SEOUL CRAFTING WORKSHOP
Make Your Own Personalized Hanbok Doll
Share lunch and a creative afternoon with a master dollmaker and a circle of Korean ajummas as you make your own miniature hanbok doll. Choose your doll’s skin tone, hair, hanbok colors, and style, then stitch it together under the guidance of a master dollmaker. Come for the craft and leave with a little piece of Korea made by you.
Duration
4 Hours
Language
Korean & English
Walking Difficulty
Easy
Ideal For
Older Teens & Adults
Meeting Point
Exit 2, Gwangnaru Subway Station, Seoul
Spend an afternoon crafting alongside Korean ajummas and learn the art of dollmaking from accomplished textile artist Ahn Kyung-eun. More than a craft workshop, this experience is a chance to meet local women, spend time together, and get a glimpse into the warmth, humor, and creativity of everyday Korean life.
We’ll start with lunch together before moving to the craft table, where the master dollmaker will introduce you to the process of making your own personalized fabric doll. You’ll choose the skin tone, select its hair, pick your fabrics and colors, and decide how you want to style its hair, face, and hanbok, from the color combinations down to its facial expression. Whether you make a miniature version of yourself or invent a character of your own is entirely up to you.
Then it’s time to pick up your needle and start making. Working from patterns and step-by-step instruction, you’ll cut, stitch, assemble, and gradually bring your little character to life. The ajummas will be crafting alongside you, so expect conversation, laughter, a little encouragement, and perhaps some (un)solicited life advice along the way.
Some basic experience with a needle and thread is recommended, but you don’t need to be an expert. This is about enjoying the process rather than racing to the finish. If your doll isn’t quite finished by the end of the workshop, you can take your project and materials with you and complete it at your own pace.
If you do finish, you’ll leave with your own handmade hanbok doll. You can use it as a purse pal or keychain, customized by you and ready to hang from your favorite bag.
Tour Highlights
- Lunch with the Ajummas: Start around the table with a Korean lunch and get to know the ajummas you’ll be crafting alongside.
- Choose Your Doll’s Look: Make your doll your own. Choose a skin tone and hair, then select the fabrics, colors, and style of hanbok you’d like your doll to wear.
- Learn & Stitch: Learn how the dolls are constructed from a master dollmaker, then work from provided patterns and step-by-step instruction to create your own. The ajummas will be crafting alongside you, with plenty of guidance and help as your doll takes shape.
- Finishing Up: Add the finishing touches and turn your miniature hanbok doll into a purse pal, ready to clip onto your bag. If you don’t finish during the workshop, you can take your doll and materials with you to complete at your own pace.
Inclusions
Exclusions
Meet the Master Dollmaker: Ahn Kyung-eun
Ahn is a renowned Korean artist known for her handcrafted fabric dolls. Working with natural textiles, her work brings familiar and nostalgic scenes from Korean life and tradition into miniature form. Her work has been exhibited in Korea and internationally, including solo exhibitions. In this workshop, you’ll learn directly from Ahn as she shares the techniques and craftmanship behind her distinctive dolls.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where do we meet?
Meet us at Exit 2 of Gwangnaru Station on the Seoul subway. Once everyone has arrived, we’ll walk together to the artist’s studio, located approximately 339 meters, or a 5-minute walk, from the station.
Do I need sewing experience?
Some basic experience using a needle and thread is recommended. However, you don’t need to be an experienced sewer, and the artist will guide you through the process step by step.
How much can I customize my doll?
Quite a lot! You can choose your doll’s skin tone, hair, face, and the colors and fabrics of its hanbok to create a doll that feels uniquely yours.
Will I finish my doll during the workshop?
Everyone works at a different pace, so finishing within the workshop isn’t guaranteed. If you don’t finish, you’ll be able to take your doll and the necessary materials with you to complete it at home.
Is lunch included? Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes, lunch is included. We’ll begin the experience by sharing a Korean lunch with the craft circle before heading to the table. Please let us know about any dietary restrictions or allergies when booking. We’ll do our best to accommodate them, although we may not be able to accommodate every requirement.
Is the workshop conducted in English?
The dollmaker and the ajummas in the craft circle primarily speak Korean, but Oong House host will be a licensed tour guide who will be there throughout the experience to interpret, explain the process, and help everyone communicate.
