Chinese patchwork

Chinese patchwork, also known a Hundred-Families robe (Chinese: 百家衣, baijiayi), is made by sewing scraps of fabric together to form design art. This technique is still used in Chinese quilting. Silk or cotton is used to make the patchwork. The design for the patchwork often told a story of Chinese folklore.

Many patterns exist, while the quilting block is one that is widely used. Other patterns include the Chinese coin, 100 good wishes and lattice. Some may include squares, triangles, hexagons and diamonds.

Traditional culture and folk legends are often the themes for patchworks, such as the Qilin Bringing the Child, Door Gods, the Dragon King and the Kitchen God.

People started making Chinese patchwork in the Liu Song of the Southern Dynasty. The first emperor of Liu Song Dynasty, named Liu Yu, was born in an underprivileged family. His mother gathered rags from the neighborhoods to make a patchwork. When he became the emperor, he perceived this kind of patchwork as the symbol for his impoverished childhood. All the infants in Liu’s family had to use the patchwork so that his offspring could know how fortunate they were. Afterwards, his citizens followed this royal custom to make "Bai jia yi" for their babies.

The patches are cut into similar sizes and shapes and then leave at least 1/2-inch on each side of the patch for a seam. Arrange them in patterns or at random. Hold two patches face-to-face and stitch them together. Continue this process until the front of the quilt has been sewn into one solid piece.

Chinese patchwork is a symbol of good luck. Every patch represents the blessing of people towards the baby.

In the past, due to the lag in health care and education, infant mortality was relatively high. Nevertheless, people believed that an infant's death was due to a ghost.

The uses of patchwork are not limited to traditional clothing but have been widely used in modern society for curtains, children's shoes, caps, dudous, scarves, women's handbags, aprons, men's cigarette cases and wallets.

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