Furoshiki: Traditional Japanese wrapping, and green, too

by Ilona Peltz, Posted Jul 11th 2008 9:00AM

Filed Under: Gifts and Registries, Culture Clash, Green Weddings

A beautiful and practical way to wrap a gift within a gift! Furoshiki are simply pieces of fabric, slightly more rectangle than square, generally with a pattern on each side. They come in any number of sizes, depending on their use -- which can be anything from carrying home some groceries to elegant wrapping for a wedding gift. In fact, we've written about the idea of wrapping gifts in fabric before, but we didn't know we were tapping into an old Japanese tradition that's coming to life again in these waste-conscious days.

Furoshiki: Elegant Japanese fabric wrap (photo gallery)

The most common fabric is cotton, but anything can be used so long as it can hold a knot. If you're interested in making your own, there's a good set of instructions to be found here, and if you have something you'd like to wrap but don't know quite how, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment has put out an instruction sheet with any number of varieties of furoshiki wraps. You can wrap a couple of books, a bottle or two of wine, you can knot it into a shoulder bag in seconds, and even lug home a watermelon! If you were wondering how to wrap those sheets you've bought for the happy couple? Why not make the sheets the wrapping? You can find a very clever double-furoshiki variant here, perfect for wrapping two or three small and delicate items together.

Imagine a luscious silk scarf luxuriously knotted around that antique silver tray the bride was craving. There are quite a few very good pictures to be found on this site. When you're looking to wrap that wedding gift, consider furoshiki. It's stylish, it's elegant, and there's no waste at all!

via: DIY Life

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Tags: furoshiki, Japan, Japanese, recycle, reuse, scarf, wrap, wrapping, wrapping-cloth

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8-22-2008 @12:22PM

KATE KELLEY said...

If you are interested in learning more about the ancient art of the Furoshiki you NEED to stop by my website, www.furoshikibynara.com where I am starting a business based around its use. The furoshiki is an ancient practice that can be used today in so many ways and is a very green product. My goal is to show our culture how great this item can be!
www.furoshikibynara.com