Miao Baby Carrier with Butterfly Motif

A crimson embroidered center with wide dark wings, spread flat like a cloth bird.

This baby carrier with butterfly motif 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. A red panel of tight stitched motifs sits at the middle, with a narrower striped section below. Broad plain dark purple-brown sleeves extend to each side. Fine bands of pink and blue edge the lower strip. It is 153 inches wide and 33.5 long.

A red heart with plenty of calm around it.