Hmong Batik – Gratitude Vietnam Bed-runners and Cushions!

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to share with you the first of our soft furnishings, handmade by the Hmong people of Hoa Binh Province in Northern Vietnam! Thanks to the warm support of Keith and Huong at Villagecraft Planet in Hoi An, we now have stunning bespoke Indigo Batik bed-runners and cushions to compliment the traditional architecture of the villa. The photographs below were taken step-by-step by the artisans as they created the beautiful decor, so that we could share the process with you.

The Process of Making Hmong Indigo Batik

Step 1: ‘Drawing’

The first step in production was to hand stencil the design using local bees wax. This technique, known as ‘resist-dyeing’ allows the artisan to work a design onto fabric, which prevents the dye from later penetrating the fibres where the wax is applied. As each item is hand-drawn, the pattern, ‘Indigo Sky’ is similar, but unique to every piece.

A photograph of a lady from the Hmong People of Hao Binh, stencilling a cushion cover with a traditional story of the elements Earth, Sky, Work and family. — Hand-stencilled cushion cover for @GratitudeVietnam Photograph by ©Villagecraft Planet

Step 2: Dyeing

Once the design was completed, the fabric was repeatedly ‘washed’ with natural indigo plant (“Tram”) to create the fabulous blue.

A photograph of the dying process of traditional Vietnamese Hmong indigo dyed fabric. To be made into bespoke bed-runners and cushions. — Dyeing with natural Indigo Plant (“Tram”) Photograph by ©Villagecraft Planet

Step 3: ‘Drying’

Once dyed, the runners and cushions were hung up to dry, before being sent to Hanoi where they were washed and backed with the pink to match our logo.

A photograph of traditional Vietnamese Hmong indigo dyed fabric bed-runners hanging up to dry. — Bed-runners for @GratitudeVietnam, hanging up to dry! Photograph by ©Villagecraft Planet

A photograph of traditional Vietnamese Hmong indigo dyed fabric cushion covers in the sun to dry. — Cushion covers for @GratitudeVietnam, in the sun to dry! Photograph by ©Villagecraft Planet

Cushion covers for @GratitudeVietnam, in the sun to dry! Photograph by ©Villagecraft Planet

The whole process is explained in further detail below:

A description of how Hmong fabric is traditionally dyed and the process of batik. — The Indigo Batik Process Photograph by ©Villagecraft Planet

Each part of the traditional design has meaning, and we will tell this story in a future blog post. We can’t wait to share photographs of these in the bedrooms of the villa when the website goes live!

With gratitude and love,