Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Christmas Tree Window Hanging

I've just finished a genuine Squirrel! Saw the project online, found the pattern maker, bought the pattern December 12 and finished it today, December 28! Getting a whole project done that quickly is not something I do often 😊  

Learning a modern version of Pojagi

In the rabbit hole that is the internet, I found Elizabeth DeCroos. She is an Island Batik Ambassador (which is how I found her). She also has developed some great project patterns and videos about using a modern version of pojagi to make what look like stained glass window hangings. They are absolutely stunning!

Finished Christmas Tree Window Hanging

After some research, I got pretty confused. The terms pojagi and jogakbo are sometimes used interchangeably. Pojagi is a traditional Korean wrapping cloth made from scraps of left-over fabrics. From the Victoria and Albert museum, it sounds like jogakbo is a patchwork pojagi. There were many websites and YouTube videos of some stunning examples of pojagi and jogakbo. I've included a few of these in Related links below.

I took a workshop last year that used translucent fabrics (silk organza) that are sewn by hand to make a light catcher. I never actually made one because the videos were available for a very short time and sewing silk organza by hand seemed beyond me at the time. 

When I found Elizabeth DeCroos' website and saw that she made pojagi using a sewing machine and batik fabric, I was totally intrigued. I bought her Christmas Tree Window Hanging pattern and actually chose my fabrics and started cutting them that same night. 

Fabric cut and half-square triangles made and pieced

I started by watching her Question and Answer video on YouTube, "Getting started making stained glass window hangings (all the FAQs)". This was very informative and gave me the confidence to jump right in. I then watched her "Modern Pojagi Simple Seam Tutorial". From there, I was able to start piecing the half-square triangles and the squares together. Once I had watched her video, I was then able to refer to her pattern to refresh my memory.

Attaching all of the squares together in rows

To attach the rows together, Elizabeth suggests using the "regular pojagi seam". I watched the tutorial and then was able to easily refer to her explanations on the pattern when I managed to forget what I had just done!😊


The finished Christmas Tree Window Hanging using 
modern pojagi simple seams and the regular pojagi seams

I would love to show you what it looks like with the sun streaming through it but it's been cloudy for the last two days. As soon as the sun peaks through, I'll take another picture and add it below!

Hanging in the window

Update: It took a while but here is an image of the Christmas Tree Window Hanging with sun coming through it. Isn't it a beauty?
The sun is shining! 


What I learned
  • This was an easy technique to learn. Elizabeth has other patterns that look more complicated but I really love the simplicity of these squares and half triangles.
  • When I first tried both of the pojagi seam techniques, I followed all of the steps. I used my ¼" ruler to check my seams throughout the whole process. However, after making a few seams, I was able to leave out all of the ironing. Batik holds its fold well and I didn't need to press the seam once I was used to the process.  
  • To make the regular pojagi seam, I used my walking foot for the last stitched part over all of the fabric. It worked wonderfully. 
  • In her first Q&A video, Elizabeth warns us to let go and have fun. The beauty of the work is in it's uniqueness and that perfection is not needed. She says that if we really must have all of the single and double stitched lines together, to have our seam rippers handy. She's totally right and it was great not to worry about these details. In the end, when the hanging is in the window, you don't see the seams. You just see the beauty of the fabrics.
  • Elizabeth also has instructions for the traditional hand stitch used in traditional pojagi. I will probably try that at some point.
  • When I did my research to write this post, I found some amazing art done with the jogakbo or pojagi technique. They are listed below in Related links. They are short and well worth looking at.
Related links
  • Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio
  • Great videos on YouTube of jogakbo, or patchwork pojagi art
    • Pojagi + Beyond: a wintersession course in Korean textiles (2008) YouTube
    • Making Bojagi with Artist Youngmin Lee on YouTube
    • Chunghie Lee: 'Pojagi and Beyond' at the 2009 Festival of Quilts, England YouTube
Linking parties
I'm linking up to Sandra's mmm quilts DrEAMi!

Project details


Christmas Tree Window Hanging
Pattern by Elizabeth DeCroos at Epida Studio
Size: 20" x 19½"
Materials: Batik fabrics
Techniques: Modern pojagi simple seam and Regular pojagi seam



14 comments:

  1. Ton pojagi est magnifique ! Il rend super bien avec ces tissus, belle transparence !

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    1. Merci beaucoup Frédérique. J'espère être capable d'en faire un autre un jour....quand je pourrai jouer tout le temps!
      Bises

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  2. What a fun holiday project! Even without full sun, you can see how luminous the fabrics are. Thank you for being a regular participant to the 15 minutes to stitch this year. Wishing you a very happy new year filled with lots of stitching time and new projects.

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    1. Thanks Kate. It took me way to long but I've just added a picture of the hanging with the sun coming through it. It really is spectacular. Thanks so much for hosting your 15 minutes to stitch party. I've just changed the image and I'm ready for 2022! Take care.

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  3. So pretty, even on a cloudy day! I've seen pojagi done in linen a lot in Japan, as a patchwork borrowed from Korea. Done with batik makes it so much more accessible.

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    1. Hi Nancy, linen would be wonderful. I just added a picture of it with the sun coming through it. It's pretty amazing what you can see the in batiks that you don't notice otherwise. Take care.

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  4. I love her work and your tree is amazing. Stopped by looking for linky party, yes I actually thought about it. Happy New Year

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    1. Hi Denise, it's always great to hear from you. I've been hiding out but am ready for 2022...finally! I'll see you on Thursday! Take care.

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  5. You made a beautiful Christmas Tree stained glass Pojagi (jogakbo), Andrée. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks you so much Ivani. Have a wonderful 2022!

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  6. I love this! I have had a book with window treatments for a long time, and this reminds me of one of them. I need to check it out someday. My list for next year is growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to enablers like you. HNY, Andree!

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    1. Hi Kathleen, yes we are all great cheerleaders and enablers. That's what makes blogging so much fun. Hope your 2022 is going well so far. Take care.

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  7. Thanks for linking up to TGIFF, too!

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  8. I absolutely love this Andrée! I love that you had a true DrEAMi as well, from seeing the squirrel, to buying the pattern to finished product! Batiks are perfect for this.

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Hi! I would love to hear from you and I will try to answer you. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a message. :-)