Wrapagami: The Art of Fabric Gift Wraps

I first learned about Furoshiki many years ago, on a brief stop in Japan on my way to China. I was fascinated and enchanted by the beautiful wraps I saw at Furoshiki shops. Recently, I was able to attend an online seminar on Furoshiki given by a local art museum and my interest was rekindled. Since Christmas is a few days away, I thought it would be wonderful to make my own wrapping cloth and try my hand at this Art. But first I bought this WONDERFUL book. The instructions are very clear, the diagrams very educational and the colorful photos just beautiful. If you're looking to introduce yourself to this beautiful wrapping Art, this is an excellent book. For my gift wrapping, I went into my sewing stash and found appropriate Christmas quilting cotton, threaded up my serger for a quick and easy 3-thread Narrow Rolled Hem, cut my stash into the largest squares these leftovers would allow and embarked on my mission to "wrap-a-gami" as many of the gifts my stash supply would allow.If you're looking to learn about this Japanese wrap cloth Art and would like to try wrapping these gifts, I highly recommend this book! In fact, last night I brought some leftovers to my elderly neighbor and although I put the food in the appropriate receptacle, I used one of my newly serged cloths to wrap it up. I cut a branch of some sort of wild blueberry whatever growing in our front yard and tucked it into the ties.Today, my neighbor returned the empty casserole dish with a gift of her own inside. She took a jar of olive tampenade, a beautiful lace trimmed napkin and copying what I did for her, presented a "wrap-a-gami" covered gift for us! She even tucked in a cutting of the holly and red berries growing in her yard!She also asked if I could purchase another Wrapagami book for HER!So it looks like this book is a big hit with my neighbor AND myself!

Okay, I'll be honest, I ordered two books on furoshiki to compare them before I decided which one I wanted to order for myself, my Mom, my sister and my sister-in-law for Christmas. We're consistently trying be more 'green' and, before I learned about furoshiki, we were sewing cloth bags for presents, wrapping in craft paper that the kids of the family could color on after, wrapping in the funny papers, wrapping in towels or tablecloths or... you get the point.I compared this book to "Gift Wrapping with Textiles: Stylish Ideas from Japan" by Shuichi Yamagata. I picked these two books to compare based on the current reviews. In comparison:-Both books have a lot of ideas for wrapping different packages. Aside from wrapping standard packages, Gift Wrapping With Textiles has more ideas on different types of knots to tie, as well as wrapping cloth around packages to look like animals. ...this wasn't for me. Wrapagami seemed to have more sophisticated wrapping ideas. I could care less about tying a faux rose or to make a wrap look like a goose or puppy (ideas presented in Gift Wrapping With Textiles). Not my style. Wrapagami was definitely a better choice for me.-Someone mentioned that the images in the Gift Wrapping With Textiles book are small and printed in black and white. Yes, they are...my 24-year old eyes were squinting and unhappy. Wrapagami, on the other hand, had larger images printed in color. I also think the directions given in Wrapagami are clearer -- even though they are much more succinct.-Wrapagami also gave ideas of what to wrap what way, and what type of fabric to use based on the object and the occasion. I consider myself to be a fairly creative person but since I'm just learning furoshiki I like the fact that these ideas are presented -- it might help make learning the craft easier and more enjoyable, as I will be making fewer "beginner blunders." Gift Wrapping With Textiles did not have those ideas -- or if it did, it wasn't obvious where they were!Thus, my final conclusion: I think Wrapagami is far superior. Wrapagami has clearer, succinct directions, more modern, sophisticated wrapping designs (which better suits my tastes), and helpful hints that aren't included in the other book. I will be purchasing more to share with family.Happy shopping! Happy furoshiki!

I love gift wrap, and when I saw this book I was fascinated. What I have found is that furoshiki is not only a distinctive and charming way to wrap gifts, but also an enormously practical skill. Wrapagami will how you how to wrap boxes, but it also works for wrapping items like envelopes for storage in my purse. It shows you how to wrap wine bottles, but it also works for a handy, easy-to-carry water bottle wrap for when you're on the go. It shows you how to make an "over-the-shoulder" wrap, but when I had to take my baby to the hospital in a hurry, it was a fast way to make a quick bag for my change of clothes--and I used the same wrap with a bandana to carry my toiletries. (Baby's fine now, by the way.) These "bags," made of a sturdy scarf and a bandana respectively, were so much easier to carry, manage, and later store than a suitcase would have been--and I didn't have to make a trip to the attic, which is important in an urgent situation.When giving a gift wrapped with furoshiki, there may be a "learning curve" for the recipient. You may have to explain that they just have to untie the knot to unwrap the gift. Also keep in mind that a furoshiki-wrapped gift will cost a little more because the fabric wraps usually cost more than even the fanciest wrapping paper. I have had some luck with less expensive options like vintage scarves from thrift stores and, for small items, inexpensive bandanas from Hobby Lobby. For expensive gifts such as wedding gifts, go for the elegant look; don't hesitate to buy a full-price furoshiki cloth such as Playford's "furochic" series.What sets this book apart are Playford's "creative wraps," or non-traditional wrap designs. I especially like the "fish-shape wrap" for a miniature grab bag (again, also very practical) and the "top-knot wrap" really IS very easy for kids to undo.

The first thing I did after browsing this book was to use one of the wrapping styles to carry two bottles of wine in some lovely material to a friend's barbecue. These are all useful, beautiful ideas for wrapping presents - particularly those that may not be easily wrapped with paper. Loved it!

Livre très intéressant. Beau concept, livraison rapide.

Great product, swift delivery, highly recommended

外国からの出版ということでオリジナルや斬新な方法を期待していましたがもともと風呂敷包みに興味がある人にとっては、定番のものばかりでしたので個人的な要望から　★３つにさせていただきました。しかし、包む布の雰囲気や仕上げのアレンジで雰囲気が変わってくるのを見て楽しんだり、手順がわかり易く書いてあるので外国の方へのお土産などには　とてもよいと思います。

excellent!