Tutorial: Four Furoshiki Ideas

Furoshiki is a simple concept. It has been used by the Japanese for centuries for a wide variety of tasks and has proven to be endlessly useful amongst the Rikumo staff. It goes without saying, but the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle is more important now than ever, and with a little creativity and foresight furoshiki can be a stylish swiss army knife that’s useful for many of the tasks we encounter throughout the day.

The most obvious and traditional application is that of eco-friendly wrapping paper that’s both highly reusable and a great gift in and of itself. This has been written about at length already, so here are four novel applications that we have been experimenting with. 
 

Impromptu Maekake (Japanese waist apron)
When dealing with messy tasks, a furoshiki and a long ribbon are all that’s needed to protect our pants from splashes and spills. Simply fold the top edge of a furoshiki two times over a long ribbon or string and tie around the waist.

Hang a Gallery
While constructing our in-store furoshiki display, we marveled at the beauty and variety of the colorful patterns that are available. Find a design that fits your decor, and consider hanging it as temporary art on your wall.

Yoga Mat Carrier
Part of the beauty of practicing yoga is the simplicity and alignment that it brings. With a few choice knots, a furoshiki can be used to take your yoga mat to and from the studio. Simply tie opposite ends of a larger sized furoshiki and place your rolled yoga mat inside. Fashion a handle with the remaining fabric. 

BYOB
It’s not uncommon to find us at our local BYOB, and a furoshiki can be useful in making sure bottles arrive at the restaurant cold and intact. Place a bottle in the center of a medium furoshiki cloth and tie two opposite corners into a square knot above the bottle. Wrap the remaining corners around the bottle and tie with another square knot. A convenient handle can be fashioned with the ends of the first knot.

The possibilities are endless with furoshiki, and you can find dozens more ideas like these in our Furoshiki Handbook.

WORDS BY SAM GEAN