Friday, July 18, 2014

Pojagi - Cover Cloth



Here is a simplified version of pojagi.  Per Wikipedia, pojagi or bo for short (also bojagi or bojaki) is defined as a traditional Korean wrapping cloth. Pojagi are square and can be made from a variety of materials, though silk is common. More commonly, a pojagi patchwork pattern would be comprised of small rectangle, triangle and square pieces of fabric pieced together to form a geometric design.  Besides silk, the fabrics of choice include ramie or hemp.  In the Korean tradition, pojagi are pieced together using tiny hand stitches; they may also be machine pieced, in which case a flat felled seam is appropriate. In any case, raw edges of each seam should be encased for a double-sided finish. Pojagi have many uses, including as gift wrapping, in weddings, and in Buddhist rites. Mine is a simple four-patch square, yellow and deep magenta, surrounded by a royal blue border, finished with a lime green tie.  I tried to use colors in keeping with a Korean color palette.  Made of 100% cotton, I will use this as a food covering cloth. If interested, simply search the word "pojagi" on the Internet, where there are articles and tutorials that can guide you.