Korean Patchwork Quilting

August 17, 2020
Choi, an embroidery teacher and artist, introduces the Korean art of bojagi in this beautiful and practical volume. The style began, she explains, as a way to recycle bits of fabric into cloth in which food or valuables could be wrapped. Since its 15th-century introduction, bojagi has developed into a textile art whose completed pieces suggest an oil painting or stained-glass window transferred to silk or gauze. Choi turns these lightweight fabrics into patchwork with a distinctive window pane look, while stressing bojagi’s cultural associations with good fortune and historical significance as a traditional craft of Korean women. Readers will find the designs pleasing, but the detailed instructions (which include intricate diagrams) and final products will likely come across as more intimidating than Choi, who says the projects are for novices as well as experts, might realize. Among the projects are home decorations such as café curtains; coverings for “foodstuffs and furniture”; place mats and runners for tables; and wraps, including a sewing case. She also adds special projects in the nubi style, the “Korean equivalent of quilting,” and machine-stitched designs, in addition to the traditional hand-stitched bojagi designs. Crafters up for a new challenge will find this hits the spot.

November 1, 2020
Bojagi, a traditional Korean wrapping cloth made from leftover scraps of fabric, forms the inspiration for these patchwork quilting projects. Introduced with a detailed cultural history of this tradition and its many variations, these projects range from purpose-made objects to works of art. Many are made using silk in a single layer for an effect akin to stained glass, while others use durable ramie for objects like sewing notions. With detailed instructions and step-by-step tutorial-style photographs, these patterns will appeal to those just learning as well as those honing an existing skill set. Readers will learn not only a variety of effects and uses for different forms of bojagi, but also multiple ways of seaming and other techniques that will serve them in other projects. Extremely detailed diagrams are included for each project, and measurements are provided in both metric and imperial. The level of detail included is exceptional, and readers willing to dive into that detail will appreciate learning from an expert artisan.

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