Spring has sprung …Cik Pn Siti Khatijah Shaikh Mahmud

Little People Big Fashionista... yet again.

Introducing my petite fashionista lady from Kertih who has been a patron of Mai Style for as long as I was in business… Cik Pn Siti Khatijah Shaikh Mahmud.  She used to make daily trips just to see me and she still does so even during fasting month.

Her choice of colours and fabrics has been undisputedly admired and closely followed by her peers. While I may be involved in making her dresses, she has full credit on “making it works” with just about anything and everything under the sun.

Eid AlMubarak 2011 was celebrated with 2 baju kurung and a kurung moden to begin with, which she later added 5 more pieces for me to do for the after Eid Al-Mubarak. As you can see my work is never finished and as a result I can never have the time to do mine. That’s usually is the case if you ask me. Always coulda, woulda and shoulda…. Never can, will and shall for me…..

sulam kerawang ayak di tangan baju bermanik

sulaman awak di bawah baju kurung sutera

Thai Silk baju kurung Pahang sulaman & manik..(shimmering embroideries)...

Datin Liza’s Thai silk Kurung Pahang…….

To be continued…………

Now here is the much talked about blue Thai silk with matching tea/moss green chiffon shawl. It was originally supposed to be embroidered just on the sleeves but was later swayed towards full heavy embroideries…meaning neck, sleeves and bottom, accompanied with beading works. The whole nine yards!!!!!!!!!!....

Baju kurung Pahang made from Thai silks material or any plain fabrics are an excellent candidate for embroidery machine. For the lack of a better world…..it’s a match made in heaven. Thai silk/cotton/linen fabric can withstand the vigorous needle works and the stretching/pulling actions while applying the rim as well as having minimal breakage from constant threading…such robust materials. Truth of the matter is, if I was given a plain fabric, it’s like a kid was given a piece of art paper and a box of crayons….. Thousands of possibilities, ideas popping in and out of my head, then my heart would start racing and everything soon die out the moment I commit on a particular design in my head and transfer them onto the fabric. I mean some people like to trace a specific pattern onto the cloths….but that’s not how I function. I am more of a free-spirited, free-styling, fly by the moment type of person when it comes to doing embroideries and that goes the same to my bead works too. If you ever meet me, you will see that I draw designs on pieces of papers the moment I see you. There was never one pattern fits all….. It’s one pattern for each client with variations…..

Beaded embroideries (sulaman ayak bermanik)......

Sulaman ayak bermanik (beaded embroideries)…..

Midterm school holiday is here again and this means that a long list of wedding invitations to attend. I usually group them into close relative, distant relative, close friend, client friend and common friend. This way I can prioritise the invites in order to make attempt on attending one wedding a weekend at least. This is also the peak season for embroideries orders (sulaman ayak bermanik) for those involved in the wedding ceremonies. The following are a few example of sulaman ayak bermanik done to meet such demands.

front..kebaya

front..... kebaya

bottom.....kurung moden

top.....kurung

Metallic thread embroideries (sulaman benang emas)...

Sulaman benang emas (Sparkle thread embroideries)

Gold threads are usually used in embroideries to give instant glitter especially when light is being reflected by it, without the hassle of stitching beads. These metallic embroideries threads are actually not really Gold or Silver but a thin metal strip coated in colours similar to gold or silver. The end result would usually appear to be a bit stiff in comparison if you are using the common rayon or polyester thread.

gold thread used to outline the pattern

This images I am posting are showing a piece of kurung moden that used Gold metallic embroideries thread around the existing pattern for a bit of glitter. It belongs to Cik Una, a final year Architecture student from UIA and she will be wearing it during her upcoming final presentation. I wish her and her colleagues all the best of luck.

Sulam kerawang ayak@goyang dijahit manik

Sulaman kerawang ayak (embroideries)….

To all my fellow embroideries (sulaman) lovers, I am posting another sulaman ayak done around the neck, sleeves and bottom of Italian silk baju kurung. What I did this time is placing more elaborate embroideries around the neck and sleeves, while giving minimal attention to the bottom. This is done purely upon request from the owner. I also added seed beads to accompany these beautiful embroideries to give volume. As a matter of fact, I highly would recommend these to anyone who wants to show off the neck line or emphasizing the top half of your outfit, especially when you will be sitting down and only that top half will be visible. We really should work with what we have. But if you will be standing and able to show the whole outfit, then by all means do full embroideries and do not hold back…

Kebaya Labuh sulam kerawang...

Sulam kerawang ayak@goyang

Owning a piece of exquisite embroideries on you kebaya or baju kurung is similar to possessing a precious gem in that it is a treasure without making a huge dent in your pocket. A piece of sulam kurung/kebaya should be made mandatory as official attire similar to batik, if I were to have my way. Well at least it should be in every Malaysian’s (female) closet.

There are similarities between batik and embroideries, as they both are symbols of our culture, our heritage and identity. I am dreaming for the day that we make Kebaya/Kurung Sulaman as one of the official attire next to Batik.

This piece I am showing today is from a Thai silk fabric for the top and a Balinese batik for the sarung to give a rustic look.  

Japanese glass beads are added

have a look at this gorgeous embroidery 

really stunning

loving it

Sulam kerawang ayak@goyang

A shout out to my fellow embroiderers........

Today I am posting about the exquisite art of sulam kerawang ayak@goyang.. I think it is becoming a dying art in this 21st century. The demographical trend changes, the scarce availability of expert embroiderers added with the lack of exposure have lead to sulam kerawang ayak@goyang taking a back seat in the fashion industry. I remember back in the days when my mother used to proudly adorn an intricate sulam kerawang on her kebaya Nyonya  and  turned some heads (with admiration). Being someone from Melaka, kebaya Nyonya is the in thing to be wearing at weddings and get together. I know for a fact that now only a handful of expert embroiderers are still in this trade. And I for one would like to see this art to take center stage equally if not more than the art of beadings. I am among the few that still practising sulam kerawang ayak@goyang….

 

bahagian bawah baju

dijahit pada fabrik sutera Cina

hujung lengan

Sulam kerawang ayak@goyang dijahit manik

Sulam kerawang ayak@goyang dijahit manic (beads and embroideries)

Beadings and embroideries work so well together. These two complement each other so well like they were meant to be. Embroideries are best applied to fabric such as hand woven silk, Thai silk, China silk and raw silk. As soon as beads are added, that piece will be transformed into a 3 dimension..

I am using an ordinary Singer sewing machine to work on my embroideries and only work purely with rayon embroidery threads on both sides (top and bottom stitching) of the stitching. I know for a fact that some people choose to use a cheaper edging thread for the bottom, but I do not want to compromise on the quality and the end result.

sulam kerawang atas fabrik Tenun Pahang

bahagian depan kebaya labuh

Tenun Pahang memang sesuai untuk sulam kerawang..

Sulam kerawang bermanik sangat sesuai dijahit pada baju  kebaya atau kurung Pahang/Riau..selalunya dihujung lengan/baju..terutama skali jika fabrik tersebut tiada corak/kosong...

Warna benang sulam serta manik akan mengikut warna/corak kain yang dipadankan agar kelihatan anggun...

Tempahan manik + sulaman

Attention my fellow friends...
A little announcement............

TEMPAHAN  MANIK +/SULAMAN masih dibuka..

Delivery :- 5 days off-seasons and 14 days peak-seasons (working days ).

Prices are negotiable :- on design, size required, amount+materials used, the degree of difficulty, speedy delivery (max of 2 working days), exclude postage & handling.

Tempahan Raya 2011

Open to all.
Tempahan Raya 2011 kini masih dibuka. Baju kurung asli, Baju kurung Pahang/Riau, Kurung Moden, Baju Melayu.. For adults + children alike.
First Come First Serve..