How to use Japanese fabric wrapping techniques for your Christmas gifts
There’s nothing quite like the anticipation and excitement wrapped gifts create, especially after several days of looking at them under the tree. It is no surprise then, that come Christmas morning, the paper will be torn from presents in a frenzy until the treasure inside is revealed.
If your heart sinks at the thought of so much paper waste, as well as the lack of care shown to wrapping someone put their precious time and effort into, why not change tactics and adopt a different style of wrapping gifts, one which is eco-friendly, as well as making your presents look super classy. You can use this technique whether you are wrapping up children’s toys or even items you have purchased from Coin Dealers UK such as https://www.gmcoins.co.uk/ for the coin enthusiast in your life.
What is furoshiki?
Most people are familiar with the Japanese art of paper folding known as origami, but few have heard of the cloth folding practice called ‘furoshiki’. This traditional practice uses cloth to wrap all kind of items, whatever their shape and size, before they are moved or carried to another place. Although the end results look intricate and complicated to achieve, surprisingly, this uses a straightforward folding technique which is not difficult to learn – http://www.treehugger.com/culture/furoshiki-youll-never-need-wrapping-paper-again.html.
The new interest in furoshiki was sparked by the desire to reduce the use of synthetic carrier bags in shops and supermarkets, and while the west has turned to reusable shopping bags the Japanese government has chosen to revive this traditional style of transporting goods by hand.
Say goodbye to Christmas paper forever
If you like the idea of reducing the waste paper mountain at Christmas time, learning how to wrap gifts in furoshiki is the perfect solution. You can impress others with your skills, and as an added bonus, the cloth you use is like a second present, as it may inspire the recipient to have a go at this wrapping method themselves. Directions with written instructions and diagrams are widely available online.
It is easy to find special furoshiki fabric if you look online, but not essential, as any piece of fabric will do if it is the correct size for the item being wrapped. For a touch of class, you could look at designer Christmas fabrics to wrap your gifts in.
Redefine the way you wrap Christmas gifts. Learning the simple techniques of furoshiki is a great way to combine disguising Christmas gifts with developing a new, and very practical skill.
