Gift Wrapping with Textiles: Stylish Ideas from Japan by Chizuko Morita

Gift Wrapping with Textiles: Stylish Ideas from Japan Reviews

• 
  Am Y

  Not quite what I was expecting.
  
  Firstly, the only fabrics used in the book are special ones that they use specifically for gift-wrapping in Japan, called furoshiki. These fabrics already have prints or designs that complement the item(s) they are meant to cover (hence if you used a printed scarf, for example, the end-result would look quite different). Also, the wrapping techniques shown in the book are only applicable to the type of material the furoshiki is made of - rayon crepe. If you were thinking of gleaning ideas for gift-wrap using other textiles such as denim, "normal" cotton, etc, then the techniques in this book would probably not apply to you, simply because the fabric wouldn't "fall" in the same way as rayon crepe would.
  
  Secondly, I actually didn't like many of the designs shown. I found them to be quite dated, cheesy-looking (e.g. there are some "animal face" designs where you have to attach googly eyes) and just not aesthetically-pleasing in general. A lot of the designs simply involve tying knots here and there, and then pretending that the final shape looks like a "goldfish" or "rabbit" and so on. [Read: They don't.]
  
  Also, some of the instructions were unclear. The book shows you pictures coupled with a short text description for each step, but the pictures are tiny and in black & white, so it isn't always clear what's being done, and the text is sometimes inadequate or vague.
  
  The only part of the book I liked was the back, where the author shows how to make a "rucksack for a chair" (it's a bag you can hang onto the back of a chair for additional storage), a handbag, and a tissue box cover, using just 1 or 2 (for the rucksack) squares of fabric. Unfortunately, while these were good ideas, they have nothing to do with gift-wrap.
• 
  Lynne

  The author demonstrates wrapping a wide variety of objects using fabric squares. Although the fancier folds are probably beyond me (I can barely handle a stick-on bow), the simpler styles are both attractive and "green". It could be fun to try to match the fabric to the gift. Although I have yet to try wrapping any packages, I have it on good authority that the instructions are easy to follow.
  
  
• 
  Kathleen Dixon

  When I was a young-mother-at-home I used to do all sorts of nice and creative things for gifts and gift-wrapping, but I have to admit that it's years since I did anything other than wrap presents in shop-bought and usually gaudy paper. This book, while nicely set out and with lovely photographs, has not, however, inspired me to begin wrapping gifts in textiles. Sadly, that's because I don't expect any recipients to truly appreciate it, and why gift something beautiful if the receiving-eye doesn't behold it.
  
  Nevertheless, this book will undoubtedly be of use to those who want to follow this very stylist custom. It has lovely pictures, and excellent step-by-step instructions.