Miao Baby Carrier Panel

A navy-bordered textile with panels of orange cross-stitch stars in pink and cream.

This baby carrier panel is Miao (Hmong), from Guizhou Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered 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. A rectangular cloth is edged with a deep indigo-black band. Inside, vertical stripes of orange and red are filled with snowflake and star shapes, with narrow multicolored bands on each side. The weave looks soft and flat. It is 18 inches wide and 25 long.

A lot of stitches doing one very bright thing.