Wrapping Traditions opening night pictures

I couldn't wait to share these amazing photos I took of the Wrapping Traditions opening at MOCFA in San Francisco. I was blown away by the beauty of the textiles.

It was such an experience seeing so many stunningly well made bojagi at once. I will need to go back to get a closer look at a lot of these. Many were  handstitched with such tiny stitches you would need a magnifying glass to see them.

Korean Bojagi Story, 2010. Young-Ja Kim, Korea. Wool, handmade felt, 77 x 37 in.

I took a lot of photos for those of you on the east coast who can't make the show.

This was one of our favorites, perhaps the color or the design that drew us in. It had the most amazingly detailed stitching.

Blueprint, 2010. Jiseon Lee Isbara, USA
Hand stitched, dyed and inkjet printed, silk satin organza, 34.5 x 25 in.

I went with Zoe, my dear friend Neile and her daughter. The girls really seemed to enjoy the pieces. We even overheard them having a conversation about sewing at one point. Zoe enjoyed flying past the pieces to make them flutter.

Zoe standing between Jinja Kim Woollard's Bojagi Village and Karin Kunori's Discussion of Home.

Click here to see more photos of the show. And if you're interested in learning about Bojagi techniques, there's no better tutorial than the Silly Boodilly's here.

Wrapping Traditions : Korean Textiles Now at The Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco

Wrapping Traditions : Korean Textiles Now opens tomorrow at MOCFA in my very own city! I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to attend the opening of this show. As you know, I have fallen head over heels with Korean Bojagi in the past year. Bojagi is a traditional Korean handmade cloth used in formal ceremonies and for daily activities as seen here by local San Francisco fiber artist Barbara Shapiro's beautiful handmade baskets and wrappings. I've shared a few emails with Barbara over the past few weeks and am excited to finally see her work in person.

Wrapping Memory Installation, 2010 by Barbara Shapiro.

Plaited indigo dyed cane baskets, indigo dyed gauze. 5 to 7 forms, wrapped and unwrapped.

This show, curated by none other than the bojagi master, Chunghie Lee, features some traditional versions of the cloth as well as contemporary takes on the subject.

Harmony by Eun-Ji Lee. Silk, natural dyeing, 25.6in x 21.7in

There are many contemporary Korean artists as well as artists from ten other countries that are inspired by this traditional folk art. It looks as if these pieces have taken this medium in a wonderful new direction. I can't wait to see Sung Soon Lee's piece below in person. It will remind me to have a little bit more patience in my sewing practice!

Seon, 2010-11 by Sung Soon Lee.

Printing and drawing on Ramie, patchwork, 216.5in x 22in

I can't wait to see how this piece was assembled, simply stunning.

Matrix 0909 by Yeon-Soon Chang.

Abaca fiber, indigo dye, machine sewn, 13.4in x 13.2in x 5.3in

The opening is Thursday, June 16th from 6-8 pm at The Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco. The show runs from June  17th through October 23rd. If you're in town, perhaps I'll see you there.

Layers : Quilt experiments with scrim

My second quilt experiment is to use the same pattern as before but this time with a stunning greyblue wool scrim. I love how this looks with the light behind it. Photographing it was near impossible but you get the idea.

Pojagi Quilt experiment #2, 2010. 12"x16", wool scrim and embroidery thread.

I feel like I'm not quite there yet, still working out ideas but enjoying the process. This is what the piece looked like before I cut into it. I love how this fabric looks instantly old when sewn together.


Pojagi Quilt Experiment #2, 2010. 12"x16" wool scrim.

 I give The Silly Boodilly full credit for this Pojagi sewing technique. Her tutorial is the best out there if you ask me. Thanks, Victoria!