The ancient art of fabric wrapping everyday items for utilitarian purposes or wrapping an item to be gifted has been fast forwarded by Deb Cashett and Kris Sazaki through the February 2012 publication of their book Furoshiki Fabric Wraps by C&T Publishing. For someone who is fondling and manipulating fabric almost daily, this is a book I will reference often. Their clear, easy-to-follow instructions will allow me to make 18 different wraps for 5 primary shapes: bag, box, flat, bottle and basket. Purchased yardage or scarves can be used as eco-friendly wrapping which is reusable by the recipient. Multi-tasking at its best! And, in anticipation of the question “How did you do that?” removable wrapping instruction cards can be enclosed with your gift. Indeed, they thought of everything.
I was one of 6 fiber artists that Kris and Deb invited to create furoshiki using our own surface design techniques. Each artist created a furoshiki for what they call a basic carry wrap (we used a 1-pound box of Sees™ candy as the shape) and one other shape of our choice.
For my basic carry wrap I used silk organza fabric to create a cyanotype print.
The second wrap I chose is called a four-tie wrap and I used an 8-inch square box. I started with a yard-square piece of white fabric to create a sun print which I thread painted and finished the edge. Here’s the fabric finished
and here it is wrapped on the box.
I enjoyed learning about this ancient art and I’ll certainly be using it in the future to wrap gifts. You can get your signed copy of the book by contacting Deb and Kris directly on their web site. I say GO FORTH AND WRAP!
Oh my gosh those are beautiful Franki. Fabulous collaboration between you and the Pixeladies!
hola! I noticed you changed your pic- no more wax red lips!:)
The sun dyed fabric wrapped box is absolutely STUNNING. Your side view shot really illustrates how the color placement in the corners turns the scarf into a whole new piece when viewed from a different angle. just lovely!
Frankie, beautiful as always! We should consider a SAQA challenge or exchange for one of the meetings. Geri
Franki, These are stunningly beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank YOU for participating, Franki. And everyone should note that Franki’s wrap is so much more amazing in person. Those Gingko leaves are stitched (thread-painted). I’m in awe!
Ladies! This project was beyond fun! And learning how to wrap with fabric is so fun it might become illegal some day. Try it.
Franki! I LOVE it and thank you for sharing.
Maybe, instead of cutting up my (bought in Japan) Furoshiki for fabric cards and quilts, I should employ them for their true purpose
As usual I love your Gingko leaves.
These are beautiful Franki!!!
I especially love the cyanotype gingko leaves on silk organza – really lovely. Such a transparent fabric – I wondered how many layers it took to mask the ‘See’s’ chocolate box graphics. Looks like it worked well. Also, I’ll put a link to their website where the book can be purchased on our how-to page, if they permit; sounds like it would be a good inspiration for our furoshiki customers. Thanks and Cheers! Deb from LuLu Wraps. (http://www.luluwraps.com)
Just wanted to say that I’ve put a link on our how-to page to the Powell’s bookstore website, which people can follow to purchase the new book, Furoshiki Fabric Wraps.
For the Fans of Franki, let me note that Franki took extra care to design her wraps to go specifically with one object. That’s what makes her wraps so special. You should see the threadpainting on the pink/yellow number. It was so much fun working with Franki, too!
Beautiful. Y’all are like mini Christos!
I love it! Beautiful. I hope I remember this, the next time I wrap a package for someone special!
It is nice to see someone else using Furoshiki fabric wraps. I had been thinking about fabric wrapping Christmas gifts for years, but did not start until last year. Every wrapped gift under the tree was wrapped or bagged in fabric. You can see them here: http://eccentricquilter.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/fabric-wrapped-and-bagged-gifts/
You might want to consider reusable tags to go with your reusable wrappings. I have a post on making and using reusable gift tags at http://eccentricquilter.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/fabric-gift-tag-improvements/
The surface designed fabric you created really makes them special. I think this year, instead of traditional Christmas fabrics, I will be using some of my own hand dyed and printed fabrics.