This unique cushion is created using a vintage Hmong textile with the appliqué technique used on the front. The Hmong utilize many traditional methods to decorate clothing such as embroidery, appliqué and batik. The appliqué technique may have originated from their earlier use of animal skins for clothing and is one method commonly used to decorate sleeves, collars and skirts. The Hmong also use the colour of appliqué as a way to differentiate between the branches. Small pieces of fabric stitched onto a cloth are generally blue for a man’s sleeves and multiple colours for women’s. The Hmong are particularly skillful at stitching many pieces of fabric onto a single cloth to create multi-colour, multi-layered patterns.