February 2021 Newsletter Default Category

Lunar New Year is coming!
설날이 다가옵니다!
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Children's 버선, Beoseon were quilted, embroidered, and decorated with tassels. 
I blinked and January was gone!

I spent most of my January planning and preparing for upcoming classes. I miss those times that I could meet people in person and share my passion, but meeting online is an unexpected yet satisfying way of communicating. So I can't complain! I will keep trying hard to find better ways to share my love with you.  I also enjoy learning and practicing new things that I always wanted to try. My naturally dyed fabric stash gets bigger, and hanbok (Korean dress) construction study has a little progress. 
I started to making miniature hanbok with fabrics and hanji (mulberry paper). I will share my progress next month. My goal is to offer hanbok construction class sometime!

Lunar New Year's Day is February 12 this year. I will prepare foods for family rituals and celebrate the new year of the ox.
I wish you all have a happy, healthy, prosperous year! 

Double happiness with oQamoQa project has good news! We will exhibit our work in Hanok in Bukcheon in Seoul. The dates are from June 1-13, 2021. The city of Seoul owns several hanok in Bukcheon, a traditional hanok area, and encourage artists and groups to exhibit. Seong ok, oqamoqa's creator, applied our project and we got 2 weeks of the exhibit time!
Please check and follow our progress on Instagram #doublehappinesswith oqamoqa


Korea Textile Tour 2021 is still up in the air but my list of planned visits to Korea is getting longer. I hope I can resume and take off with my dear companions. Let's get the vaccine and wear a mask! Wait-list is available so please let me know if you are interested in future tours.

Things Korean 
The month's Korean thing is Beoseon, 버선 (Korean traditional socks). Beoseon has an elegant curve from the instep of the foot to the toe. The pointed toe is a very distinctive characteristic. Both men and women wore plain white beoseon. There are single-layered ones, double-layered ones, and quilted ones. Children's beoseon are quilted, embroidered, and tied with a tie. Beoseon are usually very tightly made and it takes effort to wear but make feet look very pretty. Traditionally, beoseon-clad feet were said to look like cucumbers!


 

 

Saeksilnubi, Korean quilting technique that uses mulberry paper twine as a batting.

This class was filled in two days! So I offered another one and filled in two days again.
I will offer another class soon. So if you want to sign up for this class, email me. I will put you on my wait-list.
Ssamsol jogakbo (patchworked bojagi) also is full now. So if you want to sign up for this class, email me.  I will put you on my wait-list.
New Class! Golmu, 골무 (thimble) is one of the seven friends of a lady in old days in Korea (규중칠우).

I think this tiny friend can help our sewing more enjoyable. Would you like to make one with me?

I will teach a class on Saturday, March 13 at 10 am PST. Sign up here
The online instructional videos are now available, here!

The purchase will give you access to all 12 videos from the DVD, which you can watch as many times as you need. English and Spanish subtitled! 

Your purchase also gets you access to a one-hour Zoom Q&A session – on Saturday, February 27, at 1 pm PST . 

You can still purchase the physical copy of the DVD 
here.

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January 2021 Newsletter Default Category

Saehae Bok Mani Badeuseyo!
새해 복 많이 받으세요!

 
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Students' work from Zoom classes and kits during 2020.
Happy New Year!

We've been through this difficult year all together, and I really hope for a better year in 2021. 
Creativity and the act of making helped me to stay strong and healthy. Thank you so much for hanging out and sewing with me! I was able to learn a few things I never tried, and a couple more things that I want to try in 2021.  

One autumn afternoon in 2018, I had a chance to visit the oQamoQa studio in Seoul, South Korea. I visited the studio with my dear friend and we all had a magical time while we talked about creativity and how the act of tearing paper and gluing them together soothes the soul. 
One year later, I visited her studio again with a group of women that I was traveling with. We all wore very colorful aprons and sat around a big table and started tearing colorful papers. Seung ok, the founder of oQamoQa, told us to feel free to tear, arrange, and glue to make whatever your heart desires. Everybody in the room had such a pleasant time! We talked and laughed like children. We all left the studio with our own colorful work and Sungok sent unique patterns based on each person’s creation. 

oQamoQa’s unique patterns are printed on fabrics and they turn into well-designed products such as tote bags, sitting cushions, skirts, dresses, and robes. Their colors are whimsical and I definitely could feel the positive energy from them. 
When oQamoQa’s Seong ok asked about a collaboration project, I thought about how her way of seeking happiness and mine are not too different. This is how this ‘Double Happiness Project’ was born. 6 artists in 5 countries are participating in this project and we hashtag our progress on Instagram as #doublehappinesswithoqamoqa
Please keep up with our progress by visiting the hashtag.

Korea Textile Tour 2021 is still up in the air but my list of planned visits to Korea is getting longer. I hope I can resume and take off with my dear companions. Please be well and safe!

In 2021, I will introduce 'Things Korean' every month. I got this title from Lee O-Young's same name book but I chose things in my order and preference. 
The first one is  Bok Jumeoni, 복주머니.

Since traditional Korean clothes don’t have pockets, Korean people carried Jumeoni to carry their personal belongings. Jumeoni is a drawstring pouch made from fabrics, paper or leather. There are many kinds of pouches, with different shapes, materials, and usage. Durujumeoni is round-shape and gwijumeoni is an angular shape that resembles ears.
Many jumeoni were decorated with gold leaf or embroidery of auspicious symbols such as prosperity and longevity. Bokjumeoni literally means a jumeoni that carries bok ( good fortune or prosperity). They are made, stuffed with grains, and given to children on New Year's Day.



 

 

Bok Jumeoni class on Saturday, January 16, 2021, is full!
Saeksilnubi, Korean quilting technique that uses mulberry paper twine as a batting.

I will be teaching a Zoom class about this technique on Saturday, February 6 from 10 am -12 pm.
Sign up here.
Let's make ssamsol jogakbo (patchworked bojagi) together!
A two-class series over Zoom.
Meets on Saturday, February 13 and February 27.
Sign up here.
The online instructional videos are now available, here!

The purchase will give you access to all 12 videos from the DVD, which you can watch as many times as you need. English and Spanish subtitled! 

Your purchase also gets you access to a one-hour Zoom Q&A session – 10 am PDT on Saturday, January 30. 

You can still purchase the physical copy of the DVD 
here.


 

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December 2020 Newsletter Default Category

Winter greetings from California
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 Jogakbo garment that I made is enjoying November sun in my garden

So here we are and the winter is approaching! It's been long since we gathered together and share our passion in person. And we don't know how much longer we need to wait. However, the weather is changing and the colors are changing. Thank you very much for staying well and keep exchanging positive energy! I wish for a better and safer time in 2021.

I will be teaching a Zoom 'Flower Pincushion class' with A Verb For Keeping Warm on Saturday, December 5,10 am -2pm. Sign up here.
Bojagi online video Q& A session will be on Saturday, December 19, 10 am PST 


Korea Textile Tour 2020 has been postponed to 2021. The waitlist is available. I really hope I can resume and take off with my dear companions. Please be well and safe!

 

Danpatjuk (단팥죽) 
I love red beans. Red bean pastry, red bean porridge, and red bean shaved ice can easily make me happy. There are two types of patjuk (red bean porridge). One is savory and the other is sweet kind. A small bowl of danpatjuk (단팥죽, sweet red bean porridge) brings my memory from my childhood. My mom made me sweet kind as a special treat. 
Traditionally Koreans eat savory patjuk on the winter solstice. Dongji (동지, winter solstice) has the longest night of the year and it is considered the day with negative energy. To repel the negative energy of the day, Koreans made red bean porridge which has positive energy. The color red is symbolized as positive energy.
Inside of patjuk, you can find saesalsim (새알심, 'bird- egg' rice balls), made with sweet rice flour. I still remember my mom said, " Eat saealsim so you can get a year older" Eating 8 or 9 saealsim was fun but I don't think I can eat 50+ of them nowadays. I will just eat 5!

Here's how to make Danpatjuk (sweet version)

Danpatjuk, 단팥죽

1 cup red bean (팥)
1 TBS sweet rice flour (찹쌀가루)
4 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
Pinenut and cinnamon powder

Saealsim, 새알심
3 TSP sweet rice flour (찹쌀가루)
1 TSP hot water
Pinch of salt

In a bowl, put sweet rice flour and salt.
Add hot water 1 TSP at a time and knead well and make small balls (1/2 inch )

Wash red bean and boil with 2 cups of water for 5 min. and drain water.
Add red bean, freshwater ( 4 cups) and boil for 1 hour- add more water ( 4 cups) as boil red beans.
Puree red beans and liquid, add sugar and sweet rice flour. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Stir well while simmering it. 
Add saealsim into patjuk.
Cook a few more minutes until saealsim float to the surface.
Garnish with jat (잣, pine nuts) and cinnamon powder. Enjoy!

 

'Cupcake Pincushion' is featured in Making Gift 2 issue.
I made a Youtube tutorial video for this project. You can learn how to make 박쥐 (bakjwi).
The video is Here 

2021 Making subscription is here.
I printed my own bojagi pattern in two types of cotton fabrics.  I have a small amount that you can purchase. If you want to make something out of these, please email me.
 
Saturday, January 16, 2021, I will be teaching this Bok Jumeoni class. 2-hour Zoom with a pre-recorded video link will be sent before the class.
Sign up here

 
The online instructional videos from my DVD are now available, here!
The purchase will give you access to all 12 videos from the DVD, which you can watch as many times as you need. English and Spanish subtitled! 
Your purchase also gets you access to a one hour Zoom Q&A session – 10am PDT on Saturday, December 19. 
You can still purchase the physical copy of DVD 
here.


 

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