Furoshiki

I've been doing a lot of crafts lately, especially fabric-related things, it seems -- don't worry, we're still eating.  I've been in a bit of a slump, cooking-wise, it seems, and anyway the weather has been so dreary for the past few weeks that photographing it would be next-to-impossible.  ("No, honey, you can't eat it yet.  I'm waiting for the sun to come out.")  So I spare you.

This morning I made a furoshiki, the Japanese cloth wrap originally used to carry bundles, tie up clothes, and whatnot, now used mainly as a way to wrap gifts.  I like these because not only are they beautiful and unusual, but they are also environmentally sound, being eminently reusable -- I have one that I've been using for, oh, about twenty years now.  And what better for a handmade gift than a handmade wrap?

This fabric is a beautiful dahlia print by Kaffe Fassett called "Floating Flowers".  I must not run in the right circles, as I'd never seen a Fassett fabric in person before this, despite years of mooning over them in print! but this caught my eye at the quilting store, and I had to laugh when I saw it was from himself.  My local quilting store is obviously coming up in the world!

The furoshiki can be made in pretty much any size to suit the particular gift, although different folding methods can be used to adapt a large cloth to a small package.  You can also make it reversible, of course, although care should be taken that the finished cloth is not too stiff to tie.  Really, the only requirement is that the furoshiki be square.  The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has drawn up a useful guide of various ways of tying the furoshiki.

 

Furoshiki (Wrapping Cloth)

1 yard of fabric, for a cloth approximately 35 inches square

Launder and press the fabric according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Trim it into a square.

Fold the edges under 1/4 inch to the wrong side, and press.  Fold under again another 1/4 inch, and press.

To miter the corners, unfold the edges and trim off the corners diagonally across the second fold lines.  Fold this new edge diagonally 1/4 inch, and press.  Refold the straight edges and press again to form the miter.

Top-stitch the folded edges into place.

To make a basic wrapping, lay out the furoshiki right-side down with the corners to the four points of the compass.  If the furoshiki has an especially handsome design in one corner, orient that corner towards the north.  Place the gift in the center, slightly towards the south (you may need to adjust the placement according to the size of the item being wrapped).  Fold the south corner over the gift, tucking it in if necessary.  Fold the north corner so that it overhangs the gift.  Fold over the east and west corners, and tie them together in a square knot.

For a four-tie wrapping, fold over the east and west corners, and tie them together in a square knot.  Fold over the north and south corners, and tie them together in another square knot on top of the first one.

Comments

[Fer]

This is a great thing to know. I love wrapping food in fabric. Thanks!

[jennifer.]

Thank you! I've been trying to figure out a good reusable wrapping. For smaller things, it could be a cloth napkin later. Bigger things.. My girls would use the cloth as a baby doll blanket.

[Zoe]

I agree it is great to trash the trash and use fabrics for wrapping. Has anyone seen a Korean Pojabi?

[Jeanne]

PS, after doing a bit of online research, I find that there is a short intro to pojagi/bojaki/bojagi (the transliteration from Korean to English allows a number of variations) here:

http://www.notsoswift.com/knitting/archives/001843.html

with a longer article here:

http://www.korea.net/korea/kor_loca.asp?code=H080406

[knit, crochet, stitch, stick]

FANTASTIC! The link to the japanese enviroment site is great. This is great... cant wait to start. Better go hunt down some good fabric for the task

[Titus]

Hey, thanks for posting this. I brought out my Mom's old sewing machine and have now learned how to mitre corners! I've been using up this West African yardage I've had on hand for the longest time and made several so far.

I read in a Japanese magazine that furoshiki can be used to make clutter you can't bear to part with prettier to look at, especially if the different clutter piles are wrapped in furoshiki that are matching, or harmonious. This clutter beautification project gets me very excited to sew up furoshiki!

Thanks for introducing me to Kaffe Fassett as well--his things look very colorful. I've been having great fun learning the different ways to tie these furoshiki up. I went to a mostly Japanese thrift/consignment place yesterday and notice their furoshiki have no mitred corners, and have selvage on two sides, so your way of doing it is definitely higher quality.

I'm really happy I wasn't satisfied with just the first few pages of "furoshiki" google results and that I kept going until I found your page with the details and pics. It really got me going nicely.

[Rachel R.]

Oooh, thank you for the instructions on mitering corners. I have been wanting to make some cloth napkins for a while, but keep putting it off because I couldn't remember how to do the corners neatly. This is exactly what I needed! I am looking forward to making some napkins AND furoshiki in the coming year. :)

[furoshiki]

At first, by the titles I thought you were saying that you were going to eat it! :P

[Phillip Rhoades]

I've started making some videos demonstrating how to use furoshiki. Thought you might be interested.

http://www.ungab.com/category/type/tutorials/furoshiki

There are three right now, and I'll be adding more soon.

[Jenna]

We have had some Japanese students visiting the school where I am teaching - 2 of the girls gave a demonstration of Furoshiki and explained the meaning of the word and its history. The younger students favourite examples were the 2 book tie - ends up looking like a little handbag and the basket - Made using an old box or basket that has lost its handles. It was great to see young children excited about a wrapping technique... it was like they were watching a magic act!

[Kate Kelley]

I have a whole website dedicated to this practice and I sell online! It is the next best green thing to sweep the nation!
www.furoshikibynara.com
come check me out!

[clm]

I'd love to buy some furoshiki, but I have a lot of neat fabric laying around here. Thank you for the instructions. Also, thank you very, very much--I now know how to neatly miter corners.

[melinda s.]

thanks for the info!! i was thinking of adding furoshiki as a possible gift wrap for items in my store, www.shopakemi.com. i love this idea and your comments - great blog! thank you!

[Joanie]

Hi there,
This is lovely! What kind of fabric is that? Just a heavy cotton or something else?

[Jeanne]

Joanie, it's just a regular medium-weight cotton from the quilting section of my local craft store -- in fact a Kaffe Fassett print. I wouldn't advise a heavy-weight fabric, as the knots would be ungainly. The navy-blue furoshiki feels exactly like a bandanna, and ties very easily.

[Mich]

Hello,

What a beautiful fabric! Having been hooked on furoshiki since I first saw them in Japan last year, my sister and I have set up a blog, myfuroshiki.blogspot.com, dedicated to different ways of using them and showing our own design furoshiki. Please have a look and let us know what you think.