The ancient beauty - Chinese Button & Fastener get whimsy!

Merdeka Art For Grabs

2008-08-30T09:47:00.002+08:00

Necklace N-6

2008-07-27T22:24:00.003+08:00

Price: RM25.00

2 way of wearing it:
Tie up the button to have a pendant. Release the button to make a natural flow.

Necklace N-5

2008-07-27T22:23:00.002+08:00

Price: RM25.00

Necklace N-4

2008-07-27T22:21:00.004+08:00

Price: RM22.00

Necklace N-3

2008-07-27T22:20:00.000+08:00

Price: RM25.00

Necklace N-2

2008-07-27T22:19:00.001+08:00

Price: RM35.00

Necklace N-1

2008-07-27T22:18:00.002+08:00

Price: RM22.00

Cap

2008-07-27T21:43:00.004+08:00

Price: RM22.00

Description: Each design has only one piece. Hence, your caps is your crown! It is unique and precious! Pattern are resulted from random exploration of materials and colors. Every piece has its own uniqueness of style, mood, and character. Therefore, it will gives you a different feel every time you look at it.

Tips: Match your caps with plain-T will make your caps even stand-out! Happy Shopping!

Coins Bag

2008-07-26T11:19:00.011+08:00

Price: RM8.00

Size: 11.5cm (w) x 9.5cm(h)

Description: Each design has only one piece. Hence, your coins bag is unique and precious! Pattern are resulted from random exploration of materials and colors. Every piece has its own uniqueness of style, mood, and character. Therefore, it will gives you a different feel every time you look at it.

Tips: It is important that you choose your favorite design depends on your current mood! Happy Shopping!

Video Knotty

2008-07-20T21:47:00.000+08:00

Beautiful co-incident

2008-03-05T14:51:00.007+08:00

The most meaningful thing I got during this month selling wasn't the profit I get. It was the chance to meet a miniature sifoo! What a co-incident that I shared a stall with her! Her name is May. She also help the other idol of mine, tako to sell their miniature doll house, and some handmade stuff. Their works are just brilliant. So tiny yet oh so sweet!

Check out her site for a inspiring experience!
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/ngbeewei

Knotty is back again!

2008-01-23T12:15:00.002+08:00

I've been to work in Singapore for 2 months. That's why I stop selling at Little Penang Street Market. Next, I will be studying at Limkokwing after Chinese New Year. Meanwhile, Knotty have chance to meet you in market again!

Hope to see you there!

Date : 27 Jan 2007 (Sunday)
Time : 10am-5pm

Knotty @ Little Penang Street Market 29 July 2007 (Sun)

2007-08-25T09:10:00.001+08:00

Date : Sunday, 29 July 2007

Venue : Upper Penang Road

Time : 10:00am to 6:00pm

Don't miss it this time!

For more info about Little Penang Street Market:

www.littlepenang.com.my

Meet Knotty Again!

2007-07-15T22:41:00.001+08:00

Knotty is going down town!

Find Knotty at (Pipit's booth), at the flea market of:

notthatbalai art festival ’07
非那局艺术节
20st July - 5th August 2007

For more info about notthatbalai art festival, please visit : http://www.notthatbalai.blogspot.com

Limited pieces only! Grab these while stock last!

Speacial thanks to Pipit!

Knotty at Little Penang Street market 24 June 2007

2007-06-25T10:21:00.001+08:00

After all it was a really great experience. Having my ideas being exposed and myself being a lady boss, awesome!

The visitors were constantly coming in, alots of compliments for my creativity so I guess I would have another time selling my thingy at the next street market. Sore throat after whole day of explaination about my ideas. "I am trying to twist the conventional chinese knot button to a modern and chic elements so that the people especially the youngster would have more interest in it.. Chinese button is no longer old-fashioned! Blah Blah Blah... ..."

Special thanks to Chenny and Wyan who sacrificed their sunday to help me in the hot and humid market.

Other than the great experience, I also got rash around my neck and shoulder from this market. Heh~

Meet Knotty!

2007-06-20T23:10:00.001+08:00

Visit Knotty at Little Penang Street Market!

Date : 24 June 2007
Time : 10.00am - 6.00pm
Venue : Upper Penang Road
Booth : G3

See you there!

Project | Knotty

2007-06-20T21:22:00.002+08:00

After my research, below are the factors which threaten the craftsmanship of Chinese knot button and frog fastener:
1) Time consuming
2) Difficult to make
3) Old-fashioned
4) There are ready-made one in the market. They are available in various pattern, motif, and colors. Plus, they are cheap.

Knotty - Chinese button and frog fastener travels from the old times and becomes naughty!
This project aims to propagate the craftsmanship and uniqueness of knot button and frog fastener. I applied them onto fashion accessories such as small wallet, necklace, caps, hair clips and etc. I believe that this will change the thoughts of knot button and frog fastener is old-fashioned!

Visit Madam Low to learn making Knot Button and Frog Fastener

2007-06-19T22:54:00.002+08:00

15 August 2005 9.00 am

After picked up my grandma at her house, we went to buy Dim Sum as hand-gift to visit Madam Low. We reached her house at 9.15am. Madam Low welcomed us with a warmth smile. We had breakfast together with Madam Low’s family members. At 9:30am, we started our lesson. Materials and tools needed for making a knot button and frog fastener are needles, thread, cord, and clamp. I had prepared few cords to make knot button but Madam Low insisted me to use her cord because is easier to recognize the route and also easier to handle. Cords I bought were the modern one with flat surface. In the old days people used to sew their own cords which formed a cylinder strip. Madam Low was too tensed to teach and I'm not able to catth up with her. She kept making her own knot button without checking my progress. But under guidance of my grandma, I able to handle the cord well. Madam Low demonstrated about six times to me and she let me do my own knot button at last. Even if I shown her I already know how to make, still she wanted me to do a few more times to make sure I really picked up the skill.

While I was making my knot button, Madam Low and my grandma talked about their good old days. Their mother hired a couturier to pass on sewing techniques to the daughters. Sewing skill are the basics and the couturier taught each of them different special skill. Grandma was taught to stitch floral pattern on blouse and Madam Low was taught to make knot button and frog fastener. And the others were taught different skill. In the past, women were to learn how to sew as sewing was considered a must to a woman. Since Madam Low picked up sewing skill, she started to do her own business at the age of 18. She made blouse and skirt. Knot button and frog fastener required extra charges. She had quite a good business because they did not have boutiques and shopping mall selling women’s clothes. According to Chinese belief, there must be five knot button and frog fasteners on the blouse. Four is considered as a bad luck number.

At 11.00 am, I “formally” announced that I had learnt how to make only the knot button. I learnt how to make pattern with the cord where knot button left behind. And also I created another fastener and end the cord with the same pattern as the button’s. Madam Low showed me her works. She created various fancy patterns. Most of them are floral motif. I chose the easiest motive due to time limit. My motif contained only two spiral motive. I was to sew the cord while forming it into a spiral shape to fix the pattern. My sewing skill was not smooth and familiar because I seldom sew. At 11.30am, I had done my ever first Chinese traditional knot button and frog fastener.

Madam Low showed me her sketches before she started to do a knot button and frog fastener. There were various floral patterns; I wonder how creative she was to sketch those patterns. She insisted to use her old method that is to sew her own cords because she thought that makes the knot button and frog fastener looks mire feminine and exquisite. When I told her market price for a knot button and frog fastener cost only RM0.30, she was shocked and followed by sad. During the past, she can make RM1.80 for each knot button and frog fastener. She admited that modern technique has take over hand-made things, sad but true. My eyes spark with amuzement when she showed me other handicrafts she made. Brooch is in trend now. When she saw a floral brooch in the newspaper, she simply followed how the brooch looks and it works! It looks exactly the same. It cost RM13.90 in the market and Madam Low make it with materials cost not over than RM0.20. Also, Madam Low stitch traditional floor mat. It costs RM5 per piece. When she was young, she lived in a house near to a factory. The factory threw wasted strip which they used to tie the boxes. Madam Low secretly collected them and made it into bags and basket. So the tradition pass on until now, she made bags and basket with strips and sell them. Madam Low earns little money with her handicrafts. She inherits this skill to no one as nobody is willing to learn.

Madam Low wakes up early 6 am everyday. She will go for a walk at her compound and sweep the garden. After that she will have breakfast with her family at 8am when her son is going to work. After that she started to sew her floor mat or trying on new handicrafts. At 12pm, she will have a gambling game with her friends and relatives. This is her only entertainment in her daily life. She enjoy chit-chatting with them. She watches TV during the night. That is the reason why she was happy that I visited her today, she has no one to talk to other than her too few friends.

At 12pm, I asked for permission to leave because their gambling game is about to begin. I ended my visit by taking a photo with Madam Low and my grandma.

My thoughts:

Madam Low is a perfectionist. She wanted everything in perfect, even if I told her I had already know how to make, she insisted me to do one more time to make sure I really picked up the skill. Artists are perfectionist. When I looked at her sketch, I found that the ways she worked were actually like us. We always sketch out our ideas before we start our project. Same to her, she sketched her desired design before she started to stitch the knot button and frog fastener. She wanted to give me her sketches but I rejected because they were a treasure to a craftsman. People used to think that old people are old fashioned, out-dated and unskilled. They were wrong. You will be shocked to see how creative Madam Low is to create a fashion accessory with only a simple picture as reference. After this visit, I started to appreciate the craftsmanship of Madam Low. As a designer, I feel that I have the responsibility to help propagate this endangered Chinese traditional craftsmanship.

Interview

2007-06-19T22:32:00.001+08:00

1.When did your career began?

I learnt sewing when I was 19. During that age, there was no ready-made blouse selling in the market. So I had quite a good business in custom-making blouse. As time past, there were boutiques and hypermarkets selling ready-made blouse which had affected my business. So I end up making knot button and frog fastener.

2. Who did you learnt this from?

My mother.

3.Why did you pick up this profession? Is it your interest, or a way to earn a living?

During our age, there was no interest concern. Ladies must learn how to sew. I have to design various patterns or motives to meet customers’ demand.

4. How did you profit from your profession?

Back in the old days, a blouse with a knot and frog fastener would cost only RM2.20. Few years later, when I stopped making blouse, a knot and a frog fastener cost RM1.80 itself even without the blouse.

5. How do you know what color to use when you are working on the button and loop?

For most of the time, it was usually matched with the color of the blouse, other than that, my experience and fashion sense will influence the decision too.

6. Are your design original? Or you use references?

Initially, I started off following certain standard patterns. After that, I started to sketch my own desired pattern on paper, and then used a cord to form that pattern.

7. Have you ever thought of inheriting this skill to the newer generations?

Modern techniques had replaced craftsmanship. Factories could come out with a blouse within an hour whereas I had to spend 3 days to make one. I would very much like to inherit this skill to the newer generation, but I am afraid no one would like to pick up this skill.

8. Is it hard to pick up sewing skill?

It may be seem easy but is actually quite tough. A passion for it, plus some artistic flair helps a lot. Practice often.

9. Do you have any other interest and hobbies besides sewing button and loops?

Knitting is another interest of mine.

10. What is your comment about this profession?

This is my lifetime career. Sadly it has been replaced by modern technologies. It would be great if you could help me propagate and glorify this craftsmanship.

What people say about Chinese Knot Button and Frog Fastener?

2007-06-19T22:23:00.001+08:00

“I would buy if the product or accessory does not look old-fashioned.” Solara, 19

“Chinese Knot Button and Frog Fastener are still in my fashion list.” Madam Law, 47

“I very much appreciate the quintessence of Knot Button and Frog Fastener.” Madam Low, 70

“I would like to learn how to make it if there is someone to teach me. It symbolizes Chinese craftsmanship and should not be eliminated.” Joey, 19

“It shows ones skill and creativity. It also reflects the beauty of traditional Chinese. I think it should be well-propagate.” Gavin, 21

“If the accessories look trendy, I would buy.” Chenny, 20

“If the color of the fastener looks modern, I guess people would buy.” Nelson, 20

“Nobody would want to buy handmade fastener nowadays as imported one cost only RM0.30.” Mr. Tan, 45

" Traditional patterns are still preserving as a living culture in the contemporary era, this creative one is symbolising the fusion of both." Alex Lim, 24

Introduction

2007-06-19T22:21:00.001+08:00

Cheung Sam is generally acknowledged as the classic Chinese garment. It is a simple garment, essentially made from two pieces of cloth cut to follow the form of a woman’s body, with slits at the sides to allow for ease of movement. Many people are familiar with the garment but they have overlooked the quintessence of Cheung Sam, which is the Knot Button and Frog Fastener.

Knot Button and Frog Fastener were used to fasten the collar and lapel, not only for Cheung Sam but Chinese traditional women and men’s shirt. It’s just that the fastener for men’s shirt is simple while women’s has variation color and motive of fasteners. Knot button and frog fasteners are originated from thousands years of traditional Chinese knotting craft. The designs and compositions vary from the plain to complicate according to the evolution of men’s creativity. Traditional designs mostly refer to floral. They are designed to match the pattern of the fabric and the color of the braided trim on the collar cuff and hem.

Knot button and frog fastener may be a small feature but they should not be neglected. To me, it represents the soul of the Cheung Sam and gives a distinctive Chinese character. What inspired me is the creativity and skill of the couturiers to make large variation of motive for the fastener in order to match the pattern and color of the blouse. Nowadays we could not see old men wearing shirt with knot button and frog fastener but we found those on grandma’s generation. The craftsmanship of knot button and frog fastener is dangerously emerging. I visited my grandma’s elder sister who was a couturier last time, skilled at making knot button and frog fastener. In her ever first interview in life, she speaks about her good old days when she first learns how to sew. Check how I learnt to make knot button and frog fastener. Also, see how I am going to propagate the craftsmanship. Enjoy!