Miao Baby Carrier with Butterfly and Bird Motifs

A black field of tiny red and pale figures arranged in neat lines and framed in purple.

This baby carrier with butterfly and bird motifs is Miao (Hmong), from Guizhou Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. It is applique cotton & silk. Once infants outgrew their carriers, they were stored carefully and sometimes handed down as heirlooms, and a mother parting with one would often cut off the long ties and keep them. Small embroidered shapes in red, cream and pink march across the dark central area. A broad border of multi-stripe bands in violet and pink runs around the arms and lower edge. It is 43 inches wide and 33 long.

All those little shapes manage not to bump into one another.