This pair of unfinished slipper tops is made from velvet fabric. Gold metallic thread is used here to create a raised effect for the various decorative motifs. The technique used is couching, in which the metallic thread is caught down using another piece of thread passed through the material underneath. There are motifs of various creatures on this piece, including spiders, crabs and butterflies. The fabric base of these slippers would be attached to a ‘pidangan’ or wooden embroidery frame using a piece of thick string and adjusted to the right tension. This would ensure the even sewing of stitches or anchoring of glass beads. Once the designs were completed, the slipper faces were sent to the cobbler to be made into slippers.
