November Already? It’s Furoshiki Time!

November signals the start of the holiday season, especially for those of us who make our own gifts. In the case of the Pixeladies, we start thinking of gift wrapping with the super useful furoshiki. What we love about furoshiki (Japanese for fabric wrap) is that the object actually determines the type of wrap you use. Giving two bottles of wine to your boss? Then wrap them in the two-bottle wrap. A couple of gift cards? We like putting them in empty Altoids containers and then wrapping them up in the two-book wrap.

Our eBook

Deb’s beautiful illustrations above are from our book, Furoshiki Fabric Wraps. It was published in 2012 but can still be purchased as an ebook from C&T Publishing.

Speaking of books, do you have a local bookstore that needs your support right now to stay open? Buy a couple of books and wrap them up in a furoshiki. You’ll save the earth (no paper to waste) and a bookstore to boot. Kris recommends Crawford’s Books in Sacramento, Deb’s local bookstore is The Bookery in Placerville, and we both absolutely loved the Strand when we visited New York City. Both stores sell used books, so you might find our book there!

The Wrap as Gift

Traditionally, you would unwrap the gift and take the furoshiki back for future use, but sometimes the furoshiki is what you want to give. Here’s Deb modeling the double-sided furoshiki Kris brought her back from Japan.

Let the Wrapping Begin!

Now’s the time to check to see if you have any furoshiki in the house before going shopping (especially in these Covid times). None, you say? We beg to differ! You just need a square piece of fabric, so look around and start wrapping! Fabrics that drape well are best suited, but we’ve even wrapped a gift with a cloth diaper!

• Square scarves
• Napkins
• Tea or kitchen towels (no, they’re not square, but you can fold in one end to make a square)
• Old clothes like a men’s shirt, dress, or skirt will yield a square of fabric
• Old sheets! You can cut squares of varying sizes.
• Sewists should check their fabric stashes!