Want to learn how to make furoshiki – beautiful Japanese cloth wraps which you can use as reusable gift wrap?
This project will help you to become more environmentally-friendly by creating less waste during the holidays, as well as it will save you money on gift wrapping in the long term. I personally also find them more beautiful and easier to wrap gifts with than traditional paper wrapping.
However, furoshiki is so much more than just gift wrapping. Furoshiki cloth wraps are a gift in themselves as they can be used in many different ways: as a produce bag, to wrap clothes or other precious items, a lunch bag or picnic hamper, a handbag and a bandana just to mention some.
I’ve used furoshiki cloth wraps for a couple of years and I’ve totally fallen in love as it’s such a simple & versatile item!
In the video tutorial above I will show you how you can make your own furoshiki wraps with a narrow hem using a narrow hem presser foot. I will also share with you the following:
- A brief history of furoshiki (it’s actually really interesting!)
- The fabrics I recommend you to use
- Which size(s) to make your furoshiki in
- Four different ways that you can wrap your gifts with furoshiki
Click here to watch the video (or click on the thumbnail above). If you prefer to read you can, of course, continue to do so…
The history of Furoshiki
The furoshiki cloth wrap originated from Japan and its history it’s really interesting and goes way back. Actually, it goes as far as 1200 years!
Initially, the wrap was called ‘tsutsumi’ during the Nara period (710 – 794 A.D.) which apparently means wrapping. It was used to wrap the precious items and to protect your belongings.
Later on, during the Heian Period (794 – 1185 A.D.), it became a cloth to wrap clothes, but it wasn’t until the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573 A.D.) it became the cloth as we know it today.
Around 600 years ago in Kyoto Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga opened a bathhouse. He invited lords and other aristocrats in Japan to come to his bathhouse. One way that he made sure that the guests did not mix up their belongings was to put their clothes into this cloth wraps with a family crest on them.
This is when furoshiki got its name because furo ι’¨ε means bath and shiki ζ· means spread – so basically it’s a bath spread!
Choosing the right fabrics
I think making your own furoshiki is the perfect opportunity to use up leftover fabrics from previous projects in your stash. It’s also perfect for those beautiful fabrics that you love, and you cannot get rid of, but you really do not know what to do with.
If you do not have fabrics already in your stash that you like and that will
be suitable for this project I have a few other recommendations on how you can obtain fabrics in a sustainable way to make your furoshiki wraps.
My first suggestion is to try to find fabrics in secondhand stores. You can also decorate plain cloth with just fabric paint or fabric pens. Another thing that you can do, which I would like to do in the near future, is to tie-dye or dye some plain fabrics or sheets that you might already have. This is also a really great project to use your old sheets for, and if you do not have any sheets suitable for furoshiki I yet again recommend checking out second-hand stores. A lot of times you can find lovely vintage sheets at thrift stores which would be perfect to wrap your gifts in. Another alternative is to ask friends that sew a lot, maybe a quilter, because quilting cotton is perfect to use for this project.
You can select any fabric you like for this project. The only key factors are that you should be able to tie it and that the fabric is not too thin because you do not want it to be see-through.
You can also double up fabric if you want to make your wraps reversible as well. I decided to not make any of my wraps in this video reversible but I think that’s a really cute idea that I might explore in the future.
Please note: It is really important that you finish the edges of your furoshiki wrap, as such, they will last longer than if you didn’t!
In this tutorial, I will show you how to finish your edges with a narrow hem foot. You can also make a rolled hem by hand, as well as overlocking the edges with a serger.
Don’t have a narrow hem presser foot? Click here to watch a tutorial on how to make a narrow one without the presser foot.
To successfully make a narrow hem I would advise you to use a tightly woven natural fibre and the reason for this is that they roll much easier than, for example, more loosely woven synthetic fibres.
Some of the fabrics that I would recommend you to use for the best result are broadcloth, shirting or blouse-weight fabric, silk and, as I mentioned earlier quilting cotton (which I used for mine). I ordered my fabrics from Fabricville a bit over a year ago.
Which size should I make my furoshiki?
Through my research, I learnt that the traditional small size is 50 x 50 cm, which is a perfect size for a small book, one or two bath bombs, some smaller beauty products or similar.
My favourite size is the medium size (70 x 70 cm) as I find it a pretty versatile size. You can use it to wrap a t-shirt, a smaller box etc.
Then there’s a large size of 90 x 90 cm and I decided to make one as I really wanted something that is big enough to wrap a wine bottle in.
Pictured above is a bottle of Bailey’s wrapped in furoshiki. I think it’s super cute with its little handle and I also think this is a perfect example of how a simple gift, like a bottle of wine (or Bailey’s in my case), can become much more beautiful & fun to give by wrapping it in furoshiki cloth.
You can make your furoshiki in any square or rectangular size that you like. If you are still unsure about which size to make/use think about what size the object(s) you often give as gifts are. Measure your object and then multiply it by three. This measurement will be minimum the diagonal measurement of your cloth.
You can also do this in reverse if you already have furoshiki cloths and are unsure if your gift will fit. Fold your furoshiki in half diagonally and measure the distance and then divide the measurement by 3.
How to make a narrow hem with the narrow hem presser foot
To make your narrow hem you will need:
- A narrow hem or rolled edge presser foot – They come in different widths and I recommend you to use the 6 mm width. I find this width rolls easier, especially when you’re creating corners compared to a smaller size.
- Matching or contrasting thread depending on which look you’re going for
- Fabric cut to your preferred size. (I used quilting cotton from Fabricville.)
Start by finger pressing the edge to prepare it to go into the groove of the presser foot. Place fabric wrong side up under the presser foot.
Make four to five stitches then pull thread tail with left hand on the back of the work and guide the fabric carefully along the groove of the foot. Continue to guide the fabric into the groove while sewing this will help you to pull neither too little nor too much of the fabric when creating your hem.
It is worth playing around on a sample first making sure the stitch length and the needle placement is as you like. I used 3 mm stitch length and a 3.5 mm needle placement – but this might vary depending on the fabric you use.
Before turning the corner: Pre-finger press the edge once again to prepare your fabric to go into the groove. Pull the finger pressed bit into the groove.
Stitch 4 – 5 stitches and lift the presser foot then pull thread tail again with left hand on the back of the work, pull the hem into the groove, lower the foot and continue sewing.
Repeat around the other corners until you have a narrow hem on all sides of your furoshiki cloth wraps.
So that is how you make a narrow hem using the narrow hem or the rolled edge foot!
If you struggle to get your fabric to roll you can use the zig-zag stitch instead and it can be at least as decorative as a straight stitch as it creates a neat and sturdy edge.
How to wrap with furoshiki
There are so many different ways that you can wrap with your furoshiki. In the video tutorial, I am showing you 4 ways how to wrap your gifts.
You can watch how I did it in the video here, as I find it easier to show how I did it, rather than to write how to wrap your gifts.
But if you prefer written instructions with pictures – please leave a comment below and let me know (and I will create some)!
- Click here to learn how to wrap a book
- Click here to learn how to wrap a box
- Click here to learn how to wrap a bunny-shaped gift
- Click here to learn how to wrap a bottle
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I really hope you will make your own furoshiki cloth wraps and that you found this tutorial helpful!
