Nyonya Wedding Dresses and Bridal Chambers In Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

1900's Marital bed

Gold painted and lacquered wood with embroidered silk panels.

Bridal Garments

Later marital bed.

Silk embroidered bridal over-garment.

Marital Bed 1900's to 1920's

Detail of gold work embroidery on silk satin trimmed with rabbit fur and silk fringe.

Bridal Dress 1920's

Bridal Dress 1930's to 1940's

Each of these rooms in the mansion was set up to display what the bride wore and where she slept over 3 different eras from the 1900's to the 1950's. These rooms were also filled with lavish collections of Venitian glass, mother of pearl furniture, ornaments from around the world and opulent jewellery.

I could have stayed for a couple of hours but our guide was eager to show us treasures in the rest of this beautifully restored mansion.

Doing Laundry

Over the summer I had several sessions doing laundry while it was hot and dry
- perfect conditions for cotton.

I soaked and washed a pile of domestic linens I had accumulated.
I hung them to dry until they were just damp.

Then steamed them dry and smooth.

They were added to my collection...

...waiting until their time out in the public eye. 

Maple Tree Cloth Repairs

The Maple tree cloth's Battenberg lace deteriorated and was not able to support it so it came inside for repairs.

Safety pins held the lace together until I could do the repairs.

I stitched a supporting grid but I anticipated the strengthened lace insert would next tear away from equally fragile woven cloth. It just needed to hang on until I stitched in August new moon's band of weft threads. 

The repaired cloth went back outside.