Hmong Baby Carrier Pattern

Thread in the hands of a loving mother

Turns to clothes on the traveling son

Hmong Miao Embroidered Mei Tai Baby Carrier – Art?
Hmong Miao women living in Southwest China are exquisite
creators of textiles. From the age of 5 or 6, they begin to
learn needlework, continuing through to their teens. At that
time, they make their wedding dresses,baby carriers, and baby
clothes. When they reach middle age,they continue to make
clothes for their descendants,and they never stop sewing and
embroidering.
Embroidery was a symbol of femininity and feminine accomplishment in
Hmong Miao ethnic tribes. Every stitch and thread of a mother’s
embroidery work on children’s hats, bibs, shoes, clothes, and baby
carriers is the deepest expression of a mother’s affectionate embrace
to her child.

A Miao/Hmong friend once told me that the most touching scene he had
ever observed was that of his mother sewing and mending for her
children under the pale glow of a lamp. This memory echoes a well-known
poem by Meng Jiao, the great poet in Tang Dynasty (AD 751- AD 814).
With a unique emotional message, the baby carrier expresses the love of
a mother for her child and her hopes for the future. It is a symbolic
extension of the umbilical cord. A line from a poem states parents
willingly work as hard as oxen for their children. Baby carrier is a
testament to the dedication of the mother to the child.
Hmong Miao women lavish particular attention on their baby carriers. But many carriers are not created after they get married or have a baby. Prior to getting married, a Miao/Hmong girl begins designing and making a baby carrier, baby clothes and wedding clothes. The entire process of raising silkworms, producing silk, embroidering, doing patchwork, dyeing, and designing are very refined.
It is said that, Women learn to make batik and embroidery from an early age, and they achieve their social status in this fashion. The girl who can weave and embroider special patterns is seen to be hardworking and extraordinary intelligent, and she will become the most sought after bride in the community. Therefore, in some villages, a girl may wear her baby carrier to market events, showing off her work to potential suitors. Her handiwork is an artistic representation of her individuality and creativity.

REF.http://interactchina.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/hmong-miao-embroidered-mei-tai-baby-carrier-art-yes-but-love-is-more/