Black Hmong Hemp & Embroidery Workshop
Experience code: HmongStitch
Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time.
Duration: 1 or 2 day options available
Departure time: 8.30am - 9.30am
Return Time: Before Dusk
Difficulty: Easy
Route: Sapa – Xa Xeng
Background:
Black Hmong textiles are treasured and celebrated for their focus on handmade items and natural dyes. A skill once passed on from mothers to daughters, embroidery was used mainly to decorate clothes hand-sewn for the Hmong New Year and other occasions. Called paj ntaub (pronounced "pan dow"), it means "flower cloth" in Hmong.
In ancient times, the embroidered patterns served double duty -- to decorate and to communicate. According to oral history, long ago when the Hmong were still concentrated in China, they were forbidden to use their original, written language, which was made up of picture symbols. So the women started sewing the symbols into their skirts to create messages, disguising them as patterns, rich in meaning and symbolism. Treasure chests full of dragon tails, elephant feet and mountains. The swirls and geometric designs in vivid pinks, reds, greens and blues are commonly used in Hmong embroidery, a centuries-old art form that is fading fast.
Most of the motifs that appear in traditional Hmong embroidery are inspired by nature and are associated with animals. A series of swirls facing each other, for example, is called "elephant foot" and generally is associated with "family." There is also the "ram horn" pattern and tiny slits that symbolize "seeds." Traditional motifs appear on everything from belts to baby carriers to aprons.
Departure time: 8.30am - 9.30am
Return Time: Before Dusk
Difficulty: Easy
Route: Sapa – Xa Xeng
Background:
Black Hmong textiles are treasured and celebrated for their focus on handmade items and natural dyes. A skill once passed on from mothers to daughters, embroidery was used mainly to decorate clothes hand-sewn for the Hmong New Year and other occasions. Called paj ntaub (pronounced "pan dow"), it means "flower cloth" in Hmong.
In ancient times, the embroidered patterns served double duty -- to decorate and to communicate. According to oral history, long ago when the Hmong were still concentrated in China, they were forbidden to use their original, written language, which was made up of picture symbols. So the women started sewing the symbols into their skirts to create messages, disguising them as patterns, rich in meaning and symbolism. Treasure chests full of dragon tails, elephant feet and mountains. The swirls and geometric designs in vivid pinks, reds, greens and blues are commonly used in Hmong embroidery, a centuries-old art form that is fading fast.
Most of the motifs that appear in traditional Hmong embroidery are inspired by nature and are associated with animals. A series of swirls facing each other, for example, is called "elephant foot" and generally is associated with "family." There is also the "ram horn" pattern and tiny slits that symbolize "seeds." Traditional motifs appear on everything from belts to baby carriers to aprons.
Option 1:
Full day hemp and sewing workshop in the ETHOS Community Centre. Classes begin between 9 am and 10am. We always use traditional fabrics, patterns and techniques. Your teacher will be a Black Hmong woman with many years of experience. This is an ethnic group where embroidering is second nature to them: they do almost daily. Skilled and patient, Black Hmong women work complex designs that are layered and detailed. Many of the patterns symbolise the surrounding nature, fauna and flora but also certain beliefs such as shamanism and family bonds. Each of the designs has a different meaning, some of them mean rice, pumpkin seeds or trees. You will create a small piece and learn about the fabrics, threads and symbology. The day starts by working with hemp fabric and learning more about the process from seed to cloth.
The day includes lunch and all refreshments.
Cost $52 per person
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Option 2:
Xa Xeng is a picturesque mountain village North of Sapa. Set within a steep sided valley filled with rice terraces and woodland, the village is home to many Hmong families.
After an early start, you will make your way to Xa Xeng via Sapa market by private transportation. Travel to your hosts home and explore the family farm. Prepare the threads and begin your lesson. Enjoy a local lunch, freshly prepared and using village ingredients. Continue the sewing workshop at your leisure. You will create a small piece and learn about the fabrics, threads and symbology. The day starts by working with hemp fabric and learning more about the process from seed to cloth.
Cost $82 per person
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Option 3:
Two day and one night trekking option. Day one - take transportation to a beautiful village located about 20 minutes from Sapa. Trek through some of the best rice terraces in Vietnam before dropping down into a quite Black Hmong Village. Meander approximately 11km along buffalo trails through forests and rice paddies. Sleep in a traditional Hmong Homestay. Day 2 as above (option 2).
Cost $142 per person
Full day hemp and sewing workshop in the ETHOS Community Centre. Classes begin between 9 am and 10am. We always use traditional fabrics, patterns and techniques. Your teacher will be a Black Hmong woman with many years of experience. This is an ethnic group where embroidering is second nature to them: they do almost daily. Skilled and patient, Black Hmong women work complex designs that are layered and detailed. Many of the patterns symbolise the surrounding nature, fauna and flora but also certain beliefs such as shamanism and family bonds. Each of the designs has a different meaning, some of them mean rice, pumpkin seeds or trees. You will create a small piece and learn about the fabrics, threads and symbology. The day starts by working with hemp fabric and learning more about the process from seed to cloth.
The day includes lunch and all refreshments.
Cost $52 per person
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option 2:
Xa Xeng is a picturesque mountain village North of Sapa. Set within a steep sided valley filled with rice terraces and woodland, the village is home to many Hmong families.
After an early start, you will make your way to Xa Xeng via Sapa market by private transportation. Travel to your hosts home and explore the family farm. Prepare the threads and begin your lesson. Enjoy a local lunch, freshly prepared and using village ingredients. Continue the sewing workshop at your leisure. You will create a small piece and learn about the fabrics, threads and symbology. The day starts by working with hemp fabric and learning more about the process from seed to cloth.
Cost $82 per person
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option 3:
Two day and one night trekking option. Day one - take transportation to a beautiful village located about 20 minutes from Sapa. Trek through some of the best rice terraces in Vietnam before dropping down into a quite Black Hmong Village. Meander approximately 11km along buffalo trails through forests and rice paddies. Sleep in a traditional Hmong Homestay. Day 2 as above (option 2).
Cost $142 per person