From Vietnam to 1800s Blocks

Hi - we are home from Vietnam having had a wonderful time. The old clothes that I bought 

from the Hmong ladies are washed and have lost their smoky smell. They were definitely 

dyed with old indigo as my hands had a touch of the indigo blue from handling them when

they were wet - not that there was actually any doubt in my mind. 

This is part of a child's set of traditional clothing - dress and long sleeveless coat - the same 

as all the ladies were wearing. Under this they wore knee length velveteen trousers and leggings. The ladies were wearing and making the embroidered sleeve inserts, but this one is ribbons sewn on by machine. The colourful edge stitching on the jacket looks hand couched.

This is a Hmong jacket - isn't it a delight with its embellishments - embroidery, sequins, beads, baubles and metal pieces.

Now it is back to the 1800s quilt with all those blocks. I finished off one last night that didn't 

quite get finished before I left on holiday. And this is an idea of the layout coming up - but 

there are nine big blocks and they are not all the same as these two.

Thanks for stopping by - do leave a comment.