Wrapping With Fabric ─ Your Complete Guide to Furoshiki, The Japanese Art of Wrapping

Long before today's eco-friendly philosophy of "reduce, reuse, recycle" entered America's collective consciousness, furoshiki—the Japanese method of wrapping things with fabric—?ourished as a time-honored and practical art form. In Wrapping With Fabric, Etsuko Yamada—born into a long-line of furoshiki makers in Kyoto—explains the "one cloth, many uses" ideology behind the craft, the etiquette of color and the craft's fascinating history. From there, she shares the myriad ways in which a few basic techniques can transform a simple square of cloth into an elegant wrapper you can use to:

• Gift-wrap anything from books to flowers
• Bundle up a picnic
• Tote items ranging from wine bottles to yoga mats
• Use as a handbag or backpack
• Make into a pillow covering
• Create decorative coverings for vases, tissue boxes, and more

A quiet reminder that opportunities for artistry are everywhere around you, Wrapping With Fabric makes it easy to bring a touch of grace and ingenuity to everyday life—and help preserve the environment, too.

Etsuko Yamada studied art before becoming a textile designer and table coordinator. She is the art director for Tokyo's Kyoto Wa-Bunka Institute MISUBI, the first shop specializing in furoshiki in Japan, where she works on product development, as well as new ways of using furoshiki to suit the needs of today's world.