The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

10/19/2026

Admire the fine craftsmanship of this traditional Miao embroidery.

For the Miao people of southwestern China, embroidery can function as much more than decoration – it can also serve as a way of recording cultural and spiritual knowledge across generations.

This sleeve panel from a woman’s coat is filled with brightly colored embroidered and appliquéd figures. Dragons, birds, butterflies, animals and people surround a central pagoda, with each motif carrying its own significance. Dragons and crossed wheels represent wholeness, continuity and the four cardinal directions, while butterflies reference the Miao peoples’ ancestral connection to the Butterfly Mother. At the center, a shamanic figure sits within the coil of a serpent, performing a gesture of invocation and blessing.

Image: Sleeve panel from a woman’s coat, China, Guizhou Province, Taijiang County, Miao people, 20th c. Cotton; plain weave; appliqué; silk embroidery. Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection T-0353. Photo by Bruce M. White Photography.

10/16/2026

This , we're taking a look at a blanket likely made in the Gafsa region of southern Tunisia — an area known for its colorfully patterned “kilim” weavings.

Woven by women, kilims feature geometric motifs and stylized animals arranged in compartments. This example depicts people in a camel caravan, birds, and animals resembling rabbits, all woven in a wider palette of colors than used traditionally.

Image: Kilim; Tunisia, Gafsa, Sidi Bou Zid; 1900-1925. Wool, cotton; tapestry weave; 470 x 198 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 2000.39.41. The Irmtraud H. Reswick Collection.

10/09/2026

The "diamond waistband" style of this tunic (unku) was reserved for representatives of the Inka state.

Elite Inka unku usually used a single color for the top and bottom, but this example pairs olive green with dark red. This variation suggests the tunic was worn by someone of lower status, or for a different ceremonial occasion. Still, the zigzag embroidery along the bottom and other sophisticated details suggest it had an official role.

You can discover this tunic and more in our exhibition “Weaving an Empire: Textiles of the Inka World.”

Image: Man's tunic (unku), Peru, Late Horizon (1470-1532 CE). Alpaca fiber, cotton; weft-faced plain weave, interlocked tapestry; 76 x 97 cm. The Textile Museum Collection, 1977.35.10. Anonymous gift.

10/02/2026

This week for , we're featuring a beautifully woven Mapuche poncho from Chile.

After the Spanish introduced sheep to the region, the Indigenous Mapuche people became expert wool spinners, dyers and weavers. The bold geometric design of this poncho is linked to mountains and volcanoes, believed to be home to deities and ancestral spirits. It likely belonged to someone of importance, such as an elder or priest.

What details stand out to you in the pattern?

Image: Poncho, Mapuche people, Chile. Wool; warp-face plain weave, warp ikat (bound resist-dyed); 157 x 148 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 2010.19.3. Gift of The Rivkin Family.

09/25/2026

Have you ever discovered a hidden note inside something you own?

For , we’re highlighting a special bag used to carry a Jewish prayer shawl. Known as a "talis," this envelope-style bag is patterned with colorful chain-stitch embroidery.

A handwritten note was tucked inside the bag: "This is Granpa Raskin's Talis Bag. It must be at least 100 years old. January 1992. Granpa died in Sept. 1943 - I think he was 69 yrs. old then."

Collection image: Bag, United States, early 20th century. Cotton, velveteen, wool; embroidery, chain stitch; 34 x 31 cm. Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection T-1073. Photo by Bruce M. White Photography.

09/18/2026

This , we're highlighting a Layap woman's hat from our collection.

In Laya, the highlands of Bhutan, you can still find women wearing these small bamboo hats, which are adorned with colorful, beaded chin straps and topped with a wooden spike.

Collection image: Layap woman's hat, Bhutan, 20 x 20 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 2016.16.4. Gift of Barbara G. and David W. Fraser.

09/11/2026

For today’s , we’re highlighting a “husu,” a silk apron worn with ceremonial robes in Joseon dynasty Korea (1392-1910).

In the Joseon dynasty, clothing could communicate a person’s social and political status. Worn on the back of a court official’s ceremonial robe, this example features specific colors and materials that communicated the wearer’s governmental position. The embroidered cranes indicated that he was a court official, while the brass rings at the top signaled his specific rank.

Image: Court apron (husu), Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), late 19th century. Silk, brass rings; satin weave, embroidered; 68 x 25 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 2010.7.1. Gift of Dorothy D. Miller.

09/04/2026

The intricacies of Fulani textile techniques are on display in this headcloth for !

This early to mid-20th-century headcloth, likely from Mali, is woven with alternating white threads that give the fabric a subtle ribbed texture.

Typical of Fulani women's headcloths, pieces like this were wrapped around the head and draped over the hair as a form of modest dress. They were often left white or dyed indigo — a costly process that made indigo-dyed headcloths especially prestigious. Headcloths like these could also form part of a woman's dowry.

Image: Headcloth, West Africa, Mali, probably; 1900-1950. Cotton; handwoven, strip-loom woven; 179 x 71 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1962.58.5. From the collection of Sidney de la Rue.

08/28/2026

This , we’re highlighting a Hmong baby hat from Thailand in our collection.

For Hmong families, these embroidered hats offered both physical and spiritual protection for their children. Among animistic Hmong communities, colorful pom-poms were believed to disguise a baby as a flower, allowing malevolent spirits to pass by without causing harm.

The embroidered motifs on this hat add another layer of meaning: the stylized snail represents family growth, while the house symbolizes unity and togetherness.

Image: Hat, Thailand, 1950-1990. Cotton, synthetic fiber; embroidery, cross stitch; 22 x 48 cm. The Textile Museum Collection 1998.8.2. Gift of the Anne Tennyson Collection.

08/26/2026

This 16th-century textile combines Moorish aesthetics with Islamic artistic influences — evident in the geometric design and interlaced eight-pointed star motifs.

Visit our Collection Stories blog to learn more about the blending of artistic practices in Chefchaouén, Morocco: https://collectionstories.museum.gwu.edu/furnishing-fragment-from-morocco/

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Furnishing fragment; Morocco, Chefchaouén; 18th century. Linen, silk; embroidered; 17 x 46 cm. Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection T-1528.

Furnishing fragment; Morocco, Chefchaouén; 18th century. Linen, silk; embroidered; 17 x 46 cm. Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection T-1528.