April 2022 Block Lotto

Pojagi – Korean Patchwork

Pojagi is an ancient Korean textile art form. The first documented mention of it was in AD 42, so it is about 2,000 years old – much older than western quilting. A pojagi (po) is a cloth that is used to wrap, carry and store things. Reversible patchwork is the most unique option of pojagi. It is very different from western quilting because the seam are finished on both sides. The best way to view these items is with light shining through them. It gives the impression of stained glass. Designs tend to be geometric and random rather than the shapes and repeating designs of western quilts. The techniques involved in pojagi are now used for many things beyond wrapping cloths. You can see them in table linens, clothing, and other decorative pieces. (Source – Epida Studio)

Instructions

1) Take a piece of the linen. Have another scrap of the same length. Have one fabric have a larger seam allowance than the other fabric (if top fabric is ¼ inch, have the bottom piece poke out a ¼ more (1/2-inch total).

2) Sew the pieces together. (Alternatively, sew a ½ inch seam. Once sewn, trim one of the two ½ seams to ¼ inch so you can fold the larger seam over the smaller seam.)

3) Press the fatter bottom seam allowance over the raw edge of the top shorter seam allowance.

3) Press the fatter bottom seam allowance over the raw edge of the top shorter seam allowance.

4) Open the seam. You will fold the fat seam over the raw edge of the short seam. Topstitch down.

5) On one side of the finished piece, you see two stitching lines. On the other side, you only see one stitching line, but the seam is finished on both sides. All the raw edges are tucked away inside. – This is very similar to flat fell seam used in garment sewing, like on jeans.

Sources

For more information straight from the source, please see:

1) 8 Minute Introduction – Hansan Ramie Patchwork 한산모시조각보 Constancy & Change in Korean Traditional Craft 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7WjXFLJOE8

2) A close up showing the process with Raime and hand stitching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eraoNnMJr4Q

3) Another demo – designing and then sewing multiple pieces coming together
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slhCg9bLrKk and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-PMWx9FHiE

4) For a deep dive and additional stitching techniques by Bojagi Artist Taerim Claire Jeon : 30 Minutes Introduction and Tutorial from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvuijvNPnpU and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9KmwN9LgFc

For English Language Tutorial:

1) Epida Studio – Modern Pojagi Simple Seam Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ViW5mraYMor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exUfjcCz9Ss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW5JaaaAmtg

2) Flat Fell Seam – The art of Pojagi on It’s Sew Easy with Rebecca Kemp Brent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I9ZcpfSRW4

3) 101 Patchwork Projects: Pojagi Seam Technique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCVvCjTnuSI

4) Flat Felled Tutorial Seam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODoLrCTxp5o

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COLORS: The fabrics included in all the kits are warm neutral tones.

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These blocks are due at the May 26, 2022 meeting. Each block turned in at the meeting counts for one entry to win all the April blocks.