If you love fabric, origami and clever ideas then you’re going to love Wrapagami: The Art of Fabric Gift Wraps by Jennifer Playford. This delightful book provides step-by-step illustrated instructions to wrap just about anything using fabric.

At the heart of this book is the furoshiki, a traditional Japanese  square cloth used for wrapping a carrying items, a practice which dates back to the 17th century. Along with easy-to-follow instructions that will inspire a whole new approach to gift presentation, Wrapagami includes a brief overview of the history of the furoshiki, directions for creating your own furoshiki, ideas for reusing furoshiki and resources for purchasing furoshiki.

Not only is fabric gift wrap a creative and eco-friendly way to present a gift (no paper, tape or scissors required) — the fabric is a gift in itself, especially for those of us who love fabric.

I recently tried my hand at creating my own furoshiki and wrapping a few handcrafted treasures for a friend — a set of crocheted trivets (more about that in a future post), a recycled gift card mini notepad and a duct tape wallet.

Wrapagami is going to be a treasured item on my bookshelf that will get repeated use. I may even buy a few copies and wrap them wrapagami style to give as gifts.

Check out Jennifer Playford’s website for how-to videos or to purchase furoshiki with her original designs.

By the way, here is a close-up of the duct tape wallet for those who are curious. Crafted by Us has an amazing duct tape video podcast/tutorial if you’d like to make one.

Wrap on!