Miao Cotton Festival Apron

Dark-topped apron panel packed with red borders, tiny squares and a swirling blue heart.

This festival apron is Miao (Hmong), from Guizhou Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. It is embroidered cotton. Embroidered patterns on Miao textiles are often said to draw on nature, legend and family history, though their meanings vary between regions and communities. Side-on, a small, square cloth panel with a black band across the top and thin tie strips extending outward. The center holds a swirling indigo and white field, framed by many red, orange and green embroidered squares and bordered with blue stripes. It is 13.5 inches wide and 15.5 long.

Plenty of stitches, and not a single dull corner.