Furoshiki Wraps for Gifts & More
‘Tis the season of gift giving both in the US and of course, beyond. And with gifts comes the question – how will we wrap it? We used to tend towards newsprint, recommissioned paintings and drawings done by our little ones (because we simply can’t keep every work of art that’s been made!), and the classic brown paper packages tied up in string (or in our case, baker’s twine!) Recently, however, we’ve discovered furoshiki wrapping and are hooked! I think this year our packages will arrive tied up in beautiful fabrics – wouldn’t that be divine?! Furoshiki wrapping is a relatively simple skill to learn, but it can make for a most magical gifting – or even lunch-carrying – experience, indeed!
You Will Need
White flexible cotton or silk fabric
Fabric markers
A present to gift or lunch to carry
What To Do
Choose your fabric. Furoshiki’s were traditionally made out of silk or nylon because they are strong and easy to tie. Nowadays you can also find them made out of cotton or linen. Plain white playsilks, an old white bed sheet, or plain mulin works best for this project. Your fabric needs to be fairly big – at least 17” in both length and width. We used a playsilk and some fun doodle fabric from Ikea.
Cut your furoshiki. Furoshiki’s are square – usually between 17” to 24” – but really can be as large as you’d like! Cut your fabric to the size that you’d like it. To prevent your fabric from unraveling, you can use pinking shears or stitch a quick hem along the outside. We left our cotton fabric’s edge raw.
Decorate your fabric. If you have fabric markers and your fabric is light or white, let your little ones personalize their furoshikis with whatever colors and images they’d like. There is something especially fun about drawing on fabric, so this step may be the longest one (and that’s ok!) Our little ones also really enjoyed coloring in the doodle fabric. Ours is from Ikea, but any black and white fabric with outlined images will do. Keep coloring and doodling until everyone is satisfied with their work!
Time to fold! Now that your furoshiki has been cut and decorated, it’s time to wrap up your lunch! There are many different ways to fold a furoshiki, today we’re just going to be doing the basic tecnique. If you can tie a knot, then you can wrap a furoshiki! Ready? Let’s go!
How to tie a basic furoshiki wrap: Place your item in the center of your furoshiki. Grab two opposite ends of the fabric on the diagonal and tie a knot (you don’t have to strap it down hard to your lunch, just be sure the knot is secure). Tuck the ends in. Now grab the other two corners and tie them together, also tucking in the sides. To carry, simple grab your two knots and lift – easy!
Explore More & Make Connections
Did you decorate your furoshiki? Is there anything you can add? Would you like to make a second one that looks different somehow?
Furoshikis are used to carry more than just gifts and lunches – what else do you think a furoshiki could carry? How big would the furoshiki need to be? Work with your grown-up to find out the answers – you both may be really surprised!
Gifting with Furoshikis
Here are a few ideas for gifting with furoshikis:
– Wrap a few basic sewing supplies up in a beautiful fat quarter. You could include additional fat quarters inside your gift as well.
– Wrap a bottle of wine, box of cookies, or other yummy gift in a large linen furoshiki that can be used as a beautiful, natural tea towel or dishcloth by the receiver. Add a bit of red-and-white bakers twine and a sprig of greenery for an additional holiday touch!
– Wrap cufflinks, a tie clip, or other small gift for him in a pocket square furoshiki made of silk.
– Find some doodle fabric, leave it plain, and wrap up some fabric markers as a great gift for kids of all ages.
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