Chinese Children's Hats

Many years ago I started creating a line of dolls called Charm Girls. These silk (mostly Asian) dolls wore hats from silk brocade fabric that I purchased on a trip to China. I became entranced with the fabric and then with Chinese Children's Hats.

At the time, information was very limited but I tracked down a book that was no longer being published. Well, this certainly sent me on a quest to find that book- I had to have it! I tried the usual on-line sources- Amazon, Abe, Alibris, Bookfinder, etc...no luck. I finally contacted the publisher and with luck was able to contact the author. She was so very kind to me, after I explained that I was a doll maker and my soul-touched interest in things Asian. She had one that was sitting on her bookshelf in fair condition- I was delighted- so very happy and told her I would love to purchase it. It now sits on my bookshelf with others written by her and her daughter.

So what do I find so fascinating about these children's hats? The Miao and Dong Chinese Ethnic Monorites use symbols to convey their desire for a good life. Most are from moral teachings and legend stories that have been handed down generation to generation. A Mother would embroiderer a baby's hat, bib, or carrier with these moral meanings, wishes, or especially for the young- protection. Every stitch of her embroidery was the expression of a mother's deepest affection for her child. It was a way to embrace her child with a good life.

There are four ways this symbolism is used in their work:
To invoke good fortune.
To outwit the evil forces.
To imply social achievement.
To wish for happiness and longevity.

There are many symbolic meanings of the auspicious motifs, I would like to share one with you-The Tiger! This ancient Chinese animal symbol is an emblem of dignity, ferocity, sternness, courage, and by itself is Yin energy. Also a symbol of protection, the image of a tiger is often seen on clothing or in the home to ward off harm any semblance of harm and assure safekeeping.

All the hats pictured in this blog are Tiger Hats

Does this last one remind you of someone??

My little Tiger- Issy!

Dolls for NIADA

ok...where were we...NIADA and the dolls...

I created three Story Dolls to take to NIADA, the Dragon (which you have seen in the August 6th post) , the Seahorse, and the Butterfly.

As you know, I love the story behind the Chinese children's hats, I was fortunate enough to add to my collection the book of Stories of Chinese Children's Hats by Phylis Lan Lin. I hold this book very close to my heart because it took many months to locate a (used) copy since it is not longer published but I do cherish it! So when creating my Story Dolls, I take that special feeling and try bring that sentiment to my dolls.

The Dragon Story Doll is a traditional piece, which I love because it has the foundation of what these hats are all about. While the Seahorse and the Butterfly are my creation of what I would make for my child.

I am very fortunate, both of these dolls went to favored collectors who hold some of my other pieces!

The Seahorse
My husband and I both dive and more recently in the last few years, we see (or should I say find after hunting for a bit) Seahorses. They are in grassy and somewhat shallow areas and blend in so beautifully to their surroundings-that is why I choose soft watery colors...

Close up of colors

One of the Seahorses I designed

The pair on the hat

Seahorses are unusual in that

the male carries and delivers the eggs.
So I made a pair- notice the entwined tails!

Close up of stitching and her hand

Notice the lining- of copper and blue tone silk

I love to have surprise in my work-
Wonderful complimentary
fabric on the soles of my dolls.

The Butterfly

Vest opens to the Story (of the Butterfly)
one side in English the other in Chinese
and no...I do not read and write Chinese-
I had it translated!
Close upHat close up
Very close up of embroidered Butterfly

Soles with FlowersI hope you enjoyed this and found
something that touched your heart a bit!

Shen Yun - The Art of the Traditional

Wednesday evening I went to this event with Mark and a friend.  As many of you know I have studied the Asian cultures over the last 10-12 years - detailing in on Chinese children's hats and the symbolism of embroidery and applique to convey moral meanings, wishes, or protection. I have found that the Chinese culture is so tremendously layered that I believe I could study it full time the rest of my life and never reach the full understanding of this interesting and beautiful culture.

So when we were invited along to see Shen Yun, I was more than ready to go! 

I found the experience (and it has to be described as an experience more so than a performance) to be a history lesson through the art of the dance. The costumes and stories of the dancers reach out to you with their beauty and grace depicting the classic traditional Chinese art of the dance. 

As an artist and my love of the Asian cultures, I found the color palette of the costuming to be delightful...a medium blue top with flowing candy pick skirt with a hint of yellow pants peeking out from under the skirt. The digital backdrop added to the experience with its colors and movement that flowed into the dancers.

 

I find one of the most interesting side notes is that you would never see a show like this one in China.

"Since the Communist Party rose in power and took over China, so much of the culture has been destroyed," said Vina Lee, an award-winning artist who trained at the prestigious Beijing Academy of Dance. "Many younger Chinese have no idea what Chinese culture is."

After more than 60 years of Communist rule in China, and especially after the Cultural Revolution, Chinese traditional culture has been all but completely demolished. However, the deeper spiritual core of the ancient culture, with its values of benevolence, honor, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity, as well as a reverence for the gods and the heavens, cannot be destroyed.

 

Based out of New York and independent of China’s political regime read more here , Shen Yun brings together hundreds of the world’s top dancers, choreographers and musicians.

Han Ethnic Clothing

The Han people are by far China’s largest ethnic group. And so just as the Chinese language (yu) is known as Han-yu, Chinese clothing (fu) is known as Han-fu. In reality, though, traditional Chinese clothing has varied greatly from one dynasty to the next.

Hundreds of variations exist in Hanfu. The clothing generally consists of loose gowns, wide sleeves, and flat, open collars folded over to the right. Rather than using buttons or strings, most were kept in place by a sash belt. High hats and wide belts are distinguishing marks of scholars and officials. Hanfu was remarkably versatile and easy to wear. read more here

I feel fortunate to experienced Shen Yun.  

It is a living presentation of traditional 

Chinese culture as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, 

and the virtues distilled from the five millennium of Chinese civilization.

Year of the Dragon 2012

Happy Chinese New Year!

The Dragon symbol of the 2012 year, began on January 23rd, is an intelligent and laborious worker who never puts aside work though sometimes this leads him to excesses. The water Dragon has enough courage to face challenges and easily finds weak points that stand on his way to success. 

Industries belonging to the wood (textile, media) and earth (property, construction) elements and will see some prosperity in 2012. Metal (banking) and water (shipping) industries will not be as profitable.

Whew!! for me (textiles) and my husband (property-construction)!

Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious (attended by good fortune- prosperous) powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. With this, the Emperor of China usually uses the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power. 

 The Imperial Dragon was supposed to be made up of nine separate beings. They were the eyes of a demon, the head of a camel, the ears of a cow, the neck of a snake, the horns of a stag, the claws of an eagle and the belly of a clam. His soles were made of the feet of a tiger and his body was covered with carp scales numbering an odd 117. As a result, each picture of the Imperial Dragon shows a winding twisty golden-red colored fearsome creature that is nonetheless very beautiful to look at.

In Chinese daily language, excellent and outstanding people are compared to the dragon while incapable people with no achievements are compared with other, disesteemed creatures, such as the worm. 

OoooOOh my!

A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms feature references to the dragon, for example:

"Hoping one's son will become a dragon" 望子成龍

 more postings on Chinese Children's Hats here

In fact, China is expecting a huge baby boom this year!

In ancient China, the dragon became a symbol of the imperial hierarchy. At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor, Huang Di, was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. Since the Chinese consider Huang Di as their ancestor, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon." This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.

The dragon, especially yellow or golden dragons with five claws on each foot, was a symbol for the emperor in many Chinese dynasties. 

 

Chinese emperors thought they were the real dragons and the sons of heaven. Thus the beds they slept on are called the dragon beds, the throne called the dragon seat, and the emperor’s ceremonial dresses called the dragon robes.  It was a capital offense for commoners to wear clothes with a dragon symbol. 

The dragon is featured in the carvings on the steps of imperial palaces and tombs, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

There are nine ways the Chinese have traditionally represented these dragon each one revealing a different dragon characteristic.

• There are dragons carved on the tops of bells and gongs, because of the beast’s habit of calling loudly when attacked.
• A second type is carved on the screws of fiddles, since most dragons are fond of music.
• A third is carved on the tops of stone tablets, because of dragons’ love of literature.
• A fourth is found at the bottom of stone monuments, as dragons can support heavy weights.
• A fifth is placed on the eaves of temples, as dragons are ever alert to danger.
• A sixth occurs on the beams of bridges, since dragons are fond of water.
• A seventh is carved on Buddha’s throne, as dragons like to rest.
• An eighth is placed on the hilts of swords, since dragons are known to be capable of slaughter.
• The ninth is carved on prison gates, as these are dragons that are fond of quarreling and trouble making.

May you all have a auspicious 

Chinese New Year that 

exceeds your every dream!

Something New!

I love your questions and comments and they are always welcomed..and I have found most of you like to contact me personally instead of leaving a public comment...so please feel free to use this button...

Doll #2- Dragon

My Story Dolls are created from two parts of Chinese symbolism.

The first part being from the symbolism of the Chinese children's hats that an expecting Mother makes for her child incorporating protective qualities into the hat...read more here. I so enjoy the meaning and the care that a Mother takes in mindfully sewing something for her child. Even after studying this for over 10 years, I find the southern Chinese design to be so deeply layered that I have barely begun to touch the deep meaning of the symbolism...actually I am thrilled because it will be something that I can spend my life researching.

The second part is that I love the legends from the Chinese Calendar. Each year has its own animal and it own characteristics! This year 2012, is year of the Dragon...read more here.

So, taking both of these symbolisms and bringing them together, it makes for a perfect blending for my Story Dolls. As I said this is Year of the Dragon...

After the body is complete, I LOVE making these hats. Each one is created with the under-structure or base being of hand-quilted silks.  The hat ornamentation is made from vintage Asian fabric (aqua base) trimmed with vintage silver-metal cording. The eyes are handmade and embroidered with the use of vintage sequins for the silver and black on the eyes. The nose is from Chinese silk brocade and the whiskers are handmade from various threads including metallic silver threads.

 

The lining can be equally as important as the fabric chosen for the outside. In this case, I used a red silk brocade that I had purchased when I was in China. The Dragon is male and needs a female balance- as the Phoenix. So, I fussy cut the two of the Dragons (mirrored) for the sides and one of the Phoenix for the front to fit within my Dragon hat.  I love the shock of red hidden beneath the black of the hat base. It also makes a nice frame from hat to hair.

From there I can spring board into the garment. This year I especially loved working with this beautiful peau de soie silk fabric...pricey-yes but well worth the results! All garment pieces are lined in aqua dupioni silk.

The jacket sleeves, skirt, and pants were all embroidered with their own geometrical design in keeping with the southern Chinese design culture.

I have taught my students to use color of equal value and that are opposite on the color wheel...but to make it interesting- move off one color...so instead of going from primary red to complimentary green, I went from red to off one- to turquoise or aqua...makes it more interesting don't you think?

For her collar and her shoes, I wanted just pop of color to balance the red. Layout of the paper pattern onto the fabric is equally important to create the right drape and flow of the fabric and of course design usage.

Also take note of the vintage Asian fabric peeping out from under the jacket with softer gold and turquoise, still holding true to the geometrical design with the black weaving within the fabric. Two glass beads serve as closures.

Her shoes were again created using the fussy cut technique! Vintage glass beads are the closures.

As you can hopefully tell, I so love making these dolls, it IS all in the details and I feel so very fortunate that I can do this and share this experience with you!

The Dragon

Being the divine mythical animal, the Dragon can ward off wandering evil spirits, protect the innocent and bestow safety to all that hold his emblem. The Chinese Dragon is look upon as the ultimate symbol of Good Fortune. Everything connected with Chinese Dragons is blessed.

Photography: Mark Mortensen
Dragon is held in a private collection
Silk fabric information: link here