Welcome 2026! 새해 복 많이 받으세요!
 

As we step into a new year, may your 2026 bring you good health, happiness, and a meaningful practice of making.

I’ve been thinking about how—and why—time seems to go faster every year. My husband has a theory: when you experience many events, the year feels full, leaving you with a lot to remember. But when fewer things happen, there are fewer memories, which makes the year feel as if it passed too quickly.

In my opinion, though, when many things happen and you’re busy and stressed dealing with them all, time feels like it flies even faster.

My 2025 was filled with many journeys- traveling, meeting like-minded people, letting my sidekick Ellie go, losing my dad, and caring for my mom. Some of these experiences were planned and within control, but when life revealed its own path, I had to follow it and learn to be flexible.

To be honest, I am still grieving and finding it hard to return to my normal routine. As many of you have kindly reminded and comforted me, healing takes time. I know I need to be slow down and take care of myself. I believe the act of making will help me through this.

This month, I was given two big boxes of remnants from Christina Kim of dosa. Because the philosophy of bojagi- expecially jogakbo- is deeply rooted in recycling, reusing, and living a happy, meaningful life, I was thrilled to receive boxes of materials: fine fabrics in all different and unecpected sizes.
Some of you may remember when I filled the trunk of my car with linen remnants a few years ago, or when I brought my family's old hanbok after helping my mom clean out her closet. Each of these materials carries a story, and with one stitch at a time, they will become something meaningful again. I plan to offer a few community projects using these materials, and I hope you'll join me when I invite you to take part.

My January reading recommendation is "Same Bed Different Dreams" by Ed Park. 

I'm happy to announce that I will be one of the international organizers for the Chaedamjung Monthly Projects . Five projects from 2025 are still available, and twelve new projects for 2026 will be offered on a monthly basis.
I will travel to Korea In January and bring the kits with me, allowing the program to begin in February, 2026. Each month, 10-15 spots will be available, and registration will open through my monthly newsletter.

For each project, a material kit will be shipped to you, and a link to Chaedamjung's original instructional video (in Korean) will be provided. I will also host 1-2 hour Zoom session so we can work on the project together.
The cost is $60 per project, or $600 for 12 projects, including shipping (U.S. shipping only). Stay tuned!


February 2026 project: 삼베 바구니 (Sambe Baguni / Hemp Basket).
Zoom session: Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.
10 kits are available here.


With gratitude,
Youngmin
영민