DETAILS:

The delicately embroidered square accent pillow depicts symbols and patterns from the natural world of the Dao cosmology to keep the elements and spirits in balance. This community is in the mountainous district of Vietnam bordering China. The section below is from a vintage jacket also from Vietnam with Hmong embroidery on indigo hemp embellished with bamboo buttons. The vertical indigo jaspe (ikat) fabric is from Guatemala. This one-of-a-kind throw pillow with its symbolic imagery will be a conversation piece in any room it graces.

• 20” x 20”

• Front – Cotton

• Back – Linen, in beige

• Zipper closure

• Down feather insert

• Fabric origins: Guatemala, Vietnam

THE STORY:

The Pa Dao throw pillow combines exquisite embroidery from northern Vietnam and jaspe fabric precisely executed to compliment the motif in the embroidery and the ethnic pattern on the indigo dyed hemp make this decorative pillow truly unique.

The jaspe indigo handwoven fabric is from Guatemala, and is a perfect example of the intricate technique of “jaspe,” which involves wrapping warp threads in a certain manner to form a resist that creates a pattern when threads are placed in a dye bath. During the seven years I lived in Guatemala, I developed a great appreciation for jaspe (also known as “ikat” in other parts of the world). It is the traditional technique for creating patterns in Guatemalan fabrics. This fabric is from the area of Totonicipan located in the Highlands of Guatemala. Driving through the Highlands, it was common to see men laying out yards of warp stretched on poles along the roadside and binding threads in this resist-dye technique. The jaspe pattern in this pillow is repeated in perfect form.

I think the Dao embroidery has such a wonderful story. Under a project with Craft Link,a non- profit fair trade organization I have visited many times, and the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi, have partnered to train women in all facets of managing their own handicraft enterprise. The intent is also to preserve the traditional handicrafts of the Dao. The delicately embroidered square depicts symbols and patterns from the natural world of the Dao cosmology to keep the elements and spirits in balance. This community is in the mountainous district of Vietnam bordering China.

Below the embroidery is a repurposed section from a vintage Hmong jacket. The indigo fabric is hand spun hemp and is pieced with colorful traditional Hmong style appliqued fabric and embellished with decorative cross-stitch embroidery patterns in rust, black, and white and is the traditional Hmong “flower” motif embroidery.