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�Kain Sonket�
is
a hand woven traditional Malay fabric with gold and silver threads
and worn mainly during official functions and ceremonies.
 Woven on a Malay frame loom, elaborate
patterns are created by introducing extra gold or silver weft
threads with the use of a flat needle or cuban.
The
songket goes through eight stages before it becomes a piece
of fabric and it is still traditionally woven. As weavers are
usually from rural areas, it is not surprising to find that the
motifs are patterned after local flora and fauna. These motifs are
also named after local Malay delicacies such as seri kaya,
wajik, and the tepung talam, believed to be favourites of royalty.
Exclusive
songket requires between one and three months to complete, while
ordinary songket only takes about 3 days.
Men
wore the songket fashioned into a destar or head-cloth. It was
only later that Malay women started wearing songket sarung in 'rolling waves; style with a
baju kurung top. Today
songket is a popular choice for the Malay wedding costume and is
often presented by the groom to the bride as one of the wedding
gifts. In order to preserve the original lustre and quality of the
songket, a large cowry shell known as genus is normally used to
polish the cotton fabric or songket cloth before the telepuk
process is initiated.
Telepuk
is another beautiful handicraft creation of the Malay society in
the olden days. Composed of golden lace, this fabric is used
specially for official functions.
Songket
is not meant just for the affluent as the fabric ranges from
RM100, with the exclusive running into several thousands of
Ringgit.
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