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People Are Wrapping Gifts with Fabric for the Holidays Instead of Paper

Are you looking to be eco-friendly this holiday season? One easy change to make is how you present your gifts. Wrapping paper, while beautiful, often ends in a crumpled mass that has to be recycled after just one use. If you want to avoid the mess but still have your presents wrapped and under the tree, try using this bundled approach. Known as furoshiki, it's a Japanese wrapping cloth used to cover gifts or other goods.

The fabric gift wrap can be of any pattern and color, as long as it’s square in size and large enough to cover the object. To begin, place the item in the middle of the fabric on a diagonal. Then, fold the top and bottom corners over the object and tie the other two corners in a knot. At that point, you can tuck them underneath what you just tied, or leave the corners to hang free. For full instructions, Minted has created an easy-to-follow tutorial.

You can easily use a handkerchief or a patterned tea towel to make the bundle, and it can even double as a gift for your recipient. Some people, for instance, use the technique to wrap bottles of wine and add an extra special touch to a dinner party offering. Check out some fabric gift wrap inspiration, below.

Looking for an eco-friendly way to celebrate the holidays?

Fabric gift wrap, also called furoshiki cloth, is not only beautiful, but you can use it over and over again.

The fabric can even double as an extra gift—it's perfect for wrapping a nice bottle of wine:

h/t: [Brit + Co.]

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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