On Wednesday (10 June), Lee Hsien Yang, son of late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, flaunted his wife Lee Suet Fern’s homemade handbag on Facebook.
The younger brother of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared a post by 2Quilters Facebook page – arts and crafts store in Singapore – that showcased photos of the quilted handbag that was made by Mrs Lee.
He captioned it with, “My wife’s just completed homemade handbag was featured on the 2Quilters web site.”
In the post, 2Quilters described how Mrs Lee crafted the handbag using their quilting products and her speed at completing the sewing projects had amazed them.
“We love the quilting she has done with her HandiQuilter Infinity long-arm machine for the panels and that gives the bag such a special touch. Fern’s speed at completing her sewing projects never ceases to amaze us”, it asserted.
2Quilters also cited Mrs Lee’s quote, “This was my first time doing a ByAnnie pattern and using the batting and mesh, although I had been ‘collecting’ for a while. The patterns are much easier than they look and the mesh and batting also handle very easily. Anyone beyond a beginner can make them.”
Last year on 2 June, Mr Lee shared about Mrs Lee’s win at the 2019 Yokohama Quilt Festival in Japan. The award-winning quilt, Castel del Monte, was inspired by the octagonal towers of the Castel del Monte, a protected World Heritage European castle in southern Italy.
Mr Lee noted that his wife is also an accomplished quilter, apart from being a lawyer. Her passion for quilting began about 23 years ago.
Back in 2013, two of Mrs Lee’s quilts were selected for the finals in the Traditional Pieces Quilts category at the International Quilt Festival Houston – the largest and most competitive quilt show in the world with more than tens of thousands of attendees each year – in the United States. It was the first quilting competition Mrs Lee has ever joined since picking up this hobby.
In a write-up about her in Asia One, Mrs Lee said, “Professional work will always take precedence, but this is a hobby which has become my passion. I sew through the night because I’ve got some momentum.”
Netizens compared Mrs Lee to Ho Ching
While many netizens were impressed with Mrs Lee’s quilting skills, some netizens were quick to compare her to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching.
Meanwhile, one netizen commented that Madam Ho should learn some skills instead of posting “irritating” things on social media.
