Checkerboard Pojagi

Korean gift wrapping cloth made by women to be used as a wrap for special gift and occasions.

used throughout the Choson dynasty by all economic classes, Pojagis had sub-categories based on the recipient of the gift, the giver, material used and decorating technique, with the upper classes commanding silk while lower classes using hemp or ramie. Their size varies as well from 12” for food covering to 10’ for bedding.

Traditionally made from remnants and discarded materials, Pojagis are artistic creations that are achieved through the combination of colours, the shape of the fragments and the stitch work. The fact that many of the surviving Pojagis are in good condition attest that they were treated as family heirlooms and not used very often.

This Pojagi incorporates small rectangles of figured silk into a grid design with a small tied ribbon at centre. It is backed with silk and the stitching of the borders is done with two different colour yarns in a meticulous counted stitch.