This outfit post showcases the first Hmong outfit that I made by myself. Growing up my mom would sew me outfits and this year she was diagnosed with carpal tunnel. This made it difficult for her to hold a needle and made me realize it was time for me to learn. For a month my cousins and sister would meet at my house and learn from my mom so that we would have matching outfits for Hmong New Year.
All of the Hmong clothes that my mom and grandma have made me will become part of my dowry when I get married. I always joke that I will have to make multiple trips because I have too much stuff. In fact the plastic container that stores all my Hmong clothes needs to replaced because it’s too full.
For the outfit I made everything except the skirt, necklace, and silver belt or siv. I was inspired by Batik for this outfit and incorporated Batik print throughout the outfit. Paired with a white skirt the focus is on the batik. Batik is a resist dye technique where wax is applied to the fabric in a design and then dyed with indigo. After the dye, the wax is removed and a white design is left behind. This is typically done on yards of fabric then pleated with hundreds of accordion pleats onto a skirt. Instead of usually actual batik, I used a fabric that had a batik print. I am still in the search for my very own batik skirt though.
Rosely took beautiful shots of the outfit! I posted a couple of my favorites. Stay tuned for tutorials on pattern drafting for a fitted Hmong shirt and for a traditional Hmong shirt. Let me now in the comments if you want additional tutorials on how to make Hmong clothes.
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