Summary

Alternative Name(s): Quilt

Embroidered Bedspread made by members of the Hmong community in Victoria, in 1990. The Victorian Hmong community developed after many Hmong fled from Laos in 1975 and arrived in Australia in mid 1980s after spending time in Thai refugee camps. The women of the Victorian Hmong community produced and sold these types of works at the Fitzroy Craft Market to supplement family income.

Fine needlework has always been a source of great pride to Hmong women and girls are taught to sew at age seven or eight. The six main designs in the centre of the quilt are basic stars using PanDau applique techniques. The triangle border is done in the traditional sawtooth style.

Physical Description

A hand appliqued double bed quilt made from black, maroon and cream cotton fabric. There are six central designs in the centre of the quilt, made using reverse applique technique. Each is surrounded by a thin cream, then white border. These square designs are enclosed in a big black rectangle so the patterns are arranged two across and three down. In this wide black border are small secondary motifs. This is surrounded by a thin maroon border, a thin cream border, and then a wide border made up of maroon and black triangles.The quilt is completed by a thin cream border, a thin maroon border, a wide black border with secondary motifs, a thin maroon border, a thin cream border, a wide maroon and black triangular sequence, a thin cream border, a thin maroon border, and finally a wide black border. The back is lined with plain cream fabric.

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