HER BRIDAL WONDER

Angah : Emak, you made all these?

Emak : Ya. For my wedding, these are used to decorate the

bed-posts of my 4-poster bronze bed.

Angah : What fine embroidery!

Emak : This technique is called "tekat China". I used gold

and silver strands to sew on the velvet cloth. I had to prepare these way before my wedding, you know.

Angah : I'm not surprised. Where did you get the materials?

Emak : A Chinese trader would come around the village with his kereta tolak (lit. push-cart) filled with neddlework-wares - beads, threads, neddles, cloth - you name it, he had it. "Klentong, klentong, klentong.." his little hand-held instrument would sound. That's when we knew he was around. His wife taught me the technique.

Angah : I respect you lah, emak.

Angah : And what are these?

Emak : These are tekat benang emas pieces I sewed for the ends of my bolsters also for my wedding - you know the elongated pillow sausage-shaped one?

Angah : Emak, I used to take lessons on this technique from a famous craftsperson in K.L. She prepared for me the box frame, stretched the velvet material and all that. For my first lesson, she gave me a design - a basket of orchids! I only managed to sew one miserable small petal and that was the end of my lesson .... hee... hee... I couldn't imagine finishing a whole basket of orchids! Aiyah ...

Emak : Well, you have to have a lot of patience to do these sorts of things.

And that was my Emak - ever so gentle and patient and so caring.

"Ya Allah, sayangilah ibuku sebagaimana ia menyanyangi daku semasa aku kecil".

(Oh Allah, do bestow your love upon my mother as she did bestow her love upon me when I was young)