BOJAGI

The tradition of wrapping, carrying and covering everyday household objects has been practised in Korea for hundreds of years. The word bojagi means ‘wrapping cloth’, an anglicisation of the Korean word pojagi, with ‘po’ meaning cloth. There are many different types of bojagi, but perhaps the most recognisable to modern quilters is jogakbo (from jogak, meaning piece) which is improvisational in nature and made up of many and varying sizes of fabric pieces.

“The makers of the iconic [Gee’s bend] quilts were not trained artists. They lived free from outside influence, much like the women of the Choson Dynasty in Korea”
BOJAGI EXPERT, SARA COOK

Textile artist and author Sara Cook, in her fascinating book Bojagi: Design and Techniques in Korean Textile Art, wrote about the similarity of jogakbo to the recognisable quilts from the Gee’s Bend community in rural Alabama. As Sara observed, “the makers of these iconic quilts were not trained artists. They lived isolated lives free from outside influence, much like the women of the Choson Dynasty in Korea”.

JOURNEYS

 Sara’s first glimpse of