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Colours, colours and more colours! I am truly inspired by Korean quilts, particularly their colours. There is no place on earth I have been to that has given me such a colour feast.

When I first accepted the invitation to be a guest artist at the Seoul International Quilt Festival, to display my quilts and demonstrate my quilting and applique techniques, I did not know what to expect.

No colour is discriminated against in Korea. Colours characterise everyday life in Korea. Form food to clothing – red, green, orange, yellow, brown and every shade of pink and blue – to say that every colour and every hue of a rainbow is used is certainly no exaggeration. It is simply beyond words to describe how unusual colours are harmonised together; you just have to see it to believe it.

Vivid, vibrant colours are everywhere: from colourful sticky rice cakes to beautifully vibrant Korean traditional dresses. I found the multicoloured city superbly invigorating and my trip to the famous textile wholesale Market, Tong-Ta-Mong Market, simply reinforces this. Two-storey high buildings full of vendor shops filled with textiles and materials line both sides of a street, not to mention tailers specialling in Korean costumes for all occasions. In the middle of the street is a line of eateries with a variety of Korean food, again, in all sorts of shapes and colours with a mix of fragrances meandering… indulging all your senses all at once!

The Seoul International Quilt Festival is an annual event showcasing the outstanding works of Korean quilters. This two-year-old annual quilt festival of some 600 quilts is a grand parade of the works of the best and most skilled quilters in Korea. From traditional to contemporary, by hand and by machine, the enthusiasm and zest exemplified by these quilters clearly distinguishes Korean culture and skills. These inspiring quilts have truly set the world quilt making stage for an exciti9ng showcase.

Overall, the quilts I saw were refreshingly new and innovative, incorporating both conventionality and originality. Many quilts translate their makers’ contemporary interpretation of Korea’s unique traditions.

There I met quilting sisters, Mi Kyung and Mi Sun. Their quilts are examples of drawing inspiration from traditional everyday life in Korea. So Many Nights, made by Mi-Kyung, harmonises the colours of spring, using pastel preens, blues, yellows and browns and pares with pictures made by these colours with geometric patterned background consisting of creams and other earth tones. This quilt depicts many different types of lanterns and lights, each comprising commendable details through the applique. It further emphasises traditional shapes and patterns and juxtaposes it with new ideas, creating a pastiche between the conventional and the new and fresh. It is elegant in its simplicity yet encompasses many intricacies and a great deal of sophistication.

I was also impressed by the quilts of Jin Yuan Shan. Her quilts use such vibrant colours. She is a Korean Chinese and mixes her Korean traditions with Chinese colours – quite a stand out amongst the Bozaki inspired quilts. As well, her hand work is divine! All her ‘English piecing’ was done from the front, so her very fine hairy stitches add a unique depth to the quilts’ finish. Simply inspiring. I cam home and tried the technique and found it was not easy!

 Always wanting to experience other cultures, I rounded up my trip with dinner at one of the eateries serving traditional Korean food. A big lesson I learned is to not dive into any red dish without careful inspection. They are not just beautiful, they bite.

There was also plenty of shopping, of course. With the exchange rate at one Australian dollar against 1000 Korean won, everything sounds affordable. Korean silk wholesale is only $4 per metre, so it is understandable that I couldn’t help but make a little collection. The distance between Seoul and Tokyo is only the distance between Sydney and Melbourne. So when you visit Japan, don’t forget to drop over to Korea for a little indulgence. You won’t regret it.

First published on Issue #30, Australian Quilters Companion

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 3:55 am and is filed under My Travel Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.