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22
BURMESE TEXTILES.

which is effectively decorated by an elaborate applique of red, porcelain blue, yellow, white and black cloth and stitchery in red, white, green and yellow.

The body of the garment consists of two widths of cloth joined down the centre of the back (Fig. 13, p. 15) carried over the shoulders, where slight horizontal cuts are made to form the neck opening, and joined again at the sides for a short distance under the arms. The sleeves are made of two widths of cloth connected by a strip of porcelain blue, and having a deep hem at the wrist. There is a stiff, upright collar. The front opening of the coat is decorated at the top by an appliqué of strips of rose and white cloth, used alternately, and stitched down with different colours. Below this wide, striped decoration is a more elaborate appliqué border into which all the colours indicated at the side of Figure 13a (p. 16), are introduced. The detail of this border is clearly shewn in Figure 14a (p. 17). Each piece of cloth in the pattern is neatly joined on the wrong side to its fellow, and on the inner edge the strips of red and white cloth are vandyked, or cut in points, so that the effect of a row of white lozenges is produced. The cut edges are turned underneath, giving a raised effect and, whilst the shaped edge of the red cloth is outlined by a blue cord, that of the white cloth is outlined by red. The sides of the garment are ornamented, both back and front, by a border of oblongs of red and porcelain blue cloth, joined alternately

Fig. 18. Detail of G.S. 14. Shewing direction of stitches and colour.
Fig. 19. Detail of stitchery in G.S. 17.

and sewn down by rose-coloured thread. The edge of the garment is strengthened by a narrow binding of red cloth. Another form of decoration is found near the hem at the back (Fig. 13), consisting of six rows of buttonhole stitchery in which each pair of stitches forms a triangle. The arrangement of these rows, and the colour of the thread used can be plainly seen in Figure 14b. The coat would be fastened at the neck and over the bosom by silver bosses, and then allowed to hang loosely over a skirt such as is shewn in Figure 15 (p. 18).

GS 62 (Fig. 15), is a skirt made from a mixture of native and Chinese cloths. The broad hem at d, 17.8 cm. (7in.) wide, is of black cotton, and the top a, a slightly wider strip of red, both of native manufacture. Between these is a piece of rather loosely woven red silk material b striped with white, dull green and yellow, which appears to be of Chinese origin, and is connected with the black hem by a narrow border of Chinese embroidery in green, yellow and pink (Fig. 15c); the whole forming a pleasant scheme of colour. A narrow, high, black turban would be worn with the costume just described.