Furoshiki: the art of wrapping with fabric

Furoshiki is an ancient Japanese art in fabrics to store objects that is being spread recently also in Western countries and has been very successful, for its practicality and beauty.

The increase in concern for the environment and the acceptance of the use of practical ecological bags are some of the reasons that made artisans and admirers of the “do it yourself” philosophy bring up ancient Japanese technique when looking for ways to make cloth bags. creative and personalized.

As it is possible to reuse handkerchiefs and cloths that previously had other purposes, furoshiki is an ally of the concept of sustainability.

As the techniques for creating furoshiki have a final result of extreme good taste, this became a fashion accessory and started to be used on several occasions.

One of the benefits of knowing how to make furoshiki, which attracts many adepts, is the fact that it is possible, in a few minutes, to transform scarves, sarongs and scarves that have your favorite prints into perfect bags to accompany the look and gift wrapping with a special touch of affection, for example.

Furoshiki has been used as a partner in beachwear, as it allows the sarongs to become bags, but depending on the fabric and print used, bags created with this technique can also accompany more formal looks.

Those who are still in doubt whether or not to try to learn the art of furoshiki should know that the learning process is almost none, since it is not necessary to know how to sew, and that the process can be undone without damaging the fabric.

The material needed to make the furoshiki is also quite simple: any square fabric. It is only recommended that the choice of fabric material type is in accordance with the weight to be loaded. The types of fabric considered by experts as the most versatile are viscose and silk, as they have a better fit.

In the making of furoshiki, the fabric will be folded and tied with “magic knots” that will allow to form different models of bags and packages. According to Sofia Nanka Kamatani, a designer specializing in traditional Japanese packaging, learning how to make the furoshiki “magic knot” is the fundamental step: “It is of paramount importance because it is a resistant knot, but one that we can untie easily”.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make a furoshiki “magic knot”

• Hold two extreme ends of a fabric;
• Place the left end over the right;
• Pass the right end under the left, wrapping it;
• Now place the right end over the left;
• And pass the left end under the right, wrapping it.

A tip from designer Sofia Nanka Kamatani is to name one end of the fabric as reason and the other as emotion and follow the poetry twice: “Heart overlaps reason, reason involves the heart”.

Now that you know how to make the magic knot of furoshiki, enjoy and enjoy three videos by Japanese researcher Etsuko Yamada, one of the greatest experts on the subject, teaching some of the possible models:

How to make a furoshiki bag

How to make a bag of furoshiki

How to make a furoshiki bottle wrap