal group, living in northern Vietnam. 

The whole piece measures 20 cms x 1.85 m excluding very long finely twisted tassels (30 cms long) The two panels of embroidery measure 20 x 43 cms

Laos silk brocade shawl

An old silk brocade shawl from Laos - silk background weave and silk supplementary weft threads.

Dark red with scarlet and gold threads.

This generous wide shawl has a lovely old feel but is still in very good condition.

Size: 71 cms x 2 metres (excluding th twisted fringes)

Shell Marapu figure sarong Sumba

A ceremonial "Lau hada" sarong (tube garment) in handspun and handwoven cotton dyed with a mud dye and decorated with tiny nassa shells.

The front half shows a figure from the Marapu spirit world and no-one can see the features of the face of a spirit.

A cloth like this may be given at a wedding to the bride's family.

The cloth is sewn into a tube with fringes at one side.

 Unsewn size: 1.22 x 1.16 m

Shell dragon sarong Sumba

A ceremonial "Lau hada" sarong (tube garment) in handspun and handwoven cotton dyed with a mud dye and decorated with tiny nassa shells. The garment is woven in two parts and sewn together.

The front half shows a dragon animal and various other animals.

A cloth like this may be given at a wedding to the bride's family.

The cloth is sewn into a tube.

 Unsewn size: 1.02 x 1.16 m

Sumatran gold shoulder cloth

A heavy hand woven piece covered in a supplementary weft of gold thread. Pieces like this are made in south Sumatra - particularly around Palembang, and worn to show the family wealth at ceremonies such as weddings. These days the gold thread comes from Japan.

Deep red background with dull gold thread.

Size: 33 x 150 cms plus 10 cms each end of fine goldwork lace.

Ikat and songket weaving Sumba

An amazing weaving with two panels of songket weaving and a panel of ikat in the middle but the whole thing woven as one piece.

The songket panels show two rows of four figures  and the red ikat panel has four figures.

Made in western Sumba, an island of Indonesia where very fine traditional textiles are made.

Size: 53 cms. x 2.10 m

To find out more about Sumba, have a look at my blog on Sumba, Buffalo, Betel nut and bold, beautiful ikat