baby carrier, cotton, tuck and fold applique, cross stitch embroidery, indigo batik. Vegeteble blossom pattern applique on batik area; border is cotton-poly blend

Baby Carrier, 20th century

Not on Viewexpand_more

The Mong leng (Blue Hmong) constitute a distinct linguistic/cultural group that is part of the larger Hmong culture. The textiles created by Mong leng women share common characteristics with other Hmong textiles, including the use of embroidered and appliquéd embellishments and a shared vocabulary of design motifs. They are unique, however, in their use of batik as a decorative element on women's skirts and on baby carriers.

Using melted beeswax and a special copper pen that controls the flow of the wax, the batik artist draws intricate patterns on cotton or hemp cloth. The wax acts as a resist agent that prevents the dye from penetrating the design areas when the cloth is dipped in the indigo dye bath. After it has been dyed the fabric is boiled to remove the wax, revealing the white design against the blue background. The skirt panel shown here is an example of the cloth after the patterns have been applied, but before dyeing. The central panel of the baby carrier illustrates a finished batik.

Details
Title
Baby Carrier
Role
Artist
Accession Number
82.101.1
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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baby carrier, cotton, tuck and fold applique, cross stitch embroidery, indigo batik. Vegeteble blossom pattern applique on batik area; border is cotton-poly blend