Black Hmong Blanket

This Black Hmong blanket works well as a table cloth for the outdoors.

This is a picture I took at Sapa, Vietnam, at the vibrant markets where such blankets are sold.

A Black Hmong blanket made in the north-westernmost end of Vietnam, this blanket is made from clothing that has been worn for a year, and then "recycled" into a blanket, as the Black Hmong make new outfits every year for new years.  

This heavy blanket is made primarily from handspun, handwoven hemp, indigo dyed, with some commercial cotton and synthetic fibers. The embroidery is all done by hand, the cotton and hemp have been wax-resist batiked by hand with traditional patterns, and commercial cotton applique has been added for brightness and color. The last photo shows bleaching along the folds that were worn in the hemp when this piece was worn as a skirt. A real piece of true Hmong clothing in a format for daily use as a blanket, throw, or dynamic wall hanging.