Furoshiki: Change the Way You Carry Stuff
It’s even possible for a crafts klutz like me
Last Christmas I sat and wrapped presents, in my typical last-minute style. I’d bought some beautiful and ethically made wrapping paper a few years before and it was still going — I guess you could say I’m a stingey gift giver. 🤷♀️
But whilst I eked out the last of it, I realised it didn’t actually matter that I’d bought some high-quality, sustainable paper. It wasn’t important at all.
Because it was completely unnecessary that I’d bought it in the first place.
I was wrapping gifts in paper that the recipient was just going throw away a few moments later. And there’s no need to ever indulgently treat material in this way — useful one moment, useless the next.
Furoshiki represents the opposite of that — a way of giving one piece of fabric a variety of uses.
I’m really glad to have found it.
What are furoshiki?
Furoshiki are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used to transport items. The practice itself may have originated as early as 710 AD.
The origin of the word ‘furoshiki’ is ‘bath spread’. From around 1336 in Japan, bathhouses used the cloths to carry bathers’ clothes, as this prevented them from being mixed up.
Since then, people have found all sorts of things to make with this simple concept.
The most popular use of furoshiki lately is as a substitute for gift wrapping. In fact, in modern Japan, it’s considered good manners.
It’s really simple to use a furoshiki, even when you’re feeling short of time or headspace. It involves wrapping and knotting a piece of fabric. No fancy ties to learn or extra resources to add in.
What can I use furoshiki for?
Thinking back to the bath towel example, you can use furoshiki to cover or transport pretty much anything. Some ideas for furoshiki uses are:
- Wrapping a gift
- A bag for shopping
- Wrapping clothes when travelling
- A picnic hamper
- Household décor e.g. cushion covers
- A scarf, belt or bandana
You might find the only limit is your imagination.
Tip: If you use furoshiki to give a gift, check if the recipient would like to keep the material to use for something else. If not, don’t feel uncomfortable asking for it back — do it for the environment, you got this!! 🦸♀️🦸♂️
What can I use for the material?
Consider re-using fabrics you already have, before buying new specifically for this purpose. It could be something old that can no longer fulfil its original use.
The fabric should be strong enough to hold the weight of the object/s, but still pliable. It needs to be about four times the size of the object/s you want to wrap.
You might find appropriate furoshiki material from:
- Tablecloths
- Tea towels
- Bedsheets
- Large handkerchiefs
- Bandanas
- Blankets
- Clothing, cut up
- Curtains
- Large napkins
- Large scarves
For best results though, I’d strongly recommend making the material’s dimensions as close to a square as possible.
How do I make a furoshiki?
Here are a few video tutorials with techniques you can use.
For both longer or shorter boxes
To make three types of bag
To make a backpack
To wrap one bottle
To wrap two bottles (wheyyyy 🍾🍺🍹🍸)
For books
As you start to learn the folds and it becomes familiar, you’ll notice that one technique works well for other objects. Experiment to find what you like the most.
You could even take a course in furoshiki, like this one.
Why should I consider furoshiki?
Kids, this is the serious bit.
A study in 2017 found that the UK alone would throw away 108 million rolls of wrapping paper over the Christmas period.
Most wrapping paper is impossible to recycle too, as it’s often dyed and laminated, or made of more than one material (usually not paper, but plastic). It won’t decompose once it gets to landfill either, for these reasons.
As for plastic bags, worldwide more than 1 million still end up in the bin every minute.
Furoshiki respects the environment, gives new value to the resources you already have and moves us closer to a future with less waste.
Related Link: If using furoshiki makes you sweary, get inspired by other ways to reduce your gift wrapping eco-footprint: 5 Paperless Gift-Wrapping Solutions for the Holidays.
36 Ways to Be A-Okay Whilst You’re Not Allowed to Travel ← P R E V I O U S
N E X T → Do You Realise How Sustainable Hemp is?
Originally published at https://carolineisawriter.com on June 4, 2020.
