Furoshiki Gift Wrapping

We all know that getting ready for Christmas is both a joyous time but can also be a stressful one. The mere thought of crowded shops, gift wrapping, decorating and picking up relatives from the airport is enough to give me palpitations.

I first heard about Furoshiki style of wrapping from the store Lush - they call it Knot Wraps. They've always been one of the first stores to really introduce eco friendly packaging and products into your daily routine. Personally their bath bombs are my favourite :) Anyway, a couple of christmases ago, I noticed their gift wrapping style had changed into a Furoshiki style, even selling fabric wrappings in bright beautiful colours. I was intrigued and decided to look into it further.

Needless to say, i've fallen in love with the idea of eco friendly gift-wrapping. I first tried recycled brown wrapping paper, which is still a great staple even for general gifts. There's just something really special about reusable gift wrapping that takes this whole exercise to a whole new level. I know this wont work for everyone, but if you're like me, and always have spare fabric around the house, this is surely something to get into.

What I like most about Furoshiki eco friendly wrapping is that they are 100% RE-USEABLE. They are not just pretty but you can actually re-use the fabric in so many different ways. The most obvious way to re-use the fabric is to wrap other future gifts. Need gift wrapping for next Christmas? Just use this year's Furoshiki wrapping! Done! Check! Next subject.

However, if you're crafty, you can re-use these in many other ways. Bag scarf, table napkin, pouch... it's basically a square piece of fabric, so your possibilities are endless.

Below, I'll share a quick start up guide to Furoshiki wrapping style, and how i've re-used some of the fabric for other projects.

Start with a square piece of fabric - the most common size is 45 x 45 cm but this can depend on the size of your gift. Just remember to keep it square. Even if your fabric is too big, don't fret, your gift will just have a bigger bow. Fabric i've used is from Spotlight

The simplest and most common wrapping style is the Yotsu Musubi. It's best for square objects.

Step one: Start by setting your gift in the middle. Then bring the top and bottom triangle up while making a knot.

Step two: From there, you take the other two ends, bring them together and make another knot. It's as easy as that! No sticky tape, no paper cuts and no rips.

TA-DA! That's pretty much it! The end product is so chic, simple and the best part is it's re-useable!

I've also wrapped another style for round objects that includes a little handle!

It's called Suika Tsutsumi. It's great for round or funny shaped objects, especially if they're heavy.

Step one: Start with your object again in the centre of your fabric square.

Step two: This time tie the two ends together. Then take the other two ends and tie them together.

Step three: Then slip one knot underneath the other to create the handle.

Step four: Pull through.

It's really easy and simple to do. It took me a couple of tries to get the fabric sitting where I want it to, so that it doesn't look too bunched up or messy. That's the great thing about Furoshiki wrapping, if you make a mistake, just untie it and try again!

There are so many different styles to try, they even have specific styles to wrap trickier things like wine bottles. I found a great website to help guide you though all the different styles. You can find it here.

In addition to wrapping gifts - Another great use for spare fabric is making them into table napkins! Im seeing a lot of decorating trends that revolve around an "organic" themed table setting. A great way to achieve this look is by having a mix and match of table napkins.

A perfect way to re-use extra fabric from your Christmas wrapping OR saving and re-using fabulous fabric that you've received.

*Tip* If re-using fabric this way, remember to hem them and of course wash them before using.

xoxo

- C