Peranakan woman sews her first pair of beaded shoes during pandemic

It took the MCO to get Tan started on her sewing project. Photo: Tan Mei Ling

Tan Mei Ling, 59, a seventh generation Peranakan from Melaka, has always wanted to sew the Nyonya beaded shoes synonymous with her culture. She had even bought all the materials from a shop in Melaka some time ago, but it wasn’t until the first movement control order in March last year that she started her sewing project.

“I’ve always wanted to do this but never got round to it until the first MCO last year, ” says Tan who lives in Petaling Jaya with her husband. The couple have two grown-up children: a 29-year-old daughter and a 27-year-old son.