Saturday, 24 November 2012
Christmas Wrappings
This is my charity shop haul to date of scarves for wrapping Christmas presents.
I love the Japanese custom of furoshiki, using cloths rather than paper to wrap gifts. My only problem is getting the cloths back! I shall need to add a "scarf not included" to the name labels. These scarves need a wash and press and then I shall look forward to a festive pile of fabric-wrapped gifts under the tree.
These berries are looking striking on this damp, misty morning where the temperature has dragged itself up to 2C so far. I liberated some seed of this Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii 'Profusion' from the garden at DS's college and so it's a pretty special plant. It's common name is Beauty Berry.
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Furoshiki is a super smart way of wrapping things, anything from gifts to laundry to watermelons to winebottles to grocery shopping to legal documents (still popular with solicitors)...
ReplyDeleteWhen a furoshiki is used for a gift, it functions as the paperbag you carry the beautifully wrapped gift in. As you hand over the gift you remove the furoshiki, fold it quickly and put it away before you with both hands offer the giftwrapped present. By removing the furoshiki you don't need to risk not having it back.
Furoshi handling is an art in itself!
I think it is a beautiful idea of you to wrap gifts in a scarf; I sometimes use a fat quarter to wrap gifts in - and am happy to let the recipient keep the FQ.
Christmas is coming soon!
A very impressive haul of scarves and I hope you manage to retain some of them. Thank you Queeniepatch for your wonderfully informative comment. The Japanese have a wonderfully elegant manner in many things and I love the picture you have painted of gift giving. I too wrap gifts for textile oriented friends in fat quarters.
ReplyDeleteA lovely idea indeed, but I would be awfully disappointed if someone asked back the scarf in which the gift I received was wrapped. Better follow Queeniepatch suggestion, more diplomatic!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea, I shall have a look when I'm next there! At least there is a never ending supply of scarves if you not get any back!
ReplyDeleteHow about typing up and printing a little card with info about the furoshiki tradition, but adapting it so you don't need to be there when the gift is given? You can up the eco credentials of the tradition too.
ReplyDeleteQueeniepatch has the right idea when gift giving. For special people you can make the furoshiki part of the gift. The best eco-friendly idea is to use them in your everyday life to wrap all sorts of things.
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