Gift Wrapping with Textiles: Stylish Ideas from Japan Paperback – Illustrated, September 18, 2015

I like gift wrapping but it always seems like such a waste of money; you spend real money on pretty paper and ribbons, only to rip it up and turn it into trash? The idea of wrapping presents with fabric appeals to me both because it's greener and because, hey, any friend with a sewing machine could actually USE the fabric!And I confess that even if I don't actually use this book to wrap gifts (tho darnit I intend to!) it's a fun and different way to use the unusual fabric in my quilting stash. The 30-40 wrapping designs illustrated made me say, "Oh COOL!" several times. Traditionally, however, the Japanese wrapping is done using furoshiki "bundling cloth" which appears to be a heavier-weight cotton that doesn't have an obvious "right side" and "wrong side," or sometimes lightweight rayon or silk. That's fine, but I don't have those on-hand, which means my bright idea of using fat quarters from my quilting stash won't always work. I'm not troubled by this -- in fact, I'm planning a trip to the closeout counter at the local craft-and-sewing store just to get "try it out" pieces -- but you might want to know about the fabric requirements ahead of time.As you can tell, I'm cheerfully impressed by this book. The results are so pretty! And the instructions are straightforward and easy-to-follow, even for me (I am easily confused by such things). Most of the how-to illustrations show 4-6 steps, and they cover everything from wrapping a CD (you'll need a 20" square of fabric) to a "carnation wrap" for a small book (that requires two pieces of rayon crepe, 18" square) to wine-bottle covers to the adorable "perky puppy dog wrap" suitable for a coffee mug. Nor is this only for giving stuff away; the author includes instructions for such prosaic items as a tissue-box cover or a trash basket cover.What a fun, creative book. Recommended.

Okay, I'll be honest, I ordered two books on furoshiki to compare them before I decided which one I wanted to order for myself, my Mom, my sister and my sister-in-law for Christmas. We're consistently trying be more 'green' and, before I learned about furoshiki, we were sewing cloth bags for presents, wrapping in craft paper that the kids of the family could color on after, wrapping in the funny papers, wrapping in towels or tablecloths or... you get the point.I compared this book to "Wrapagami: The Art of Fabric Gift Wraps" by Jennifer Playford. I picked these two books to compare based on the current reviews. In comparison:-Both books have a lot of ideas for wrapping different packages. Aside from wrapping standard packages, this book has more ideas on different types of knots to tie, as well as wrapping cloth around packages to look like animals. ...this wasn't for me. Wrapagami seemed to have more sophisticated wrapping ideas. I could care less about tying a faux rose or to make a wrap look like a goose or puppy. Not my style. But, maybe that's for you?-Someone mentioned that the images in this book are small and printed in black and white. Yes, they are...my 24-year old eyes were squinting and unhappy. Wrapagami, on the other hand, had larger images printed in color. I also think the directions given in Wrapagami are clearer -- even though they are much more succinct.-Wrapagami also gave ideas of what to wrap what way, and what type of fabric to use based on the object and the occasion. I consider myself to be a fairly creative person but since I'm just learning furoshiki I like the fact that these ideas are presented -- it might help make learning the craft easier and more enjoyable, as I will be making fewer "beginner blunders." This book did not have those ideas -- or if it did, it wasn't obvious where they were!Thus, my final conclusion: This book isn't bad by any means, but I think Wrapagami is far superior. Wrapagami has clearer, succinct directions, more modern, sophisticated wrapping designs (which better suits my tastes), and helpful hints that aren't included in this book. It is for that reason that I'm returning this book to Amazon -- I feel like I simply found something better.Happy shopping! Happy furoshiki!

I've read several other books on furoshiki and also one on bojagi (Korean wrapping in fabric, similar but not identical), as well as viewing lots of demonstrations on YouTube. This book contained many of the more common tying methods, but also several I have not seen anywhere else, the BEST size chart I've seen, the most detailed history, a little on the significance of certain patterns (for example, chrysanthemums wish the recipient longevity), and the fabrics used all appear to be authentically Japanese to me (2 of the books I've read were authored by people who designed wrapping cloths for sale and their fabrics in non-traditional designs were shown throughout the books. I enjoyed the extra depth the authentic fabrics gave this book.). Each finished project has a large color photo. The directions have only small black and white photos, but the written directions are clear. I would consider this an excellent choice for someone who already has some experience with furoshiki. For a beginner, I'd suggest Wrapagami by Jennifer Playford. Most of the fabrics pictured in Wrapagami are not traditional prints (which was something I was looking for and happy to find in this book), but it's bright and colorful with a very good assortment of wraps, clear instructions with larger line drawings, some history, some info on Japanese imagery (significance and suggested occasions), and a brief but helpful guide to size.

Great price and fast service. Thank you.

I'm a fairly talented crafter and will probably be able to make some beautiful presentations with this book. But I was disappointed with the pictures. They are too small. And since they are black and white, did not offer the definition I find helpful. Line drawings or larger, colored pictures would be wonderful. I'd buy the book again, even at a higher cost, if such an offering were made. I feel that strongly.I am also a quilter, and plan to use my scraps to create two-sided fabric squares. I'll work my way thru the directions.

Really well explained, full of pictures, a nice one to have about this subject.

Ce livre décrit parfaitement toutes les étapes de l'emballage japonais traditionnel. Les japonais emballent, transportent les objets dans des carrés de tissus appelés furoshiki. L'auteur commence par aborder les qualités et les tailles de tissus nécessaires, puis explique pas par pas toutes les étapes pour emballer telle sorte d'objet (les bouteilles, les paquets plats, les DVD, les bouquets...).

Bel ouvrage qui répond à mon attente . Jolis choix de tissus et la façon de procéder est photographiée étape par étape ... Il faut juste réviser son anglais !!!

Un livre qui peut inspirer les personnes soucieuses de mettre en valeur leur cadeaux et objets en tout genre !

ふろしきは、外国の方にも好評です。この本と一緒にプレゼントすれば、帰国されてからも、ふろしきを活用していただけます。