I lived in Vientiane, Laos and was actually evacuated in May 1975. we saw many Hmong women every day, they would come into town and sit around the marketplace and do their hand work, which was tiny crosstitch work, no quilting. All their work was done on black fabric because at that time there were no real roads, just dirt and it was very dusty. My DH was in the U.S. Army attached to our embassy and the Lao General's wife wanted me to teach her officer's wives how to do American crafts. I wasn't quilting then but I did needlepoint so I had a Herrschner's catalog to show her. She loved the applique quilts but wanted me to order them with black backgrounds. Running out of space,anyone interested in more??? Kutnso