Hmong Story Cloths: History, Culture, and Art

The Hmong people have struggled to preserve their ethnic identity for centuries, pressured to leave China for Laos in the mid-1800s. During the Vietnam War the Hmong people of Laos assisted the American Troops. America left Laos and in 1975 the royal government fell to the Communists, who persecuted the Hmong. Perhaps 100,000 Hmong died in the conflict and the Communist persecution. The Hmong fled to Thailand where they lived in refugee camps.

In the refugee camps the Hmong women created Story Cloths, appliqué and embroidered art depicting their old way of life, the Communist persecution, and their escape to the refugee camps.

America accepted Hmong immigrants in the late 1970s, with about 150,000 settling in the US; about 5,000 settled in Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania. It was a time of economic distress and many Americans resented the special treatment the Hmong received from the government. The extent of the Hmong people's support to America during Vietnam was not well known.

Since we lived in Philly in the 1970s and 1980s I was familiar with the Hmong and their reverse appliqué and Story Cloths. I requested Hmong Story Cloths by Linda A. Gerdner to learn more about the Hmong and their amazing appliquéd historical documents.

Gerdner has worked with the Hmong and traveled to Laos and has an extensive collection of Story Cloths, cultural artifacts, and photographs.

Gerdner first offers a background to the Hmong people, their history, and how they created their Story Cloths. Beautiful photography of the whole cloths and significant details accompany the text. Chapters address specific Story Cloth themes, including The Hmong People's Journey, Traditional Life in Laos, the Hmong New Year, Hmong Folktales, and Neighboring Ethnic People. The detail in the cloths can be overwhelming but Gerdner's analysis explains the message and significance of the motifs.

In an interview with the Hmong Times, Gerdner gave her purpose for writing this book:

• As a tribute to a special cohort of Laotian Hmong who created a new form of textile art as a means of sharing their cultural heritage
• As a legacy for subsequent generations of Hmong Americans who wish to learn about their historical and cultural heritage
• To promote cultural awareness and understanding for those who do not have a Hmong heritage
• To pay tribute to the extraordinary needlework skills that were used to create this new art form

The book can be enjoyed on many levels: as a social and cultural study, a history, and as a study of a particular art and craft.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Hmong Story Cloths
Linda A. Gerdner, PhD
Schiffer Publications
$34.99 hard cover
266 color and B&W photos
ISBN:9780764348594

Queen Victoria Jubilee Souvenir Linens

Bobby Brown of Backstreet Quilts in Bad Axe, MI (yes that is a real town name!) spoke to my guild and shared her embroidered and wool appliqué quilts. She also shared  an embroidered linen towel or 'splasher' that I knew right away commemorated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, 60 years on the throne. A boy is blowing a trumpet with a banner reading "God Save the Queen" over a banner reading "1837- Jubilee-1887".

  

 One edge has a hand knotted fringe.

 

There appears to be initials in red embroidery.

I have a handkerchief celebrating the Golden Jubilee ten years later in 1897.

In 1837 eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria came to the throne.

At the bottom of the handkerchief is, "Four generations, the longest reign on record." The flags include all the countries of Great Britain.

The Queen passed in 1901, the second longest reigning British monarch.

Swedish Embroidery from 1963

A distinguished addition to our series on European Needlework

Swedish Embroidery

Seven beautiful designs imported from Sweden where, for centuries, women have proudly stitched their love of flowers on line pillows

"Tulips bloom on a background of heavy natural linen from Sweden. They are worked of simple stitches in specially dyed Swedish cotton thread."

"Summer in Sweden is a short season, golden with sunlight and filled with flowers. To keep the memory of its sunlit days alive Swedish women spend many hours during the long winters embroidering flowers."

"Apple tree, embroidered in five different kinds of stitches, is a fine example of the uses of shaded colors."

Upper left: "Lilacs and their leaves embroidered with white French knots and lazy daisies done in Swedish linen thread woven from Halsingland flax." Upper right: "Mosaic pattern in brilliant colors and varied textures in made with French knots, couching, chain, outline, satin and straight stitches." Lower: "Field flowers grow on this pillow in a veritable sampler of stitches including variations of couching and chain stitching."

"The heavy linen threads used are the very finest, spun from fax frown in Halsingland, the land of the midnight sun, where i is nourish by sunlight day and night for many months. Its long fibers take beautifully to dye; intricate effects are achieved by shading colors from their palest tone to their strongest in emulation of the natural way that flowers blossom."

Upper: "Rose basket is filled with outline stitched roses in many shades of red, fly stitched daisies, small blossoms of satin stitch and is dotted with French knots." Lower: "Spring in all its glory conveyed by delicate pastels and a design created with seven varieties of stitches including lazy daisy, long and short, French knots."

"Beginning usually with white on white outline stitch, each girl is carefully trained, so that by the time she is fourteen she is able to make her own project without help."

"In just a few weeks small groups of women will begin gathering together all over Sweden for their annual opsitta. An opsitta is the Swedish version of an American quilting bee, and as the weeks draw nearer to Christmas, the women take turns meeting at each other's homes."

"Among the gifts to be made will be many lovely pillows similar to those pictured on these pages, and the pillow that will cause the most pleasure and concern will be the fastmanskudde, for this is a very special pillow made with loving care that is given by a wife to her husband for his favorite chair or by a single girl to her best beau, often in exchange for an engagement ring. "

from Woman's Day, September 1963

1942 Military Designs from "Press-On Fabric Decorating and Mending"

The 1942 book Press-On Fabric Decorating and Mending includes military themes patterns.  I love the gal pictured above--a Rosie the Riveter--reporting to work with her lunch box and military insignia on her sleeve.

 These nautical appliqués are not quite authentic WWII "Navy" but darling.

 

Thanks to my friend Bev for sharing this treasure!

"Press-On Fabric Decorating and Mending With a Flat Iron" from 1942

My quilting friend Bev has been sorting out her treasures and came across this gem. She allowed me to scan the pages. The booklet was published in 1942. Today I will share the patterns for adults and children. Tomorrow I will share the military themed patterns.

There are drawings showing garments with the different motifs used as decoration.

 Soldiers appear throughout the booklet. Below they have notived the girl.

My Weekend Haul: Hankies and Quilt Tops and Embroidery and 1927 Stamped Linens

The weather is finally beautiful in Michigan and I had a hankering to explore. On Saturday we went to Berkley and the Odd Fellow's Antique Mall, the Council Resale across the street, and The Rust Belt Market in Ferndale and Vintage Vogue in Pleasant Ridge.

On Sunday (after church and lunch with family) I ran down to the Royal Oak Flea Market. Something was calling my name.

It turned out the siren was a Depression era Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt top for $20.00! The lady, who was from Port Huron, also had some linens stamped for embroidery.

First up are two handkerchiefs I bought at the antique mall. They had loads of handkerchiefs, but so do I so I am particular

Next up are embroidered pieces I found at the thrift shop for $1 each.

 Above is the detail of a pair of matching dresser scarfs, nicely finished.

Above is a pillow cover with embroidery on linen. It was never used.

The flea market top is below. The setting is pale pink and Nile Green.

 As you can see, the top does not lay flat. I have preordered the Recycled Hexie Quilts book by Mary Kerr and hope I can use it in the way she shows in the book.

There are some interesting fabrics.

The stamped linen pieces are on a coarse, heavy weave ecru linen. The stamping is light blue. Two came with papers showing color placement and a color chart from Nun's Boil Fast Threads, and there were cut out samples of other items they offered. The patterns were dated 1927!

I can't find anything online about Nun's, except for a post at what-i-found blog: http://what-i-found.blogspot.com/2009/01/nuns-boilproof-thread-catalog-1923.html

UPDATE: I have found a wonderful history on the company written by Susan Wildemuth at
http://www.illinoisquilthistory.com/Buettner.html

 This is black and white image of the linen showing an Indian at his tepee; the chart is below.

The sample that was attached to the Indian pattern.

Another pattern was of sail boats.There were five samples attached.

 The color chart showing the threads.

 The little Dutch girl had no papers or charts.

I spent $29 on all of the above. And $14 for some tea blends at The Rust Belt Market. Lunch at Alex's of Berkley was a whooping $20.00: hubby had lasagna, soup, and desert and I had Greek salad and a gyro. It was a cheap mini-vacation in our own home town! Across the street from the restaurant is Guildcrafters Quilt Shop with great modern fabrics. 

I don't think I shared this eBay hanky find from a while back. There is a hole in the top center but if I use it in a hanging it can be dealt with.

We were trying out the lighting in the house for photographs. Not a great local, but it is the first "hanging" photo I have of my Prince's Feather! I will be showing it in the CAMEO Quilt Guilt show in June. We need to provide photos with the entry form.