History & culture

A Japanese tradition of patching and mending indigo cotton textiles with layered scraps, born of necessity among rural families from the Edo period into the 20th century and later admired as folk art.

A loose, sleeveless tunic woven and embroidered by Indigenous Maya women of Mexico and Central America, with patterns that traditionally signal the wearer's home village and community.

A resist-dyeing technique in which yarns are bound and dyed in patterns before weaving, so the design emerges from the woven cloth itself; practiced across Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Latin America.

A hand-stitched reverse-appliqué textile made by Guna women of Panama and Colombia, formed by layering and cutting through colored cotton fabrics to reveal patterns beneath, traditionally worn as a blouse panel.

A patchwork and appliqué quilt made by women in Pakistan, northwest India, and Sindh from recycled cotton and silk fabric scraps, hand-stitched in geometric patterns across generations.