Sophia's Bojagi

Sophia has a beautiful house and she wanted me to make bojagi for her dining table. She asked me to make two bojagi and it took me long time to design one of them. Sometimes designing process takes long time but I was glad that I finally finished it. 

소피아씨네 집은 참 현대적이면서 아름답습니다. 그댁 다이닝룸 테이블에 깔아 놓을 보자기제작을 의뢰받고 디자인하는데 꽤 오랜시간이 걸렸답니다. 색을 맞추고 모양을 고민하면서 여름과 가을이 다 가고 겨울이 되어서야 겨우 완성해서 한숨을 돌립니다.

First thing to do after I finish making new bojagi is- taking lots of pictures!

산고를 거친 보자기가 완성되면 사진을 찍는데 공을 또 들입니다!

When I deliver these bojagi to her, I wrapped them in bojagi shaped like a pouch. Bojagi in a bojagi.

Inside of these pouch shaped bojagi, I put bojagi runners. 

보자기를 소피아씨댁으로 배달할때 주머니모양의 보자기에 잘 싸서 갑니다.

I wished Sophia's happiness and good fortune throughout the bojagi making process. 

Just like women in old days in Korea wished the recipient's happiness and good fortune.  

보자기 제작과정 내내 받는이의 행복을 비는 옛날 한국여인들이나 현재의 제자신이나 다같이 복을 비는 마음이지요.

행복하세요~

Happy Lunar New Year! 양의해, 새해 복 많이 받으세요!

I forgot how many years that I've been participating this fun celebration. More than 10 years for sure but can't remember when was my first year.... One thing for sure, I had a great time again! Happy Lunar New Year! The year of Ram (or Sheep or Goat)! I was sitting next to the lady who came with her books and sign her book when people purchased them. Her name is Lee (actual name is Eleanor Herz Swent) and we had a great time talking each other. I got her book and this is going to be my next read. I will update you when I finish reading it.

Outside of the museum, there were many live events and this was one of them. Japanese taiko drum.

It surely was a fun day and Happy new year! 새해 복 많이 받으세요!

Lunar New Year's Day Celebration

Please come and join us to celebrate the Lunar New Year!
2/22/2015 at the Oakland Museum!

http://museumca.org/2015/lunar-new-year

Aloha! 알로하!

19 yards of fabrics and Korean cooking ingredients, these were packed in my luggage and I left home for Hawaii. Do you remember my friend, Carlene? She found me on internet and left a message in my voice mail when I went to Maui a few years ago. She was living in Hawaii and this is how our friendship started. We met each other in Santa Clara when she visited the Bay area and she introduced me to Peter Macuso, PIQF organizer. The next year, I started teaching bojagi workshops at PIQF! I saw her a couple more times when she visited the Bay area and I finally decided to visit her in Hawaii.
옷감 19마와 고추장, 고추가루, 떡볶이 떡, 마른 멸치, 다시마 등등의 식재료를 넣은 여행가방을 꾸려서 하와이로 향했습니다. Carlene을 기억하세요? 어느날 마우이에 여행을 와서 집에 전화 메세지를 확인하면서 인연이 닿은 하와이에 사는 제 친구입니다. 그후 베이지역으로 그녀가 왔을때 산타클라라의 퀼트쇼에 가서 처음 만나고 또 그녀의 도움으로 PIQF퀼트쇼에서 보자기를 가르치게 되었지요. 언젠가 하와이에 가서 그녀를 만나리라 생각하고 있다가 어느날 미루지말고 가자! 하는 마음으로 여행을 떠났습니다.
The day I arrived, I was amazed how beautiful her house is! And she hanged her art quilts almost every corner of her house. This is one of her beautiful works. Mosi(ramie) bojagi window hanging!
도착해서 그녀의 집에 들어선 순간 아름다운 집에 놀라고 또 멋진 그녀의 퀼트가 집안 구석구석을 채우고 있는것에 또한번 감탄을 했답니다! 물론 아름다운 모시 조각보 까지도요!

Next two days, Carlene and I were busy dyeing fabrics during the day and Korean cooking at nights.

As I mentioned, I washed 19 yards of fabrics at home and took them with me. I ended up dyeing 2 more yards of linen from Carlene's bolt. Solid colors with 2-3 different shades and fun ice dyeing were so much fun! 

그후 이틀간 낮에는 염색을, 밤에는 한국음식파티를 하느라 분주 분주 했답니다. 집에서 가져간 19마의 옷감외에도 리넨 두마를 더 얻어 단색부터 그라데이션 그리고 얼음염색까지 신나는 시간을 보냈지요!

This is Carlene, my dear friend and the wonderful teacher!

멋진 친구이자 염색선생님, Carlene입니다!

After the dye class, we quickly changed our mode to Korean cooking! I bought a couple of ingredients that Carlene couldn't get in the island and we took a trip to the local market in the morning for other ingredients. She invited some of her good neighbors and friends to participated in chopping and mixing ingredients. Everybody took a part of making dishes and we all ate together while enjoying each other's company.

염색을 다 마치고 얼른 요리와 손님맞이로 저녁을 시작합니다. 하와이서 구하기 힘든 고추장과 몇가지를 빼고는 대부분의 재료를 동네 가게에 가서 사왔지요. 그리고 Carlene의 친구들이 하나둘씩 도착하고 모두들 재료를 씻고 썰고 굽고 볶으며 분주한 시간을 보냈지요. 음식이 완성되고 둘러앉아 함께 먹으니 얼마나 즐거운지요!

It was wonderful to see my dear friend is happy with her good friends!

Next posting will be about the result of dyeing and bojagi class in lanai and more adventure. 

Stay Tuned! 

Aloha!

제 친구가 좋은 이웃과 친구들에 둘러싸여 있는걸 보니 참 좋습니다!

염색결과와 라나이에서 바다를 보며 하는 보자기 클래스 그리고 더많은 얘기들은 다음 포스팅에서 보시게 되겠습니다!

알로하!

Facebook Art Challenge

A few days ago, dear friend invited me to this fun activity. I've been seeing lots of art works from talented artists as a part of this lately. It is called Facebook Art Challenge. I was challenged to post 3 images of my work for 5 days, and to invite a new artist each day to do the same. I was nominated by Nancy Crasco who is a well known with her fiber art. I met her last year at Korea Bojagi Forum in Korea and I was very impressed by her beautiful but strong voiced art works. After the forum we spent a few more days together for Seoul tour and I found that she is warm hearted person. I feel fortunate to attend the forum and met so many wonderful artists and good friends. 

http://www.nancycrasco.com/nancycrasco/HOME.html

If you check my Facebook page, you can see my works and who I nominate to keep this fun challenge!

https://www.facebook.com/youngmin.lee.357

Happy sewing!

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Happy New Year! 새해 복 많이 받으세요!

I spent a last day of 2014 in San Francisco with my friend, Jack who is from Texas. We went to the Asian Art Museum and enjoyed our museum stroll, catching up and the bell ringing ceremony. The ceremony was lead by Buddhist monks and the museum guests had a chance to ring the bell to leave behind any negative experiences, wrong deeds and ill luck of the previous year. During the ceremony, I was thinking about the new year and wished for happiness and good fortune. 2014 was a wonderful year for me and I am grateful for many good memories. Hope I can have a same feeling at the end of 2015, too. And I wish you a happy new year!

2014년의 마지막 날을 멀리 Texas에서 온 친구, Jack과 함께 샌프란시스코의 아시안 아트 뮤지엄서 보냈습니다. 전시를 보면서 영감을 얻고, 밀린 얘기를 나누고 제야(밤은 아니었지만)의 종을 울리는 행사에 참여하였지요. 스님들의 인도하에 지난해의 부정적인 기억이나 잘못된 일들 그리고 불행을 다 뒤로하고 다가오는 새해의 행복과 건강을 기원하였답니다. 정말 바빴던 2014년은 제게 정말 뜻깊은 한해였습니다. 내년 이맘때에도 지금만큼만 감사하는 마음을 가질 수 있기를 그렇게 잘 살아가는 한해를 보내기를 간절히 기원합니다. 여러분도 모두 행복한 새해를 맞으세요!  

PIQF 2014

I was busy again cutting fabrics, printing instructions out and packing all the sewing materials! Yes, PIQF workshops were last week. I taught 3 all day workshops and a lecture about bojagi this year. Even though it's my second time teaching there I left home with lots of excitement! When I checked in, I met my wonderful roommate for next 4 days. Her name is Pat Delaney, very elegant lady who teaches beautiful quilt in Boston area. Here's her website. You can peek at her quilts which look elegant just like her. http://crabtreelane.com./index.html
제 작업실은 또다시 바쁘게 돌아갔습니다. 옷감을 자르고 만드는 법을 프린트하고 바느질 도구를 챙겨넣고... PIQF퍼시픽 인터내셔널 퀼트 페스티발이 돌아왔습니다! 이번에는 하루종일하는 워크샵 3개와 보자기에 관한 강연도 하나 맡았지요. 이번이 처음이 아니지만 그래도 설레고 흥분되는 건 어쩔수 없네요. 산타클라라 컨벤션센터에 도착하여 호텔에 첵크인하니 앞으로 4일간의 룸메이트가 먼저와 있네요. 그녀의 이름은 Pat Delaney, 보스톤 근교에서 퀼트를 가르치는 아주 우아한 그녀와 금방 친해졌습니다. 그녀의 이미지와 딱맞게 어울리는 퀼트를 한번 보세요. 

http://crabtreelane.com./gallery.html   

Petra brought me a booklet about bojagi exhibition in university of Nebraska Lincoln. She went to the exhibition in 2008 and fascinated by bojagi collections from Korea. Then she found my workshop about bojagi and came to my class. Thank you, Petra!

http://www.quiltstudy.org/exhibitions/online_exhibitions/pojagi/korean_quilts0.html

Petra는 2008년 네브라스카 대학에서 있었던 보자기 전시회 카타로그를 들고 왔습니다. 그때 보자기를 처음보고 인상이 깊었다가 제 워크샵광고를 보고는 달려왔다고 해요. 찾아주어서 고마워요!

The first night was a preview night and it's not as busy as other days so I was able to take a look at the show. Once the workshops started, time goes very fast! I love meeting people and share bojagi and Korean culture that was wrapped in bojagi. 

첫날저녁은 비교적 한가한 분위기에서 퀼트쇼를 둘러볼 수 있어서 좋지요. 그후 정신없이 사흘이 지나갔습니다. 워크샵이 시작되면 새로운 사람들을 만나고 보자기와 그안에 담긴 아름다운 전통과 문화를 나누고.... 그렇게 쏜살같이 시간이 지나가지요. 

This year I had a lecture that I can talk about bojagi. The last day of the workshops was a bit challenge. I had to wrap up the class, set my PowerPoint slide show and change into hanbok in 30 minutes.... But once I started my talk, I was able to find my anxiety calms down and enjoy myself talking about my passion.

올해는 마지막날에 강연까지 하나 하느라 더 바빴답니다. 워크샵을 마무리하고 파워포인트 슬라이드 쇼를 설치하고 한복으로 갈아입고..... 이모든걸 30분안에 하느라 진땀을 흘렸네요.  그래도 하고 싶은 얘기를 한시간쯤 하고 보자기를 펼쳐내어 또 질문을 받고 대답하다보니 마음이 점점 푸근해져오는 걸 느꼈습니다.

Now I am wrapping another story up and looking forward to my next adventure.

지난 이야기를 보자기에 소중히 싸서 간직하면서 또 앞으로 어떤 모험이 나를 기다릴지 기대합니다!