A Peranakan Brooch

This brooch was found in a shop at Jonker's Street in Melaka. It was just a frame without any stones but the frame was in good condition. I was told by the shop owner that it was silver and plated in gold. I kept it for years, before getting someone to set it for me. I was very grateful to CC who was willing to find the stones and set it. The brooch is now set with faceted rhodolite. The brooch is in fact brass and gold plated. I love this brooch. It could have been part of a kerosang.

Happy Birthday MOM

Mom is 69 today. I will miss her birthday dinner but she has her other children and grandchildren to celebrate it with her. This photo was taken in the early nineteen sixties at her first job. She worked in a small missionary run clinic as a doctor's assistant. Part of her duties there was to do translation and accounting.

Peranakan Designs

I love the jewellery, pottery, embroidery designs, traditional costume, beaded slippers of the Peranakans. The above photos were taken from this book on kebayas (traditional embroidered blouse). These kebayas are from the private collection of the late wife of Malaysia's prime minister.

My maternal grandmothers, yes, both wore the Peranakan sulam (embroidered) kebaya blouse and sarong every single day. She kept the more elaborately embroidered kebaya blouse for Sundays when she attended church. Of course, hers were not as elaborate as those in the above photos. More kebayas at this site.

These kebaya blouses did not have any buttons, instead she used a set of kerosang (three brooches) to hold the blouse together. The kerosang is also considered as jewellery, often made in gold and intan (rose-cut diamonds).

I use to watch her on her sewing machine making the embroidery. Back then, I was too young to have that determination to learn. It was difficult because although you used a sewing machine, you had to guide the needle manually to where it should go with the help of an embroidery frame, not the programmable machines that we have today.

Spiral Bookmark

When I first saw this bookmark at Gina’s blog, I thought how difficult it must be, to tat this. It looked like a complicated pattern. It is one of those patterns that look more difficult than it really is. It was great fun and you could make it look different with all other possible colour combinations. Thank you, Gina, for this pattern. Experiment and you may be surprised! Can you see it spiral, view from a little further away.

Beautiful Peranakan stamps

These are special edition stamps. I bought them to be used not to be collected. It may be on one of the envelopes I send out, perhaps to you. Would anyone be interested in silk HDTs in the similar colour scheme? Perhaps we could ask Lady Shuttle Maker to custom some?

August giveaway winner

Singtatter will be getting the pastel tatted heart. Congrats! Do send me your details and I will send the heart off to you. Thank you to all who participated. I hope you will come back and visit. I am thinking of a challenge in the next week or so.

Just grass

Seldom do you see a patch of grass like this in Singapore! Isn't it beautiful? Sometimes, you need to take time to notice the simplest things. Enjoy!

Joy Luck Club

I have watched the movie twice but would not mind watching it again as I forget how it goes. I am currently reading the book which I have had for years. It has turned yellow with age and I have never read it. The high humidity just ruins everything. I love the first page of the book. I am now on page 159. If you have read this book or seen the movie, tell me what you thought of it.

Bird shuttle

I received this from Noreen a few days ago. I have not used this type of shuttle before and found it a little difficult to get use to. I hold the shuttle on its flat side near the tail but it seems to get caught with the threads each time I tat. Any tips of how to hold this properly. I would appreciate any help.

Pastel heart August giveaway

If you have read my last post, you would know that this is the second heart of Martha’s Celtic heart pattern. This heart is a slight modification of that pattern. It’s tatted in pastel colours using Olympus cotton thread in Size 20 and measures 3 x 3 inches. I am giving this away and if you would like a chance to receive this, just leave a comment on how you would use this tatted heart by 23 August 2008. I will do a draw on the 24 August 2008 and list the winner then. Do check back to find out who the winner is.