Calendered handspun cotton, silk and felt are used to make this woman's jacket. The fabric is decorated with hand-stitched silk embroidery with motifs of bird, flowers and butterflies. The jacket is worn as part of the Miao woman’s attire.Calendering refers to a process where the surface of a material is made smooth and glossy by folding it into half and passing under rollers at high temperatures.Miao geometric designs included motifs that served as protection against evil spirits. The process of making clothes - spinning, weaving, embroidery and dyeing, have been handed down for generations, from mothers to daughters, who would learn from an early age.The Miao people form one of the largest ethnic minorities in southwest China. They are mainly distributed across Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan and Sichuan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A small number lives on Hainan Island in Guangdong province, and in southwest Hubei province.
