any info on hmong type quilting. I came across a 5 inch square with a a layer of fabric on top that was stitched with the finest of small stitches. The hmong people of laos and vietnam who were our allies during the war were saved and brought to the US. Whenever they had a spare moment the stitched these tiny squares. Each design has a meaning. They were given for a special occasion or as a thank you for a friend. The Sept issue of Quilters World 09 had an article. The internet had some info.
I understant that rhode Island and MN have a majority of hmong people. has any one else heard of this.. would like to collect more of these squares. and get the meanings of the stitches. When my Dcomes to visit I;ll ask her to help me with a pic.

I don't have any info for you, but it sounds fascinating. I would like to know more, too.

There is also a very large community of Hmong in Fresno, Ca. And yes, thier stitching is fantastic.
If you will Google hmong in fresno, ca there will be a large number of organizations that you may contact in your search!
Good luck!!

This quilting sounds very intriguing, I would like to hear more about it also.

wait til you see the pic. if you hold it up to the light you can see the layer and intricate design.

I have one of them somewhere, I haven't seen it since I moved..... hmmmmm

I got mine at a local quilt show years ago. It was done in my favorite colors.

I would have loved to purchased many of them, but they were a little pricey, so I settled for one.

Yes, I am familiar with Hmong People. I have a six by six inch piece of embroidery work. I also so some examples of their story quilts. They do the most amazingly intricate and beautiful work.

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

About 4 years we were visiting Lancaster, PA area , visiting quilt and fabric shop. While we were at one shop a van load of Hmong ladies came into the shop to deliver quilts to be sold. I was shocked by this because these quilts are sold as "Amish made quilts", I feel this is very dishonest to the customers. They do beautiful work,granted but they are not truly "Amish" quilts. These people do not get the big money--the stores do.
Sorry I had to vent as I feel the tourists who go there for genuine "Amish" quilts and pay the big prices are being lied to. What is your opinion?

That is a interesting moral quandry. I agree that all quilts sold should be honestly represented. For years, quilts from the Applachian mountains in West Virginia were bought from the women who made them for terribly small amounts of money...and then resold for high prices. Once some charitable organizations realized how those Appalachian women were being exploited, they began to buy the quilts for a much fairer rate. It is sad when anyone's hard work is taken advantage of!

What area are you from cabinquilt? I live in the North Hills of Pittsburgh off of Route 8.

We are in Armstrong County, about 50 N of you.

That's nice to know. Any favorite quilt shop up your way?
We have a couple of nice ones in this area, but it's always fun to check out "new shops"!

yes this is interestig Im going to frame my small piece and print out this info an put it in back of the frame for forever because I am in love with this piece

in one article I found on line the hmong women were very interested in our way of quilting and combined their way with that of the amish when they first arrived in the US. I agree things should not be misrepresented but After all it comes down to the $$. This could be a win win situation for the amish and hmong.

I sure would like to see your quilt square. Any chance of a picture? :-D

I'm going to try sunday eve, when my computer literate daughter will be here.

here's my hmong piece! isn't it beautiful? each white dot is a stitch.

the background is maroon, the piece is blue and the design on it is a piece of red on top that is stitched down. it is 5"x5"

That is beautiful! Now I have a better idea of the kind of work they do.

Hi, I'm am a first generation Hmong American. I remember when I was younger my mother and I cross-stitch daily to create our traditional clothes, which included such patterns as the one you have.

This work is very intricate and hold strong meaning behind them. Depending on the style of the stitching and colors incorporated each one describes what clan you were from.

Moreover, there are certain quilts that depicts stories (either folk tales or true life experiences) of the Hmong people and their struggles before and after the War and how the Hmong were, and still are today, persecuted for assisting the Americans in this War.

These quilts are very precious to my people, the Hmong, and I am very happy to see that you all have come to appreciate the great artistic work as much as we do.

I found two pillow covers like this:

I didn't know what they were when I found them at a thrift store over the summer, but I knew that someone had done meticulous work on them. I posted here and found out they were hmong quilting.
The pink squares in the center are approx. 1/2". The pillow covers are about 14" square. They are like a pillow case with a zipper on the back.

they are lovely. My piece is a treasured and framed with all the info I found on the Hmong people and their struggle.

STHao thank you for your story, I appreciate it.

Ohhh I have a block like this I will dig it out and post a pic

Hmong Cultural Center
Website of the Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul MN
www.hmongcc.org

You are right. A large proportion of Hmong people live in St Paul, especially surprising given the climate difference. The website above is for the Hmong cultural center; they can probably provide you some assistance.

Thank you for the information. Sadly enough, I had never heard of the Hmong people, until I watched the Clint Eastwood movie that came out a few years ago. We watched the extras and learned so much. I absolutely love the story quilts, they are truly fascinatingly, beautiful! As well as the clothing!!!!! Oh my!

We lived for about 4 years in downtown St. Paul across the street from the Farmers Market. During market days, the Hmong people would sell farm goods from their community gardens, and they would also sell story quilts. We've had one framed and hanging in our bedroom since we lived there in the early 1990's. It's one of our favorite pieces.

It's very beautiful and depicts the story of the Hmong refugees escaping from the persecutions in their home country.

Everything on the center panel is all hand-embroidered and must have taken many many hours to do. The picture doesn't do it justice, and I had to use a flash as it's dark now, but you get the idea.

[img]http://www.sierranevadaquilters.com/pics/hmongquilt.jpg[/img]

Wow...

SThao- Welcome! I first saw Hmong handwork at quilt shows in the early 80's in New York. Several years ago when in Lancaster I learned of the "locally made quilts" that were actually made by immigrant Hmong artisans that were being sponsored by some Amish families, and have read more about this online. It is shameful that they do not receive recognition for their work. I see Hmong vendors at quilt shows every year, and marvel at the tiny stitches and precision work. It is beautiful.

Don't feel too bad, a lot of people have not heard of us yet, and having you all appreciate the quilting is great! It allows for us to get to understand a certain group of people that we have no idea about. Quilts are bringing us together!! =D

By the way, the Grand Torino movie wasn't a good depiction of the Hmong people, but then again it's a "movie".

I will upload soon a picture of the baby-carrier quilt that my mother made for me when I had my son. =D

I didn't learn anything from the movie, except who you were and the existence, but there was a documentary on TV after Grand Torino came out. I found "that" fascinating :) I wish I could remember the name of it, but my "over 40" memory is just that!

:lol:

I found this article on the Amish quilts by the Hmong. The Amish had sponsored Hmong families to come to the US, that is how that got started.

This article is from the early 1990's, so it has been going on a long time.

Perhaps the sign on the quilt display reads "Amish Style" then it doesnt say who the maker is.


http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/199...sylvania-amish

Jean

I bought about 5 quilt tops like that back in the 90's. They were about $100 each. I hand quilted some.

this is real pretty too. you are so lucky..wish we could see all of the stitches.