Originally Posted by QBeth
What are the old adages? "Buyer beware!" and "Buy American" although, in the case of the Amish hucksters, we might use the advice of "Know your seller!" Guess I've lived long enough to have heard it all, or most of it. The Amish cheating people. My my my!
I have read about the Hmong, and I guess I have a slightly different outcome in my mind.
IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, and all that, ok?
The Hmong women came to Lancaster back in the 70's, and the Amish took them in. They helped these displaced people, and they have learned that the Hmong women are fantastic needleworkers.
The Amish style is very different from the Hmong style of needlework. If you were aware of this as you perused the quilts in Lancaster, you would note that so many of their quilts don't LOOK Amish.
The part where there is issue, is that they are not necessarily "Amish" quilts anymore, whether pieced of solid colors (Amish style) or Appliqued of patterned colors (The Hmong style). They are certainly products of Lancaster County, as far as that goes (Assuming these quilts are the ones made by the displaced Hmong and not made still in Laos)
Many of these women are currently as Lancaster based as their Amish sisters. They have a skill and they live in this country; the fact that they utilize their abilities to help provide for those back in their home country of Laos doesn't make them cheaters.
http://www.womenfolk.com/quilt_notes/amish-hmong.htm
http://livelystitches.blogspot.com/2...sh-quilts.html
http://community.seattletimes.nwsour...ug=thaiquilt11
Where the problem lies of course, is probably in the English (us) who over-market the concept of the Plain People sitting in candlelight producing this work for us English who feel "quaint" purchasing a bit of their work.
As long as they are paid, (well for their environment) and are doing legal, creative works, to help raise the level of living for their families, I think it's ok.
The fact that we English are "dumb" enough to want an Amish quilt and then buy something that doesn't even LOOK Amish??? Hey the Amish didn't forgo money!
Anyway, there are always more than a few ways to look at something.