Eco Friendly and easier to carry around for grocery shopping!
This simple book shows all the different ways one can use a square piece of cloth to wrap and carry different objects, available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab
Unfortunately, I'm a bag crazed hoarder and have tons of plastic and paper bags for grocery and farmer market shopping! I do not know why I didn't think of just using a square piece of cloth instead!
Some history on Furoshiki:
Furoshiki are square pieces of cloth for wrapping and carrying things around. They can be made of silk, cotton, even from recycled PET-bottles. They come in different sizes and designs and in any price range as well.
Clothes for wrapping and carrying things have been used as long as man has been using cloth. They can be found in nearly all cultures of the world. However for some unknown reason, they have not been used that much in Europe.
Furoshiki, the name, meaning "bath spread", derives from the Edo period practice of using them to bundle clothes while at the sentō (public baths; public furo) to prevent a mix-up of the bathers' clothes. Before becoming associated with public baths, furoshiki were known as hirazutsumi, or flat folded bundle. Eventually, the furoshiki’s usage extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares or to protect and decorate a gift.
Later on in the Muromachi period, Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga built a big bath house (Ou-yudono) to which Daimyos from all over the country came to bathe. After they took off their clothes they had them wrapped in a silk cloth, which usually was marked with the familyﾕs emblem so they would not mix up their things. In the Edo period, public bath houses became very popular among common people. As they did not have vinyl bags and the like in old days, they carried their soap, towels and clothing in a cloth called ﾒfuroshikiﾓ.
Baskets or cubicles to hold your clothing, as we have today, where unheard of in the Edo days. People simply would spread out their wrapping cloth on the floor, just like a mat, would then undress and wrap their clothing into neat bundles. When they finished bathing, they would wrap up their wet towels, soap and things for the trip home.
Later they were used and still used as bento or lunch wrappings and then the furoshiki has a double use when spread out to be used on a table as a table cloth or on the grass as a picnic area.
photo via wikipedia
1. This book as over 50 different ways on how to wrap items as gifts and decorations from easy to more complicated, starting off on using three basic knots. Many of the explanations are in English! That is more unusual.
2. Most of the wrappings are with beautiful textiles, but one can use anything! During college and afterwards, I moved many times and I've used my sheets to for easy furoshiki!
I just set all my sheets open on my bed and start dumping in all my clothes with hangers and without and when it gets too heavy for me I stop and just fold up and tie the caddy corners together and carry to the back seat or trunk!
Then I just go back to the bed that has the next open sheet on it and fill it up with perhaps items from the linen closet. Even the fitted sheets will do the job.
3. Furoshiki are eco friendly because any piece of square cloth can be used and then reused to give again to another as a gift wrap or easily washed when it gets dirty and easily folded and put away inside another bag or your purse.
4. I use square or rectangular shaped clothes to line my refrigerator drawers to help soak up the moisture and veggie crumbs, etc. When they become too moist or need a wash, I can just lift it all up, veggies and all and set it on the counter and lay down a new clean cloth and return the veggies on top of it.
5. Also great for gardening. We use large square pieces of burlap and old sheets to place raked leaves, pulled weeds, even fire wood to move elsewhere. Just bundle with a tie at each caddy corner and carry to your next spot.
The photos taken are a little more fancy for grocery or farmer's market shopping, but are shown for different ways of gift giving, available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab
Hoarder Desperation:
1. If only I had remembered about furoshiki before I collected tons of other eco friendly bags for grocery and farmer's markets, I would have loved to have just used squares of textile cloth!
2. I will phase out my use of plastic and paper bags, which as a recovering hoarder, I can not seem to throw away anyway and have quite the collection!
However, I do appreciate my huge blue Ikea bag and my smaller yellow Ikea bag for our monthly Costco shopping trip and don't think a square piece of cloth will do the trick at Costco.
I also love my Blue Q recycled plastic bags due to their fun graphics, but had I remembered about furoshiki, I think I would have passed on them.
How will you be more eco friendly this year? I'll be thinking about how to use more eco friends washable cloth in place of paper or plastic.
This book has many seasonal decor and by holiday gift giving ideas with over 50 "how to" directions in English, available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab
I've been diligent at listing new things at all 4 shops at least once a day to weekly. Have fun checking out all the new items at each shop!
Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 176 items, The Destiny of Things- 181 items, VintageToGoEasy - 185 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 180 items.
My goal is to maintain about 180 items at each shop, looks like a couple shops needs some new listings for next week!
Maybe you'll find something to adopt and share your story too! Thanks for looking!
I didn't notice that the directions in this book, included English ones, until I listed it, so if you go to the link where it's listed, you can see an example of the directions in English, available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab
Related Stories: I do love my books! And while I was researching this book to help determine it's price, I only found one in Europe and it was about $200 in American dollars. Here are some other books, I'm trying to let go....
1. This book is listed, but extra photos are at it's listing and here on the blog:Ayako Miyawaki's Boro Rag Art 90s Book: Hoarder Rehab Inspiration or Desperation, Story 22
2. Same with this book: Sara Midda's South of France Sketch Book & Teachable Moments: Hoarder Rehab Inspiration or Desperation, Story 23
From simple wraps, like a backpack to the more complicated and elegant, like a wine bottle wrapped like a kimono dress! available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab
I'm still mending, as an alternative to hoarding and have been taking photos and documenting my progress. I hope to share that soon! I think it's going to lead to other fun things for me to make! Until then, here is some of my earlier mends!
1. My New Alternative to Hoarding! Mending Ways Creative Outlets, Story 5
1. My New Alternative to Hoarding! Mending Ways Creative Outlets, Story 5
2. Not a huge rip in my favorite jeans! Before pix Mending as a Creative Outlet, Story 1
3. Other Hoarder Inspiration or Hoarder Desperation on this blog, here
There are several pages dedicated to furoshiki design styles and measurements,
available here
available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab
This link shows a page full of examples of how furoshiki techniques from general to gift giving, bags, head wear, apparel and home decor! It's an inspiring quick look!
"A stitch a day keeps the hoard away."---Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny
of Things Now if I can only get myself to start that one stitch! Happy Wednesday!
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