Myanmar (erstwhile Burma) has an ancient history of handicrafts and their people are skilled in ivory carving, silver work, lacquareware, marble work and embroidery (also known as Shwegyido).

Embroidery is an old industry believed to have started during the reign of Alaungpaya, founder of the Konebaung dynasty. Shwe-ge-doe embroidery is elaborately designed and creatively embellished with ornaments for grandeur. The technique of Shwe-go-doe is as follows : Tapestry is made by using the base cloth, usually black and adorning it with metallic sequins, coloured glass beads, and figures that are stuffed to give a distinctive three-dimensional effect.  Each tapestry depicts a character or a narrative from Jatakas or the Ramayana epic. These appliqué tapestries can be sized from 25cm by 25cm to 6m by 1.5m.  Jackets, pasoes, longyis are also beautifully embroidered for special functions.  Mandalay is the center of this industry.

About Myanmar : Despite modern changes and globalized cultural blending, Myanmar people have been able to preserve their own lifestyles and activities that have existed since time immemorial. The people of Myanmar communicate in their own language, wear their own style of clothing including the longyi, relish their own style of food, pray in their own way, play their own games, celebrate their own festivals, receive treatment with their own traditional medicines, and perform their own rituals remaining as Myanmar as possible in every aspect. Many of the life styles and activities are unique to Myanmar people. For example, the Shin Pyu or novitiation ceremony, which allows a young boy to experience temporary monastic life, is a religious practice virtually nonexistent in other parts of the world. Although some of Myanmar’s beliefs, superstitions, customs and lifestyles have gradually disappeared, many still remain and are cherished and highly valued by the majority of the people.

Museum of Korean Buddhist Art is a Buddhism museum established in July 1993 in Wonseo-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea.   This museum is holding a special exhibition of Myanmarese embroidery.  It is the second Southeast Asian Buddhist art exhibition since the museum hosted the Laotian Buddhist Sculpture Exhibit last year.

The exhibition presents 30 pieces of Myanmar embroidery, which are exotic and flamboyant, a rarity in Buddhist art, which mostly include paintings and sculptures.  Myanmar is called the nation of Buddha pagodas and Buddhist monks, which demonstrates how the religion dominates the country.  As Buddhism is deeply rooted in the lives of the Myanmar people, most of the embroidered works involve Buddhist symbolism.

The traditional embroidery of Myanmar uses elaborate materials such as gold and silver thread, marbles, gem stones,  pearls  and metals.

The exhibition is designed to introduce the uniqueness of Buddhist culture in South East Asian countries though showing off a variety of historic relics.

On the first and the second floors, a variety of embroidered fabrics depicting the life and good deeds of Sakyamuni are on display.  Beside the embroidered fabrics, 6 other Buddhist artworks including sculptures and paintings from Myanmar are presented to provide a window into their lives, culture and beliefs.

South East Asian countries are known for textile artworks from the ancient times, which shows the ancestors’ beliefs, religion, customs and culture.

Also, the fabric artworks were often regarded as incarnated ancestors with spirits in South East Asian countries. So the textiles were hung on the wall when people held a festival or a ritual thanksgiving ceremony to their ancestors.

The museum explains why some artworks feature Buddha as a king, servant, or peasant; or as an animal such as an elephant, lion, deer, rabbit,  monkey, peacock or fish.

Among others, the embroidered paintings depict the previous lives of Buddha that are divided into 547 stories, expressing Buddha as various entities such as man, elephant, deer and lion.

The museum was established in July 1993 as a private museum located near Changdeok Palace in central Seoul.  Traditional Korean Buddhist works, which display the joys and sorrows of life and express a longing for the wishes of all living beings, have historically been regarded as not only the spiritual foundation, but the precious cultural heritage of the Korean people.

The museum has collected over 6,000 Korean Buddhist works including paintings, sculptures, crafts, ritual items, folk items and ceramics.

The exhibition will continue till Sept 28 2008.   Admission is 3,000 won (Currency of Korea – 1100 won equals one dollar) for students and 5,000 won for adults.

Stumpwork embroidery traces its roots down under in New Zealand in the 17th century. Stumpwork is a style of raised and padded embroidery which uses a charming bouquet of flowers, fruits, insects, animals – all woven intricately to give the entire design a natural look.

The highlight of this style of embroidery is the stuffed figures and attached pieces of embroidery. Nature provides as a backdrop to a couple in the foreground – all in the finest of details. Little dolls with shoes, ruffs, collars, skirts stand boldly in the embroidered piece which are generally used on mirrors and small bags.

Stumpwork Embroidery: A Collection Of Fruits, Flowers & Insects For Contemporary Raised Embroidery by Jane Nicholas gives readers a complete insight on the trends and methods adopted for this ancient technique. Of late, there has been a revival of this embroidery and one does see it in some of the embroidery stalls across the world. The book  comprehensively covers the details of the equipment required like fabric and threads, general instructions for an embroiderer and finally 10 different interesting projects on stumpwork embroidery. The projects which form a highlight of this book includes Pomegranate and Strawberries, Rose and Bee, Acorn Thistle and Bee, Christmas Rose and Dragonfly, Gooseberries to name a few.

What on earth are applique floral quilts? Well well, you have been missing out on some eye stopping embroidery designs if you haven’t come across these patterns till now.

A quilt is a type of bedding— a bed covering composed of a quilt top and a layer of fabric for backing. The two are secured by tying which is a technique of using thread, ribbon or yarn to pass through all 3 layers of the quilt at frequent intervals. These are strong bonds and hold on even when the quilt is being washed. Most quilts are decorative and find easy uses as wall hangings apart from the normal bedding. Over the years, attempts have been made to make this quilt look more and more exotic and flowers or animals have been frequently used to add a natural touch to the hand embroidery. Appliques florals are flowery designs sewed on a separate fabric which is then stitched on to the master quilt cloth.

If you would be interested to learn this art, we have for you a masterpiece book from Bonnie Lyn McCaffery called Fantasy Floral Quilts: Creating With Silk Flowers (That Patchwork Place). This book contains step by step instructions along with beautifully photographed quilt designs to help you on your way. The quilts here are made from fabric and silk flowers and embellished with glistening threads and beads. This is not a very easy art, but Bonnie with her easy-to-understand logical instructions makes applique floral quilting a breeze.