Miao Baby Carrier with Bird & Butterfly Motifs

A deep blue panel woven with pale blue chevrons and tiny birds in a tight repeat.

This baby carrier with bird & butterfly motifs is Miao (Hmong), from Guizhou Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. It is applique cotton & silk. Young Miao girls generally began learning embroidery around age eight or nine, and a baby carrier for a future child was among the first and most important items they made. Rows of light blue angular motifs and small geometric forms fill a dark navy ground. A narrow band of white and blue squares runs along the arms and hem under a black edge. It is 52 inches wide and 30 long.

Neat, blue and very hard to look away from.