Sewing was an essential skill that all Peranakan Chinese ‘nyonyas’ had to master. Thus, it is no surprise that most of the embroidery and beadwork was done by the ‘nyonyas’ themselves. The decorative portion of the slippers would be embroidered (usually with gold and silver threads) by the ‘nyonyas’ and then sent to a shoemaker to be made into slippers. In some cases, the embroidery would be commissioned from skilled ‘nyonyas’ who could embroider more complex and elaborate designs.
