A long blouse of a woman of the Sgaw, a sub-tribe of the Karen. Indigo blue, plain weave, heavily decorated with bands of Job's Tears and red cloth. c. mid 19th century

Made by sewing together 2 lengths of indigo coloured home-spun cloth, to form a central seam and then folding the fabric in half (the fold forming the shoulders). Holes are left in the upper corners for the arms and another opening is left in the centre seam for the neck.
The lower half of the garment is covered with bands of Job's Tears and yellow and red silk embroidery. Neckline and armholes are highlighted with red cloth and Job's Tears. ("coix lacryma" - seeds of a type of grass).

This blouse would have been made and worn by a woman of the Sgaw a sub-tribe of the Karen who live mainly in the South East of Burma.

The simple cut of this blouse, in which two rectangles of cloth are sewn together vertically, leaving spaces for the head and the arms, is profusely decorated with silk thread embroidery and with seeds of a type of grass called in English "Job's Tears" (coix lacryma). It was handmade by a woman of the Sgaw, a sub-tribe of the Karen, who live mainly in the south-east of Burma, and worn with a warp patterned tubular skirt.

6550(IS)