Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Pojagi Machine Stitch Seam Tutorials

In hoping that some of you may want to explore pojagi style patchwork as well, I thought it would be helpful to post tutorials on the two types of seams that I have been using in creating my pojagi pieces.

I've broken with tradition and have chosen to machine stitch these panels, but remember, pojagi is traditionally done by hand, so feel free to use these methods with hand stitching, too!

The first tutorial is how I made the seams on my previous panel shown in the post below. The second tutorial is what I used on my most recent panel, shown in the post above.

(It probably would have been much more helpful had I used two different colors of fabric... sorry about that!)


Tutorial #1:

Note: This is a non-traditional method, but it offers a unique way of creating seams and in my opinion, has a more utilitarian/work-cloth look and feel. It has fewer steps then the second approach, but is actually a bit more time consuming to do.



1. Place 2 pieces of fabric, right sides together, lining up the top edges. Sew a 1/2" seam allowance.


2. Press seam allowance open.


3. Fold both raw edges of seam allowance in and under. Press flat with a hot iron.


4. Stitch both folded edges of seam allowance down. (I used a zig zag stitch, but you can use a blanket stitch, or a straight stitch... or what ever rocks your boat!)


This is what it looks like on the other side. (Technically this would be the "right' side.)


Tutorial #2:

Note: This method goes faster the the first method and offers a more traditional pogaji look. I adapted it from a tutorial that I found on mairuru. You can see her hand stitched version here



1. Position 2 pieces of fabric, right sides together, with the bottom fabric raised 3/8" higher then the top fabric.


2. Using the top edge of the top fabric as a guide, sew a 1/4" seam allowance.


3. Fold extended edge of bottom fabric over the top fabric, lining up the fabric edge to the stitched seam. Press with a hot iron.


4. Flip the top fabric upwards, so it is now on top of the folded seam allowance. Press flat.


5. Flip the 2 fabrics over and you will see your stitched line and the folded flap of the seam allowance.


6. Staying as close to the folded edge as possible, stitch the seam allowance down. You have now completed one seam. As you can see, there are two stitched lines on this side...


... and one stitched line on the other side. (Technically this would be the "right" side.)

Hope this makes sense!

40 comments:

Eliza said...

Thank you. I plan to make one of these soon.

Michelle Engel Bencsko said...

Ah! Very helpful! I hope to have the opportunity to use this technique some day.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Tong said...

thank you so much for the tutorial, i will definitely give this a try!!

Carol said...

Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial - your work is such an inspiration. I hope to try this someday.

Rossie said...

awesome! thanks for sharing!

Sarah said...

Thank-you so much for sharing these techniques. After I saw your first post on pojagi I tried to find instructions on the net, but didn't have much luck. Cheers!

dutchcomfort said...

That’s wonderful Victoria! Thanks so much for the clear tutorial and for sharing about this new to me technique!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the tutorial - I had been figuring out how it was done

Abby and Stephanie said...

This looks like it would be fun to play with a little piece. Thank you for sharing.

Molly said...

Thank you!! I was hoping you'd do a tutorial! I'm making on of these the second the temperature here goes below 95 degrees. I have an odd window in my hall that needs some interesting detail. Perfect!

PioneerValleyGirl said...

Thanks! I really like this effect and am going to have to experiment sometime.

Allie said...

Thanks for this tutorial - I love this look and would love to try it!

Darcy said...

Thanks so much - I LOVE seeing how you did these beautiful pieces!

sweetypie said...

thankyou for the tutorial, I will have a go at that, its lovely

Fer said...

Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing!

Hey Harriet said...

This is so nice of you to share this info!

raquel said...

love

Walden said...

Very nifty!! Thanks for the tutorials.

Margo said...

completely helpful! Thank you for a tutorial. Your work was so gorgeous, I was hoping to learn the technique!
We have been wanting a stained glass window for our old Victorian house, but it's just out of our price range. HOWEVER, with this technique, I might forge ahead. Your blog/art is very inspiring to me.

teaginny said...

I have been trying to figure out pojagi seams for a long time, so THANK YOU.

Jackie said...

Thanks for this helpful tutorial. I think the second version might be what my sewing teacher at school called a 'run and fell' seam. We had to make one and mine wasn't so good but I understand this perfectly.

Dorothy in Oz said...

Hi, there is an even easier way to sew these seams - using a felling foot. See http://www.scribd.com/doc/31135521/How-to-Sew-a-Felled-Seam-with-your-felling-foot Most antique and vintage machines have these feet.

Victoria said...

Thanks so much for the link, I will check that out!

Annie said...

The seam in the second tutorial is called a "flat-felled seam" and is used in garment making. I probably learned it in Home Ec. class over 50 years ago!

Anonymous said...

I have been trying to find out how to make pojagi and I am so pleased to have discovered your blog. Thank you very much for your generosity in showing how to piece the fabric together and giving links.

Patty said...

I posted a link to this tutorial on my blog and made a linen scarf using
your fine instruction. Thank you for
being so generous!

Rachel at Stitched in Color said...

Oh, that's neat! Someone recommended this method after seeing my curtains. I really like the effect and it's so doable. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Cool, thank you! Seems like a variation of French seams, which I love using :)

Anonymous said...

Very clear, thank you! I'll try now

Katzenoma said...

Thanks for the great tutorial! It took me a while to get the seams as neat as I wanted them, but now I finished a little project for my mother's birthday and I am very satisfied with it :)

Cat said...

16 months later... I tried your tutorial #2 and love the effect. I'd not made flat-felled seams before, and this method worked great. Thanks for the instructions.

Anonymous said...

What you did in tutorial # 2 was "flat fell the seam". There's a special foot that does this automatically. I like the way the overlapped seams look so dark. I've been trying to figure this out for some time, so simple yet it escaped me. Thanks

Allyce Silva said...

Thank you for both tutorials. I was searching for a machine way to create Bojagi-inspired textile panels and yours answered my questions.

Anonymous said...

Thank you a lot from FRANCE for your very easy to understand tutorials.
I think I will try soon!
Thanks again.

kimmiebee said...

Thanks so much for these tutorials! I'm completely captivated and can't wait to start!! So beautiful and smart too!

Unknown said...

A great method for working with sheer fabrics

Unknown said...

A great method for working with sheer fabrics

RZ said...

Beautiful

Terry said...


My grand daughter is going to make one of these quilts. Her sister and husband are adopting a little girl from South Korea soon and she thinks it worth a try. She is a new quilter but an Art designer . How do you decide on the amount of material to buy? She has little stash. Love the looks of the original ones the Korean women make, what material do they use?

Unknown said...


thank you for this tutorial. I can understand it and the pictures are clear. (Some tutorials are very difficult to understand.)