Batik and embroidery

Batik and embroidery

　　　　Batik and embroidery are ancient and time-honored folk traditional crafts of the Miao people, and also their favorite decorative items. To make batik, women gather specific plants from the mountains, pound them and mix them with other pigments, which are then fermented to produce dye. Using simple tools, the fabric undergoes repeated rounds of dyeing and drying, and then is accented with white wax, allowing the handwoven cloth from a traditional loom to be transformed into batik fabric in various colors. Miao women in Hainan Province further embellish the batik-dyed fabrics and garments—such as dresses, headscarves, and waistbands—crafted from the batik cloth, using bold and exaggerated needlework techniques with vivid colored threads. The embroidery is delicate and exquisite, featuring beautiful and generous patterns with diverse themes that reflect the local natural scenery, birds and beasts, and rare flowers and trees.