274 MALACCA LACE. 



sitting astride their pillows when just commencing a new piece. 

 It is perhaps to this reason that the pillow owes its shape — it 

 no doubt suits the Malay who always works sitting on the 

 floor, — but it is very back-breaking to the European. Former- 

 ly the pillows always had a drawer for holding extra bobbins. 

 It is now omitted. The bobbins are either made of wood, 

 horn, or ivory, and are called "buah." They are very similar 

 in shape to the Ceylon bobbins, but rather more delicate in 

 make and size. At the present time, there is considerable 

 difficulty in getting bobbins made at all and the old bobbins 

 made in ebony and ivory for three or five cents, cannot now 

 be obtained in plain wood for less than eight or ten cents. 

 There are five patterns now in common use, the greatest 

 number of bobbins used being nineteen. Four of these pat- 

 terns are depicted in plate 2, requiring nine, eleven, fifteen, 

 and nineteen bobbins respectively beginning at the foot of the 

 plate. There is one other pattern not shown requiring thirteen 

 bobbins. The two insertions shown at the top of plate 2 are 

 old patterns not now made. Fifty and thirty bobbins were 

 used respectively in their composition. The patterns are 

 pricked out in paper and called " Sepesel " and "achuwan." 

 The (Malays have names for their patterns such as : — 



1) " Prut Lintah " or leech's stomach. This in " torchon " 

 would be called " bar »' stitch — In the insertions shewn in Plate 

 2, these bars are combined to form 6-pointed stars, which are 

 known as " Bunga Tanjong" : — 



(2) "Anyam Krosi " or chair-plait which in " torchon " 

 would be called cloth stitch, is also shown in the same inser- 

 tions alternating with the "Bunga Tanjong." 



(3) " Siku Keluwang " or bat's wing, which is a vandyke 

 pattern depicted in the wide insertions of the old trouser 

 border in plate 3. And I daresay many others which are now 

 forgotten with the art. The various stitches are also named, 

 and one " biku " of thirteen bobbins was thus described to 

 me, beginning at thefoot of the edging right across to the 

 top : — 



" Puchok " or " Kipas " taking one bobbin. 

 " Buah Sirih " taking two bobbins 



|Jour. Straits |Branch 



