A Look at Korea with Bojagi and Food

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This week I thought we would look at Korea through a craft and food. So far this month we have looked at China and Vietnam. We will also begin looking a Japan but I will continue the Japan resources into June with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo coming up in July! So today we look at Korea. Now over the years we have explored Korea with books, stories, crafts and food. We even have looked at the Korean language. Now I have had Korean Patchwork Quilting by Choi Yangsook sitting on my shelf for awhile. I have been meaning to share it for Crafty Sundays but haven't gotten around to it because I am fascinated with discovering bojagi. I have not tried any of the projects yet but plan to. Then when I was looking for something to make for dinner tonight with ground beef, I found this recipe for Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls. I figured it was the day to share the book and look at Korea! First here is our Korean Ground Beef and Rice dinner. My family LOVED it!! I only used half the red pepper because we don't like too much heat. 

Now onto bojagi. Bojagi is the name given to Korean textiles. The word can be translated to covering cloth. They often are square but not always. They are typically made with silk, ramie (linen), and hemp. They are made to wrap and store things in the home as well as for religious ceremonies like marriages. They have also been used to divide rooms. (Additional source: Bojagi)

Korean Patchwork Quilting introduces us to bojagi. I had never heard of before looking at this book. She begins with an introduction as well as a bit of history of bojagi. 

Next she shares about tools, materials and then about the stitches and techniques that will be required for the projects in the book. There are a total of 37 projects and they are modernized bojagi style projects. 

Now I find the projects beautiful. Looking at them gives you a bit more of an idea of what bojagi is. 

I have looked at the instructions for the stitches as well as the projects and find them very well written and easy to follow. Choi wrote this book for beginners as well as advanced sewers and bojagi creators. It is her second book and she seems to love sharing this beautiful artform.

The projects vary in size. There are the bigger ones like the one above that could be used as a room divider. There are also smaller ones like the food covers and the wraps. I think I may try one of the wraps.

I love how she uses the traditional Korean names for the projects and shares a bit about the typical uses of bojagi.

The project above is another one that really intrigues me. I love the flowers and looking at it the shape is actually made with a special stitch. How neat is that? I may have to try one of these as well. 

Bojagi is traditionally hand stitched. Choi does provide some instructions for machine stitching as well though. The projects are just beautiful. She makes amazing choices with color and fabrics as well. I may have to order some more silks to play around with. I love the idea of the food covers and how they have handles. 

I would love to see bojagi in a traditional Korean household. Imagine the sheets wrapped in bojagi in the closet. The dishes wrapped and food covered. It sounds so beautiful. I hope you will check out the book and learn and try some bojagi as well!