Vintage Hand Made Folk Art “bai Jia Bei” (One Hundred Families Quilt) From China

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Vintage hand made folk art “bai jia bei” (one hundred families quilt) from China. This colorful and intricate textile artwork … Read more Vintage hand made folk art “bai jia bei” (one hundred families quilt) from China. This colorful and intricate textile artwork is full of personality and meaning. It boasts colorfully and detailed embroidery of geometric patterns, panda bears, cats, frogs, tad poles, and little critters on a two sided quilt which has different designs on each side. The fabrics are a combination of cotton, satin, polyester, embroidery thread, and ribbon. Some portions have small folded tiny squared giving it a lot of texture! It comes with a small carrying bag which has motifs that match the blanket.

These traditional pieces are known as “bai jia bei” a “one hundred families quilt” in China. They are based on traditional textiles that are intended to give spiritual protection to young children. All those little creatures you see (snake, spider, lizard, etc.) are part of the “wu du” or “five poisons,” which are auspicious symbols, as the poisons are thought to keep bad spirits away. They were traditionally embroidered onto children's clothing and other textiles for protection. They are popular as old traditional family pieces in China but are also highly sought after by tourists and parents in the process of adopting a child from China. Parents adopting will often solicit pieces of fabric from family and friends, which they use to construct a bed quilt that celebrates and welcomes their new child. Such rich history and meaning in this piece!

Great vintage condition!

Measurements:
quilt is approx 63.25" x 36.25"
carrying bag is approx 16.25" x 13.5" See less