myfuroshiki

Christmas wrapping

2011-12-18T20:55:00.000Z

Kitchen table enterprise

2011-12-11T20:45:00.000Z

Some photos of work in progress - myfuroshiki cherry blossom design being hand screen printed in pink onto a lovely french grey fabric.

Happy birthday

2011-10-04T07:43:00.001+01:00

A pretty chiffon furoshiki, ideal for wrapping soft, light things like a scarf and gloves.

And with the flap brought back and over the knot, then tucked in to form, what Oli (my sister) in Australia calls, a kangaroo wrap to hold a card.

Make your child's birthday party eco-friendly

2011-09-12T07:00:00.002+01:00

On the subject of birthdays, here are some great tips from Alan of Green Pepper on how to

Make your child's birthday party eco-friendly

Please take a moment and think back to the last child’s birthday party you attended, fast forward to after the fun and games were over and think about how much cardboard, plastic and paper was strewn around. There was probably enough to fill at least 2 bin liners, and that’s just from the packaging and the wrapping. What many don’t realise is that the laminates, dyes and glitters in the packaging make it unsuitable for recycling.

Add to this the fact that batteries and plastic toys can take over 5 centuries to break down and also the 275,000 tonnes of plastic we send every year to landfill sites, is there any reason why we should send even more?

An innovative new website, EthicalCommunity.com has recently been launched, and one of its main aims is to help parents to buy eco-friendly products for their kids. Parents who are eco-conscious can browse around the 7000+ products on the site, read the story behind each item and buy them directly from the eco-sellers who made them.

It is quite amazing what a difference parents can make just by making a few subtle changes to thing that they do on a daily basis. This can have an enormous impact in the environment yet no compromise is made on fun, and you can more often than not save money too.

1. Switch from disposable to reusable. Use ceramic plates, bowls and cutlery over their paper disposable alternatives, as a one-off dishwasher load is certainly easier to manage than scraping paper plates clean enough to recycle. If you are looking to treat yourself then ‘Eko Earth’ Products , one of many eco sellers found on EthicalCommunity.com, have just released a stylish range of tableware made from the by-product of bamboo and is the first ever fully biodegradable tableware to hit the UK market. Don’t be fooled however, as Biodegradable in this case doesn’t mean disposable but instead means that the collection is reusable and durable.

2. Ditch the “Goodie Bags!”. From one parent to another does any child really need another paper hat or tub of bubbles? Experience based parties such as a trip to the zoo or pottery making leave a lasting memory, which doesn’t get lost at the bottom of the toy box. If you are a traditionalist and are determined to give out goodie bags then why not consider switching to a re-usable gift bag and filling it with sustainable and natural goodies.

3. Loose the wrapping. Spending money on wrapping paper which is only going to be torn up and thrown away is a bit of a waste, instead why not make the wrapping part of the gift itself by wrapping it in Myfuroshiki fabric gift wrap which is a fun and affordable take on the Japanese art of “Furoshiki” (cloth wrapping). With just one of these any shape of object can be easily wrapped with no sticky tape, no scissors and no waste!

4. Get Baking. Mum’s cooking is always best, so bake the birthday cake yourself using local Organic and Fairtrade ingredients and avoid all the unnecessary packaging and cost that comes with shop-bought food.

5. Use eco-friendly candles. Candles made with beeswax are naturally fragrant, nontoxic, soot-free, and non-allergenic. They’re completely renewable and require little, if any, additives which makes them a great alternative to Paraffin wax candles.

Many thanks to Green Pepper for allowing me to reproduce this article. For more of their eco-friendly tips and information, follow them here.

The birthday season

2011-09-11T08:50:00.006+01:00

One of the things I love about this time of year is that it's the birthday season! Not just mine but those of many relatives and friends. Obviously (!) I''ve lots of lovely furoshiki for wrapping all those presents - here's one I did earlier this week, a simple blue wrap for a 15 year old boy.

As well as enjoying experimenting to find the right wrap for a gift, I'm always on the look out for eco friendly and original cards to add to my stock. I have some great re-usable Cloth & Card cards like these made by my sister, Oli;

Dig the Earth is another favourite for his bright, zingy designs;

Aleximo Croissant's alien is a big hit with my nephews;

and I was really pleased when I finally got round to visiting The Gift Tag, a gem of a shop in our village, to find a great selection of handmade cards and photo cards with local views.

Wrap in rap

2011-09-06T22:17:00.002+01:00

Just spotted the myfuroshiki wraps featured in this great 'Please, think about the planet' rap from Ethical Community!

1000 birds project - every little helps

2011-04-21T16:18:00.003+01:00

This project has been set up by Makiko Hastings, a Japanese ceramicist who currently lives in North Yorkshire, with the aim of raising money to help Japan recover from the devastating earthquake / tsunami on 11th March 2011. Makiko has family and friends in Japan, where many others are affected by the earthquake. As you can imagine, Japan’s recovery will take a long time, it could take decades for people to get their lives back. They need help more than ever. Makiko believes every little helps and can make a difference, which led her to the idea of selling 1000 handmade ceramic birds. All sales of the birds will go to Japan Earthquake appeal.

Makiko explains more about the project in her blog here.

The birds are available to buy at CAKEWALK in Ilkley or at Makiko's stall at Knaresborough Easter Fayre on Saturday 23rd April.

It's a wrap!

2011-04-04T21:30:00.001+01:00

So pleased to see one of the myfuroshiki silk dupion furoshiki featured in this great, 'It's a wrap', Etsy treasury selected by DG Designs. Thank you, Debbie!

Lampwork Turquoise Sterling Silver Wire Wrapped Bracelet

by DG Designs

Auction for Japan

2011-03-27T14:52:00.002+01:00

Whilst the awful images of the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami on Japan are no longer dominating the front pages, the suffering continues with over 10,000 people confirmed dead, over 16,000 still missing and many living in evacuation centres. The scale of destruction and upheaval is so immense that it's hard to comprehend. It's heartening nonetheless to see how people around the world have responded with so many gestures of support.

One of these is a fabulous auction of bespoke jewellery and handmade textiles being held by The Collective to raise money for the Japan relief fund via OXFAM. The auction will run from Monday 28^th March 2PM GMT until Monday 4^th April 8:30pm GMT. All of the money raised will be paid into a PayPal account which will then be paid onto the Japan fund via the OXFAM site.

Items on offer include Bespoke Jewellery kindly donated by:

Joy Funnell ; Izzy of Flame and Glass; Barbara Lewis ; Emma Ralph; Lush Lampwork; Lori Anderson; KookieDesigns; Clair WolfeDesigns; Kristin Smith of K S Jewellery Designs; CeeGee Jewellery Designs ; C-Urchin, Anna Stassen Saukura Jewellery; Jemima Lumley

plus stunning artisan Lampwork beads donated by the following artists:

Ray Skene, Annelyse Taylor, Glittering Prize, Rebecca Weddell, moogin, c-urchin, Emma Ralph, Chameleon Designs, Clare Scott , Cheeky Cherubs , Sublime Beads and Flame and Glass

and beautiful handmade Textile donations from:

Lisa Pidgeon of dharmaflyer; Bev Hicklin of Hattie Rae and Atelier Glass and Lazy Daisy Glass and myfuroshiki.

Please pop over to the auction page and have a look. It is easy to bid, just follow the e-mail link and state your name, auction lot number that you are bidding on and your bid amount in £ sterling please.

Bunny wraps

2011-03-23T22:43:00.000Z

Just been practising my bunny wraps, ideal for all those easter eggs and other gifts.

These cheerful checked furoshiki are now in our Folksy and Etsy stores, and also available in blue and green.

Happy wrapping!

Coming soon

2011-03-16T05:00:00.000Z

In like a lion

2011-03-06T17:46:00.002Z

I love our house - it's part of a much larger mill owner's house which was added to over the years to create a marvellous Georgian / Victorian hodgepodge. Our bit is the oddest shaped (very tall and narrow) and quirky with a tower room which, the estate agent told us, was built so the owner could look across the village to the churchyard where his young wife was buried. Nothing like a story of doomed romance to entrance a buyer. Rather more prosaically (and probably), it also has an excellent view of the entrance to the mill yard and any dilatory workers!

There is a price to pay for character though and the blocked up doorways and rickety floor boards all make for quite a draughty home. Our living room door, in particular, would never stay shut so I had a play and now we have a furoshiki doorstop!

The wraps shown here are the basic furoshiki gift wrap - which has the advantage of creating a handle for when you want to move the doorstop - and a more dramatic looking wrap created by putting all the corners up above the centre, then knotting one around the others to hold them in place. The furoshiki themselves are about 1 metre square and made from remnants so tying them in different ways creates different patterns.

The inside is a calico bag with a velcro fastening which can be filled with sand or rice or beans or whatever you have to hand.

And there you have it - a quick, easy and flexible solution to doors with a mind of their own! Available soon from the myfuroshiki folksy and etsy shops.

2011-03-06T03:23:00.002Z

Just contemplating all the things I'm going to / have to do today. It's always important to include a few treats I think and one of mine will definitely be taking five minutes or so to browse the new UK Handmade magazine - over ninety pages of inspirational articles, 'meets' and 'makes' - including an interview I was lucky enough to be able to do with the amazing Suzanne Stallard of Jelly. Read all about it!

Ethical community

2011-02-28T06:48:00.000Z

In essence selling online is easy; all you need is a computer and a camera and you're away. But how best to reach the people who'd be mostly likely to appreciate your particular product? Setting aside the tricky subject of online marketing and social networking, one of the most important things it seems to me is to find an online market place which caters for like minded folk. That is why I was so pleased to find Ethical Community, a site which combines interesting and wide ranging articles, interviews and news with a marketplace for eco products. Perfect for myfuroshiki and we're even featured in a seller's interview! I can see this is somewhere I'll be spending a lot more time.

Rays of sunshine

2011-02-22T07:37:00.000Z

We've not had the best start to the new year and as a result myfuroshiki has been sadly neglected. Catching up, it really brightened my day to see that myfuroshiki has been featured in two etsy treasuries recently - such a lovely surprise, especially when they are such charming and colourful selections as these - thank you Gemeaux Designs and smora79.

Out and about

2011-01-23T09:22:00.000Z

Just starting to book the myfuroshiki markets for 2011 (carefully arranged around my son's sporting calendar!). Here's where to find us so far. Put a note in your diary to come by and say hello.

April

Saturday 30, 10am-4pm, Handmade at Haworth Jo from the Arts Factory has been busy arranging lots of great events for 2011. This one's at the The Old School Room where Charlotte Bronte taught, just across from The Parsonage. Lots of handmade loveliness including jewellery, textiles, photography, arts and crafts, with tea and cakes from Trufood Catering (worth a visit in themselves!). Free entry.

July

Saturday 2, 10am-4pm - Made-it craft fair, St Margaret's Hall, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 5LQ Come along for a wonderful selection of hand made crafts, all sold by the maker, a cafe serving delicious home baked cakes and free children's craft activities allowing you to browse at your leisure. Free admission.

October

Saturday 15, 10am-4pm, Handmade at Haworth in The Old School Room Back again for lots of handmade loveliness including jewellery, textiles, photography, arts and crafts, with tea and cakes from Trufood Catering (worth a visit in themselves!). Free entry.

December

Saturday 3, 10am-4pm, Arts Market, Riddings Hall, Christchurch, Riddings Road, Ilkley, LS29 9LW Gorgeous handmade gifts and goodies - nothing bought in or mass produced - and catering from the ever scrumptious Trufood. Free admission.

Favourite finds - Jemma Louise Murphy

2011-01-16T07:31:00.019Z

Jemma Louise Murphy applies kanzashi techniques to paper to create stunning artwork and brooches, which are available through Folksy. She also creates gorgeous ACEOs and digital artwork and then creates 3D versions of her illustrations, combining her love of origami with her little luvlee drawings. See more of her wonderful work here.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-15T09:37:00.000Z

A cute, maneki neko cat, a present from my son, with his paw raised to beckon in prosperity - let's hope he has a busy year!

A little belated, I know, but after a rather frantic end to 2010 and then a couple of weeks rushing around tidying up after it, I feel that the new year's begun! The boiler's mended (heating + hot water = bliss); lots of little things around the house that needed fixing have finally been done; the local Scope shop has benefited from several bags of donations; the spare bedroom, aka the myfuroshiki creation centre, is beautifully ordered and ready to replenish stocks and my diary is filling up with plans and ideas. Welcome to 2011!

gift wrapping ideas - basic fabric wrap & homemade gift tag

2010-12-05T10:36:00.002Z

I'm busy wrapping myfuroshiki fabulous floral gift sets ready for the Ilkley Arts Market next Saturday and the Christmas Charity Craft Fair in Saltaire on Sunday, using a basic, otsukai tsutsumi, wrap. Here's how it's done.

Gather the items to be wrapped - in this case the bag handles, wrapping instructions, little origami crane (a tiny treat) and larger furoshiki

and place in the centre of the wrapping furoshiki, across the diagonal (I've folded the larger furoshiki around the handles etc to make a neat pile).

Starting from the bottom corner, roll the gift up in the furoshiki.

Start to tie a reef (square knot) bringing the lefthand corner over then under the right hand one.

Take your gift tag, if using. I've threaded some beads and a bell onto a piece of ribbon and knotted it to form a loop, then threaded on a pretty piece of card (you could cut up and recycle last year's cards for this). The decorated ribbon can then be reused as a little decoration or as the basis for another gift tag.

Thread the ribbon onto the left hand corner of the furoshiki wrap

and complete the reef (square) knot by bringing the lefthand corner up over and then under the right hand one.

And that's it, a pretty, easy, eco-friendly gift wrap!

ps These sets are also available on Folksy and Etsy, and in red and green fabric - please take a look.

Take a moment

2010-12-04T07:28:00.000Z

(photo by Heidi Burton)

It can be so busy at this time of year - presents to choose, gifts to wrap (with furoshiki, of course!) cards to write and family and friends to visit. This afternoon, however, I'm going to take a few moments and settle down to browse through the winter issue of UK Handmade Magazine.

It's packed full of interviews from UK based designers, Scandinavian inspired articles and treats as well as a wealth of useful business articles, events, tutorials and reviews - and it's free! I am so impressed with all the very hard work that Anna Stassen and Karen Jinks and the rest of the UK Handmade team voluntarily put in to create such a high quality magazine.

And, being online, it's available immediately, at the click of a mouse and is carbon neutral - the perfect treat!

Snow go!

2010-12-03T06:42:00.003Z

Well, the snow is still with us and a heavy fall on Wednesday made the roads too treacherous for me to venture out to the Baildon at Christmas craft market. This was such a shame as it was a lovely event last year with a great atmosphere. The same spirit seems to have prevailed this year though with some, more local, crafters truding through the snow and bringing their stock by sledge, in order to take part!

Tomorrow our son was due to have run in the ESAA Cross Country Cup final. We were really looking forward to this as, having been held in Newquay in Cornwall last year, it was in the slightly more accessible Alnwick this year and, even better, in the grounds of Hogwarts :) itself ...

(image via zoewanamaker)

which at the moment looks rather more like this ...

(image via ESAA)

... and so the race has been rescheduled to March.

But, GOOD NEWS, this does mean that myfuroshiki will now be at tonight's Eclectic Stitch

... weather permitting!!

Christmas is coming!

2010-11-28T09:19:00.001Z

We've woken this morning to a very pretty wintry scene with clear blue skies and a dusting of snow on the hills and roofs. I'm looking forward to making the Christmas pudding, following our traditional family recipe and, looking back to when I blogged about it last year, my tradition of being a week late in making it (apparently Stir Up Sunday was last week!).

Whilst the pudding is steaming I'll write our Christmas cards to family and friends who are overseas so I can get their parcels posted in time to meet the Royal Mail's recommended last posting dates. I'm always surprised to find how early they are:

International Airmail

Monday 6 December South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand

Friday 10 December Eastern Europe, USA and Canada

Monday 13 December Western Europe

UK

Wednesday 15 December Standard Parcels

Saturday 18 December Second Class

Tuesday 21 December First Class

I will, of course, post myfuroshiki orders as soon as I can.

Ta da!

2010-11-27T14:30:00.000Z

Time for a little bit of furoshiki-ing in a day packed full of sport (cricket, cross country - well done, Thomas! :) - and rugby to come). Just thought I'd sneak in a couple of pictures of our new style wrapping instructions, which form a wrap in themselves. Perhaps a little fancifully I was thinking of kimono belts - with the paper folded to show two different layers and everything held in place by a recycled offcut of fabric, left from when I hemmed the furoshiki. Must dash to watch the rugby and wrap some more...

Folksy festive sampler

2010-11-23T21:21:00.002Z

Just heard that we're likely to have snow this week - definitely time to settle down inside, with a nice cup of something warm, for a browse through the folksy festive sampler.

Open publication - Free publishing - More artists

Reusable by design

2010-11-22T20:31:00.000Z

A new addition to the family - a very warm welcome and big cheer for my sister Olivia's gorgeous new venture, cloth&card!

Olivia and I started out together with myfuroshiki in 2009, but this year Oli has branched out to develop the concept of co-ordinating recycled, reusable cards, hence the creation of cloth&card. She has a beautiful range of gift wraps and matching cards made from fabric and recycled card available through Etsy and the Australian Made-It site including some lovely Christmas fabrics.

Gift wrapping inspiration

2010-11-19T06:39:00.000Z

And here are links to a couple more treasuries, one drawn from Folksy and one from Etsy, packed with gift wrapping inspiration ... and featuring myfuroshiki silk furoshiki. Thank you, Esme

and WhiteNoiseMaker.

Fabulous furoshiki

2010-11-13T17:40:00.002Z

I'm so pleased to have come across a small stock of fabulous printed silk dupion which I've made into some luxurious furoshiki. The colours and designs of these silks are beautiful and the fabric is a joy to wrap with. They would make the perfect wrapping for a precious Christmas or perhaps wedding gift. To complete these special wraps, are handsewn tiny pouches each decorated with a beaded ribbon to carry a special message.

Some of the smaller squares would make beautiful pictures, framed in a dark wood frame. The larger squares can also easily be folded and knotted to create unique evening bags.

These fabulous furoshiki can be found on Folksy and on Etsy and featured in these lovely treasuries:

If a FELTED ACORN or 500 of them fell in a forest would the DEER FOX or OWL hear it?

Christmas - Everything Else Style!

fine small gifts

Thank you Luxe Plumes, Crafted Roots and abingh20!

Stocking up

2010-10-24T15:14:00.000+01:00

What a glorious autumn day! Bright blue skies, traces of frost on the stone walls, golden, red and brown woods, the soft purpley, blue and green of the hillsides and that hint of cold that energises you into preparing for winter. A great time for stocking up and settling in - we went to visit my mother yesterday and came away laden with jars of homemade chutney and jam.

I've also been replenishing the stores at my furoshiki and have that happy sense that our website and all our shops - Folksy, Etsy (US dollars), Coriandr and Dawanda (euros) are now stocked with the full range of our own design, hand screenprinted furoshiki. These are the perfect size for reusable gift wrapping, be it a couple of jars of jam, some homemade biscuits, or a fruit loaf (my mind is definitely in provisioning mode!). If you're spoilt for choice, there's now free UK delivery on all orders over £10 and a flat rate of £2 p&p on orders of £10 or less - so no excuse for not stocking up yourselves!

UK Handmade

2010-09-01T06:08:00.003+01:00

Fresh off the presses is the Autumn edition of UK Handmade magazine - and I've just been having a quick browse as amongst arigumi creations, japanese inspired cupcakes and halloween cats, it features instructions for a furoshiki wrap from us. Happy wrapping!

Time for a break!

2010-08-16T23:25:00.004+01:00

Myfuroshiki will be closed until 1 September whilst Oli and I recharge our batteries ready for an exciting spring / autumn. Here's a sneak preview of some of the things we've been working on:

Fabulous silk furoshiki, for luxury gift wrapping, evening or wedding bags

In keeping with furoshiki's environmentally friendly ethos, we're introducing a range of our own design, organic cotton furoshiki.

and creating some 'boro' (rag) furoshiki from (well washed) recycled fabric.

Happy holidays! Mich

Bradford Treehouse Cafe

2010-08-15T22:07:00.004+01:00

Just a few photos from a fun day at the Bradford Treehouse Cafe where there was glass making, face painting and other activities plus a few stalls ... and some delicious flapjack. Thanks to Kat aka Mrs SewandSew for organising the market.

Laura's Little Lovelies

Dig the Earth

and myfuroshiki

Pretty Party Bags

2010-07-01T08:33:00.005+01:00

My social life has gone completely to pot, but Lily and George are the veritable party animals. George's 1st birthday party is coming up this month and I was wondering if there was a more eco friendly alternative to the conventional plastic party bags. Here are some of the furoshiki party wraps that I've been working on which are available on Etsy. Each has a pretty fabric tie attached, so you simply fill the centre of the wrap with goodies and then scoop them up inside and make a bow around the top to form cute little party treat bundles. Pretty, original and reusable!

I love handmade

2010-06-27T07:47:00.007+01:00

Handmade things have that extra something special, that extra bit of imagination, effort and care which makes them so unique. Kev Connell of DigTheEarth celebrates these in his I Love Handmade blog which brings a daily dose of handmade loveliness. Today's post featured the work of the extremely talented Buri Boo, winner of Leeds Emerging Artist Award 2010, who was at yesterday's Folksy party - and last Friday's post was a myfuroshiki flexible furoshiki bag! Thank you, Kev, for including us in such great company!

Recycle, recycle

2010-06-23T20:35:00.006+01:00

A special piece of recycling for today - a return visit to a previous post on how we recycle when making furoshiki and their accessories.

We try to recycle in various ways, using recycled fabric (such as ex-display curtains) for furoshiki bags and using fabric remnants for patchwork, ties and pom poms. My favourite though are Oli's card creations, made from left over fabric and old packaging. The cards are in themselves reusable - simply replace the paper insert - and come with their own message for the recipient:

"Please reuse me again & again. A gift for the planet, as well as a friend."

A selection of cards is available on Etsy - with free shipping!

See Jane go green

2010-06-22T21:53:00.010+01:00

Very appropriately for Recycling Week, here's a blog I just came across which is well worth a read. Written by someone who describes herself as an 'average Jane', it covers a range of environmental issues and actions we can all take to go that little bit greener.

The author likes Kathy Reichs and furoshiki - and even mentions us - she should be good and she is!

Recycle week: 21 - 27 June

2010-06-22T04:32:00.003+01:00

We try to recycle where we can and it's very easy to do with those items which crop up on a regular basis - paper, glass and tins in the recycling bin; vegetable stuff on the compost; plastic and card to the local recycling centre and, when it's available, fabric into furoshiki :)

Other things though tend to accumulate and so inspired by Recycle Week, I'm going to do what I've been meaning to do for ages (ever since the sun starting shining in on all those dark corners of clutter!) and start a big clear out! My son's outgrown bike is going to his cousin and I'm finally going to find out what best to do with various unused electrical goods. Unfortunately I'm not near a BHF Furniture & Electrical store but if you are (there are more than 90 across the UK), you can donate old electrical items in your home that are in good working order and help them raise money for their charity. To find your nearest BHF Furniture and Electrical store or for more information please visit www.bhf.org.uk/recycle

Find out about Folksy

2010-06-20T12:41:00.006+01:00

I'm very excited to be going to my first ever Folksy party next Saturday. Organised by the Jo from Glassprimitif, this is part of the Shorn Keighley exhibition.

12 members of Folksy.com will be selling their craft and handmade items in the Keighley Arts Factory from 10am to 3pm. The gallery is open to all, so please come along to see some of the handcrafted loveliness of

Ruby Spirit Designs :: Mrs Sew and Sew :: Quernus Crafts :: Northfield Primitives :: Glassprimitif :: Angels & Butterflies :: Print for Love of Wood :: Dig The Earth :: Adeegan :: Pamdas :: My Furoshiki

Find out about Folksy
Keighley Arts Factory
North Street
Keighley, BD21 3DF

My flexible furoshiki two handled bag

2010-06-17T20:56:00.005+01:00

And here are the links to the instructions for the other bags shown: grocery bag, loop handled bag, ring handled bag, summer purse and the drop bag, plus some ideas on different fabrics to use. Happy wrapping!

My flexible furoshiki summer grocery bag

2010-06-16T05:00:00.002+01:00

And here are the links to the instructions for the other bags shown: two handled bag, loop handled bag, ring handled bag, summer purse and the drop bag, plus some ideas on different fabrics to use. Happy wrapping!

My flexible furoshiki loop handled bag

2010-06-14T21:22:00.003+01:00

And here are the links to the instructions for the other bags shown: two handled bag, grocery bag, ring handled bag, summer purse and the drop bag, plus some ideas on different fabrics to use. Happy wrapping!

My flexible furoshiki ring handled bag

2010-06-12T07:30:00.004+01:00

Made for smart sauntering!

And here are the links to the instructions for the other bags shown: two handled bag, grocery bag, loop handled bag, summer purse and the drop bag, plus some ideas on different fabrics to use. Happy wrapping!

My flexible furoshiki bag fabrics

2010-06-10T14:07:00.014+01:00

One of the (many) great things about making furoshiki bags is that there are so many beautiful fabrics to choose from and each one gives a slightly different effect. Here are some that we've tried:

2 lightweight cotton fabrics - in this case, one hand screenprinted with one of our own designs - form a reversible furoshiki for a super versatile bag, with twice as many looks. There are more examples of Olivia's creations in our Etsy store.

A single layer of slightly firmer cotton creates a soft summery bag. I love these tied in the style with two loop handles, which can be adjusted to open and close the bag.

Lightweight calico, for an everyday, hardwearing bag. These have been handstamped with our logo.

I'm also planning some calico furoshiki with designs screenprinted in opposite quadrants. This gives a very quick and easy way of changing the look of a furoshiki bag, particularly a drop or purse style one - by just changing the diagonal on which it's folded, a different element of the design becomes visible.

Lightweight furnishing fabrics are also ideal for the metre square furoshiki (as in our Folksy shop) and the ones with larger scale designs are very effective. They also make great picnic tablecloths.

Really any square of fabric can be used as long as it's not too bulky to knot and not so slippery that the knots work themselves loose; a silk scarf or, as suggested by Audrey's Cat, a piece of kimono fabric could make a stunning evening bag.

And here are the links to some bag tying instructions: two handled bag, grocery bag, loop handled bag, ring handled bag, summer purse and the drop bag, plus some ideas on different fabrics to use. Happy wrapping!

My flexible furoshiki summer purse bag

2010-06-09T22:46:00.003+01:00

And here are the links to the instructions for the other bags shown: two handled bag, grocery bag, loop handled bag, ring handled bag and the drop bag, plus some ideas on different fabrics to use. Happy wrapping!

My flexible furoshiki summer bag

2010-05-23T20:52:00.014+01:00

Summer time - and the women's magazines and weekend supplements are packed with advice on where to go for the best holiday, how to achieve that gorgeous beach body and what to wear when you're there but, when you've packed the perfect capsule wardrobe, with an outfit for every occasion, how do you manage to fit in a bag for every look?

Simple - just tuck in a metre square furoshiki and a pair of handles and with a two or three knots you can create bags to take you from shopping at the market to picnicking on the beach, off sightseeing and out to dinner...

Here's a reminder of how to tie the drop bag, with instructions for the others to follow:

And please take a look in our online shops over the next few days where lots of fabulous fabrics, ideal for summer bags, will be listed soon.

And here are the links to the instructions for the other bags shown: two handled bag, grocery bag, loop handled bag, ring handled bag and the summer purse, plus some ideas on different fabrics to use. Happy wrapping!

WTD??

2010-05-23T17:04:00.007+01:00

Did you know that today, 23 May, is World Turtle Day? This was started by the American Tortoise Rescue in 2000 " to increase respect and knowledge for the world's oldest creatures, These gentle animals have been around for about 200 million years, yet they are rapidly disappearing as a result of the exotic food industry, habitat destruction and the cruel pet trade.".

I only just found out but as it happens I've been trying my hand at a turtle themed screenprint for our furoshiki. So, to celebrate the turtles, here's the wip ... (and it is v much wip :) )

Furoshiki for today - shoulder bag

2010-05-23T14:58:00.006+01:00

What a glorious day, 28 degrees and a gentle breeze. It was certainly no hardship watching my son play cricket this morning ... and, of course, furoshiki came too. This is the standard bag wrap; which makes a roomy bag, ideal for toting around the Sunday papers, sun cream etc.

* Apologies for the picture quality - taken on my mobile.

Furoshiki for today - grocery wrap

2010-05-21T09:54:00.000+01:00

I had to stop off at the supermarket for a few groceries today and so out came my trusty furoshiki (I think the checkout lady thought it was a little strange!), on piled the groceries, two opposite corners were knotted together, then the other two and, voila, a grocery wrap!

And look how much I managed to fit into it (the crisps are not all for me ... )

What's in the furoshiki today?

2010-05-19T09:30:00.002+01:00

Now that the weather's getting warmer, I've been taking packed lunches to work wrapped, of course, in a furoshiki.

Just place your lunchbox in the centre of the furoshiki, across the diagonal; roll the top and bottom corners over the box and then simply knot the right and left ones. The furoshiki holds everything together, with the knot forming a handy handle, and when unwrapped doubles up as a placemat / napkin - how easy is that?

The bento box is from the Japan Centre and I wish I could show you some beautifully arranged Japanese style contents but it's just some salad in one layer and cherry tomatoes and grapes in the other! Just take a look on Flickr under 'bento' tho and you'll find lots of really amazing designs - even if I didn't have a child to hurry out of the house and a train to catch in the mornings I couldn't manage these.

Furoshiki for today

2010-05-17T19:50:00.005+01:00

Here's how to carry home an A2 sized pad of tracing paper with ease - just take one metre squared furoshiki + apply a portfolio wrap! Now I'm all set to copy my new design for screen printing tomorrow!

Super cute kawaii

2010-05-09T06:55:00.003+01:00

Super cute kawaii is the place to go for a daily dose of handmade cuteness and Japanese kawaii so I was really pleased to see that myfuroshiki been featured there.

Thank you, Claire & mar-c et merci Monsieur Le Bun!

Pretty Pocket Furoshiki

2010-05-01T03:42:00.010+01:00

Today's creation just listed on Etsy:

This pretty pocket furoshiki is a gorgeous gift in itself, with three pockets to organise your bits and bobs - lingerie, scarves, haberdashery, napery, children's treasures........

Simply place your things in each of the three pockets, knot the tops, then turn the fourth lined pocket inside out, so that it forms an ingenious pouch with everything beautifully stored within.

*FREE SHIPPING*.

summer in a bag

2010-04-18T10:24:00.005+01:00

Why carry lots of bags and rugs when a furoshiki will do? Just fold and knot the furoshiki to create the bag you need:

- A shoulder bag to carry your things to the beach - then undo the knots and you have beachmat
- Basket style for your picnic, and unwrap for a picnic cloth
- A variety of handbags to carry all those essentials whether you're out in the evening, or in the day
- or even for the slender, a sarong!

See them now in our Coriandr, Dawanda and Folksy shops.

Ilkley Arts Market

2010-04-12T06:55:00.005+01:00

Another nice day at an Ilkley Arts Market, great company, beautiful crafts and lovely food.
Many thanks to Jo & Rifat from KAF for organising it and to all who came along!

Ilkley Arts Market

2010-04-09T12:10:00.004+01:00

I'm having a great day pottering around getting ready for the KAF Ilkley Arts Market tomorrow. Here's one of the furoshiki and cards I've been making.

If you'd like to see more and plus a great selection of jewellery, ceramics, textiles, wood, photography and painting from other makers, come along between 10am and 4pm to Riddings Hall, Riddings Hall, Christchurch, The Grove, Ilkley. Hope to see you there!

Card Creations

2010-04-04T06:03:00.005+01:00

Happy Easter!

Am feeling pretty chuffed with myself, as have been busy creating some recycled, reusable greeting cards. Simply replace the paper insert and use the outer fabric covered card again. Each one comes with a little furoshiki that folds & tucks around the card to form a dinky envelope - no knots necessary!

Please check out our Etsy online shop for more photos & details.

Olivia :-)

First fair of the year; first fair in Leeds

2010-03-21T21:06:00.003Z

Only a week to go to our first fair of the year and our first craft fair in Leeds. Organised by the lovely Kirsten and Deborah from Made-it, there'll be a great range of quality crafts, all handmade and perfect for gifts or to treat yourself.

Come along for some bright and colourful spring furoshiki and learn some novel, eco-friendly ways to wrap your Easter eggs.

Saturday, 27 March, 10:30-16:00

St Margaret's Church Hall

Church Road
HorsforthLeeds
West Yorkshire
LS18 5LQ

Hope to see you there!

Spring is sprung!

2010-03-08T06:40:00.005Z

After almost 3 months of on and off snow, the snowdrops are out and the sun is shining. And, here to celebrate, are some fresh, bright furoshiki. All available on Folksy and Coriandr.

easy peasy lemon squeezy

2010-02-24T13:04:00.006Z

Am off to a 1st birthday party with Lily & George, so thought I'd show the wrapped presents that we're taking along. A little something for birthday boy's older brother - a dinky toy car wrapped in a mini fish furoshiki, using a 1 knot basic wrap. For the main man's present - a book, a Thomas the Tank Engine toy & a card wrapped up in a medium lime crinkle furoshiki, using the 2 knot four leaf wrap. Total wrapping time about 2mins - no sticky tape, no tearing, no scissors, no waste. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Looking forward to tea & cakes.

Olivia :)

We've madeit!

2010-02-02T05:41:00.008Z

A Very Happy New Year from Down Under!

Good news for our Australian shoppers, we've opened an online shop with the Australian handmade market, madeit. The link is listed to the right of our blog with the rest of the online shops, there's also the madeit widget that you can use to access the site, or simply click here.

Check out our pretty reversible furoshiki bags which come with illustrations for knotting 9 different styles. Sling one over your shoulder and head to the beach (a bag, mat, picnic cloth & sarong all in one!).

Have fun shopping and please contact me if you have any queries or special requests.

Olivia

:-)

Hold the front page!

2010-01-17T22:06:00.004Z

How great to see our red geometric furoshiki featured on the front pages of both Coriandr and Folksy today!

New Year, new furoshiki

2010-01-17T16:49:00.003Z

Having had a long and relaxing break, cocooned with family, we've got lots of ideas for new furoshiki. Here are a couple, both of which would be ideal for wrapping Valentine's presents.

I've been collecting pieces of silk and other luxurious fabrics and some beautiful trims to add to our "fabulous furoshiki" set. Here's a pink, cream, brown and gold silk furoshiki - simple but striking?

I've also raided my stash of fabrics to make this shabby chic gingham and floral hearts furoshiki and reusable felt gift tag. The hearts are made from Cath Kidston Rosali fabric which is just so pretty.

Both of these furoshiki are available in our Folksy and Coriandr shops.

myfuroshiki advent calendar 25

2009-12-25T11:06:00.006Z

* Day 25 *

Merry Christmas!

myfuroshiki advent calendar 24

2009-12-24T05:59:00.004Z

* Day 24 *

Almost there and I'm back on track!

Taonga Jewellery

Even though we've never met, we've met some great people online this year and it's been such a boost to have such lovely customers - friendly, enthusiastic and general all round nice, nice people! Oh, and very talented too ...

Lili draws pictures

Zebedee

Aleximo Croissant

myfuroshiki advent calendar 23

2009-12-24T05:56:00.005Z

* Day 23 *

Another thank you to our lovely customers and look at some more of their marvellous creations.

Japan Crafts

See the Woods

Talking Beads

myfuroshiki advent calendar 22

2009-12-23T22:57:00.003Z

* Day 22 *

Isn't this gorgeous?
A beautiful Christmas Princess bracelet from Rachel Lucie
that's far too lovely to be just for Christmas!

myfuroshiki advent calendar 21

2009-12-23T22:21:00.006Z

* Day 21*

This lovely furoshiki reminds me of Christmas. I'm not sure if it's because the background looks like the wintry skies we've been having recently when there's been no cloud and the stars look really bright or because the three stones look like Christmas baubles. It's part of a beautiful and interesting series of furoshiki created by Judy Wross. I've seen and admired some of her work on flickr during the year but didn't realise till I read her blog that she has made 52 furoshiki in all, one a week throughout 2009.

myfuroshiki advent calendar 20

2009-12-23T06:54:00.004Z

* Day 20 *

Wrap up warm, it's cold out there!

Some little bits of quirky cuteness courtesy of Quernus Crafts
(who also makes charming customised creatures - take a look at her blog)

myfuroshiki advent calendar 19

2009-12-22T05:07:00.010Z

* Day 19 *

(and normal font service has been resumed ...)

A big thank you to everyone who mentioned us in their blogs.
We've found ourselves in some great places this year:

* The Earth Day feature on Cuteable, run by Lynsey from SwirlyArts
* GlassPrimitif's feature on Folksy Finds
* PiratePixieCrew's Autonomous Artisans' Coriandr feature
* Coriandr Featured seller of the week - thanks to DigTheEarth
* The Coriandr Express blog
* Found on Folksy in It's in the bag
* Making good use of all our fabric scraps in Sew Mama Sew's Scrapbuster month
* Alongside some lovely sellers at Ilkley Market
* Great gift wrapping ideas in Wrapped up in Bow by Aleximo Croissant
* Birmingham Friends of the Earth It's a Wrap for eco-friendly wrapping
* With the cutest deer in Lili Draws Pictures' Happy Holidays post on Craft Candy
* and finally, wrapping it up, in Pink to Green

myfuroshiki advent calendar 18

2009-12-22T04:42:00.006Z

* Day 18 *

Some more of our lovely customers' own creations - this time from etsy.
Snowdrop

Glimpses & Remains

SGSquared

The Creative AZN

myfuroshiki advent calendar 17

2009-12-20T07:14:00.008Z

* Day 17 *

Ooops, a little behind on my days here - just adding to the suspense of Christmas - will I catch up with my advent calendar before the big day or not ... :)

Anyway, another wonderful thing I've discovered this year is google alerts. Mine are set for furoshiki, bojagi and of course myfuroshiki and almost every day they throw up some great links.

Here's one very relevant one I came across this morning. My google alert took me to the intriguingly named Confessions of a Grandma blog and a post about gift wrapping and from that post to Skip to my Lou's, Fun Ways to Wrap Packages (how did my google alerts miss this one back in September?).

There are lots of good posts about alternative gift wrapping and I particularly like this because it includes practical instructions too, for example for pillow gift boxes made from ceral packets, boxes made from recycled greetings card, some lovely cone boxes, ideal for hanging from the tree, and also these cute felt elf shoes from Jolly Allsorts. I have to stop now tho I could spend hours browsing from one link to another. It's a wonderful world out there!

myfuroshiki advent calendar 16

2009-12-16T23:18:00.005Z

* Day 16 *

A big thank you to our customers - what a wonderful and wonderfully talented bunch!

Here are a few of their creations.

Little House

Lily Vanilli

Cottage Crafts

Art by Adora

myfuroshiki advent calendar 15

2009-12-15T03:23:00.009Z

* Day 15 *

Probably the most terrifying thing for us as we started myfuroshiki this year was doing our first markets. Would people like myfuroshiki? Would they even know what one was? Did we have enough stock? How should we display it? We tired ourselves out before we'd even started! But it was all worth it ...

Perth Unwrapped - March 2009

Keighley Arts Factory - April 2009
We've met some great people, customers and fellow stall holders, had some funny experiences and even sold some furoshiki so now, a dozen markets later, we're happily planning our ones for 2010 - watch this space!

myfuroshiki advent calendar 14

2009-12-13T20:37:00.006Z

* Day 14 *

... and the final lot of fabulousness from the Coriandr Express!

Tiny Pretty Things
Sweet Treat
Heart and Soil Baskets
Ruby Spirit Designs

Tomato Tea

myfuroshiki advent calendar 13

2009-12-13T20:26:00.004Z

* Day 13 *

... more current goodies from the Coriandr Express crew ...

Snapdragon Beads
(Alice's Coriandr shop is closed until 2010 but check out her website)

FruteJuce

CeeGee Jewellery

Lej Jewellery

Love, light and peas

myfuroshiki advent calendar 12

2009-12-13T20:15:00.007Z

* Day 12 *

... more of the original Coriandr Express crew ...

Creativesque

Nic's Knots
Mrs Toad Designs
Debbs Elliman

(I think she may be on holiday at the moment, but do call back)
myfuroshiki :)

myfuroshiki advent calendar 11

2009-12-13T19:55:00.004Z

* Day 11 *

One of the things I've really enjoyed about selling on line is getting to "meet" so many wonderful sellers. There's a great sense of community which really came out in the Coriandr Express promotion which we took part in earlier this year. Twenty sellers got together to promote each other for three days at a time. Here's a quick look at what the first five have in their Coriandr shops now.

Dig the Earth

Blue Fish Handmade
Handmaid by Julie Mills
Kitty Ballistic
Pirate Pixie Crew

myfuroshiki advent calendar 10

2009-12-13T19:37:00.005Z

* Day 10 *

There are so many wonderful blogs out there, quirky, funny, interesting, informative ... here are just 3, each with a Japanese connection, that I love to read:

Hiroko lives in Denver and posts beautiful photos of her life there and thoughts on living a greener life on her blog Live Simple Eco Life, Love Green.

Mari is a student in Brazil who writes a blog, M's diary, as part of her English class.

"East meets West at La Fuji Mama, a home cooking blog dedicated to exploring the relationship between food and culture."

Hope you enjoy them too!

myfuroshiki advent calendar 9

2009-12-09T06:04:00.007Z

* Day 9 *

is origami day - beautiful goodies from Buddhist Musician, Wrapped up with String, Little Crane, Snowdrops and Daisies and Sian Bostwick Jewellery.

myfuroshiki advent calendar 8

2009-12-08T19:03:00.007Z

* Day 8 *

Woo hoo! We're very pleased and proud to be one of the featured sellers on Folksy this week!

And here are some glimpses of the others, Champignons, Pants and Paper, Bookity

myfuroshiki advent calendar 7

2009-12-06T22:21:00.007Z

* Day 7 *

Pirate Panda's big ambition is to join the Pirate Pixie Crew so he can sport one of these natty hats!

myfuroshiki advent calendar 6

2009-12-06T22:10:00.005Z

* Day 6 *

We actually had a few rays of sunshine here in Yorkshire today -
nothing to compare with the warmth Oli is enjoying down in Perth tho!

Here's one of her lovely summery bags from our Etsy site.

myfuroshiki advent calendar 5

2009-12-06T06:23:00.008Z

* Day 5 *

A treat for later in the week.
For an amazing array of original handmade and vintage gifts
... and some gorgeous giftwrap ...
come along to the Cakewalk Christmas Night In.

myfuroshiki advent calendar 4

2009-12-03T21:09:00.008Z

* Day 4 *

Really happy to see our green Father Christmas wrap featured in the Folksy hot picks, alongside this gorgeously lustrous silk scarf from Handmaid by Julie Mills.

ps ... and it's reduced to just £20 ...

myfuroshiki advent calendar 3

2009-12-02T22:00:00.013Z

* Day 3 *

Oh to be curled up on the sofa with a good book and
one of these lovely book marks from Creativesque to keep my place.

myfuroshiki advent calendar 2

2009-12-01T22:00:00.004Z

* Day 2 *

It had to be ... the cutest thing this side of Christmas ...
Aleximo Croissant's original Alien Boy

myfuroshiki advent calendar 1

2009-12-01T04:24:00.009Z

* Day 1 *

A little celebration of the approach of Christmas and a look back at some of the lovely things we've seen and done this year.

It's got red, it's got stars and tiny silver baubles - a gorgeously christmassy red rainbow pin from the lovely Ruby Spirit Designs

Christmas pudding

2009-11-29T15:00:00.006Z

Well it's pouring down with icy cold rain - a lovely day for staying at home and catching up with life. I've been pottering round the kitchen, reorganising the cupboards and making Christmas pudding and (since what is a pudding cloth but a furoshiki by another name?) I thought I'd share the results.

Pudding topped with greaseproof paper, waiting to be wrapped - I just wanted to show a picture of the basin, an old one of my Gran's which is now a lovely mottled colour after years of pudding making service:

Pudding wrapped and ready to steam:

Both the pudding recipe and the wrap are super simple. Here's the recipe for the pudding: In a large bowl, mix 1 mug of each of the following: plain flour, brown sugar, currants, sultanas, suet, white breadcrumbs plus 1.5 teaspoons of mixed spice and 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder. Add 1 mug of milk and stir well. Put into greased pudding basin (to give some idea of size, mine holds c 2.5 pints), cover with greaseproof paper (with a pleat in the middle) and secure with string. Tie in pudding cloth using water melon wrap and steam for at least 6 hours. This should be done about a month before you want to eat it. On day of use steam for a further 2 hours.

And here's a reminder of the "watermelon" ... "pumpkin" ... and now "Christmas pudding" wrap ...

The best waste

2009-11-25T04:39:00.014Z

... is that which is not produced! I've been meaning to blog about this for while and so, as it's European Waste Reduction Week, thought this was a fitting moment. I loved Sew, Mama, Sew's October Scrap Busters features as I hate to throw fabric away and am always looking for new tips. Here's a little history of how the small, smaller and smallest remnants of furoshiki fabrics are put to good use.

small - patchwork pocket furoshiki and rosettes

smaller - overlocking offcuts plaited into ribbons

smallest - fluffy fabric pompoms

(I was trying to do a neat little presentation of interlinked photos using powerpoint and converting it into a picture file but ended up with something that would have required a microscope to see! So I'm afraid it's the standard inserted photos again :) Mich)

20 minutes!?

2009-11-23T03:32:00.007Z

I've just read an amazing statistic that disposable bags from shopping centres are used for an average of only 20 minutes before being thrown away! Can that be right? It sounds shockingly short. Whatever the exact number, opting for reusable bags for our shopping is an easy action that can have a big impact on waste and is one of the top tips recommended as part of this week's snappily entitled European Week of Waste Reduction. As they say, not only do disposable bags become waste very quickly, but if not disposed of carefully they can pollute the countryside and the sea. Plastic bags that end up in the sea can kill sea turtles, dolphins or sharks who confuse them with jellyfish and swallow them.

There are more tips on waste reduction on the EWWR site and little reminder of how to create a very quick and simple grocery wrap here.

It's a wrap group!

2009-11-08T03:57:00.005Z

"Let's be honest, wrapping gifts in paper, it’s all about the eye candy and not much about the environment. In the UK, we waste stacks of trees and resources with glitzy paper for a 20 second fix. It is estimated by Waste online that over Christmas as much as 83 square km of wrapping paper will end up in UK rubbish bins, enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey and the total waste wrapping paper the UK produces over Christmas could stretch to the moon if each sheet was laid end to end...." Birmingham Friends of the Earth.

So it's great to see that Mary Horesh from Birmingham Friends of the Earth is setting up a group called “Its a wrap” centering on alternative wrapping for Christmas.

She's looking for fellow crafters to come along and help make items such as material gift bags for bottles and CDs out of reclaimed material. See here for more info.

Her aim is that what's produced will be sold in aid of Birmingham Friends of the Earth at their annual Christmas Fair in Birmingham on the 19th December in Moseley. I'm sorry that I can't go along to see all of the goodness - but some myfuroshiki will be there!

A gift that gives twice

2009-10-30T07:27:00.010Z

Over on Folksy Laura Cameron has had the wonderful idea of setting up a shop to raise some funds for Cancer Research UK. As she says, this is a great time for selling handmade as people are starting to think about Christmas presents but a difficult time as people start to think about Christmas without people they love.

This is a really good cause and one which is close to our hearts as several of our close relatives have battled with cancer, so we're really pleased to donate one of our screenprinted panda furoshiki, with free p&p, to join the fantastic selection of gifts, cards and Christmas decorations. Please have a look for a gift that will give twice over.

Fish n Chips

2009-10-29T01:26:00.011Z

Ok, it's a loose connection - more 'fish n choc chips', than the genuine deep fried variety. Had been thinking about Christmas gifts this year and wanted to do some home baked goodies wrapped in a furoshiki, but was wondering how to avoid getting sticky goo on the fabric. Thought of a bento box, then thought maybe an origami version in recycled paper, thought of traditional newspaper wrapped fish and chips - bingo - a newspaper origami bento box, wrapped in our fish print, containing choc chip cookies.

There's a really easy to follow origami box tutorial here (just make a slightly smaller one for the lid) and here's a super simple choc chip cookie recipe:

125g butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 3/4 cup SR flour

125g choc chips

Melt butter in saucepan, add sugar, egg & essence - stir.

Allow to cool slightly.

Add flour & choc chips - stir.

Make tsp sized balls & put on baking paper on baking trays.

Press with fork.

Bake at 180oc for 10-12mins.

I used the baking paper from the cookies to line the newspaper box.

Happy baking & wrapping!

Olivia :)

Sew, Mama, Sew!

2009-10-28T07:01:00.011Z

Have you a hoard of fabric scraps that you can't bear to throw away?
Looking for some inspiration for creative Christmas presents?

Take a look at Sew, Mama, Sew's October "Scrap Busters" blog for dozens of fantastic ideas and tutorials. Necklaces, flowers, christmas decorations, eye masks, belts, bags, skirts, crayon rolls, cd holders, cushions, pictures, finger puppets, jam jar covers, pin cushions, books, table runners
.... and our very own patchwork pocket furoshiki ...
and lots, lots more!

Christmas is coming (2)

2009-10-25T22:43:00.006Z

Only 8 weeks till Christmas - put like that it doesn't seem very far away at all! So, in an effort to be prepared, I've been busy listing some of our own design, handprinted, Christmas themed furoshiki.

fabulous furoshiki

2009-10-24T18:52:00.009+01:00

So pleased with this beautiful Dawn Stretton fabric I discovered in one of my lunchtime wanderings. With its detailed design and rich, lustrous colours, it's fabulous for furoshiki.

Three of these would make a gorgeous gift: a larger cotton mix one (for a striking evening bag perhaps) and a chiffon one (fabulous as a scarf or furoshiki corsage) wrapped in smaller one ... just listed on Coriandr, DaWanda and Folksy!

Happy birthday, Coriandr!

2009-10-19T21:25:00.007+01:00

Coriandr is one year old! It's a great young site run by the incredibly helpful and committed, Mat, and I'd just like to wish it Happy Birthday and even more success in years to come. Take a look here for a fantastic collage that Mat has created of some of the fabulous Coriandr creations.

Also, if you're very quick, you can catch some of our gingham furoshiki featured on the front page today, alongside a selection of beautiful earrings from fellow ex-Expressites, the lovely Ruby Spirit Designs
and Sweet Treat,
and from Sarabuk, another talented Yorkshire jewellery maker, who was kind enough to mention us in her recent featured seller interview (thank you!).

Pumpkin time

2009-10-17T10:49:00.004+01:00

I've been playing around with some Halloween themed furoshiki wraps. What do you think of this pumpkin one (a variant on the traditional water melon wrap)? I love the adaptability of furoshiki in wrapping any shaped items ... and also that there are customised wraps for different items which both play on their characteristics and practical at the same time.

See the animals!

2009-10-15T06:54:00.006+01:00

Just noticed our set of four animal themed screenprinted furoshiki are featured on the front page of Coriandr today :) alongside fellow Coriandr ex-Expressites - Julie Mills Design and Blue Fish Handmade. I also particularly like this blue cow giclee print from Alexandra Ashby.

Handbags and gladrags

2009-10-14T04:08:00.006+01:00

The second in a series of furoshiki snippets from around the world ...

an article from the Dublin University Observer which highlights the fantastic flexibility of furoshiki in enabling everyone to create their own (my furoshiki) affordable, unique, customised bags.

"The demands on the perfect bag are many – size, functionality, durability, colour and style. Here Furoshiki bags pull out all the stops. Using Furoshiki, you can cheaply produce as many personalised bags as you wish. It gives you the power to design, manufacture and accessorise your own bags, in the cheapest and most eco-friendly way possible."

This is exactly what we're trying to achieve in offering myfuroshiki bags, so it's really encouraging to see this concept catching on. As Amy says,

"Furoshiki bags are an opportunity to explore, evoke, and exhibit your own personal style – so take the leap and get creative!"

Ilkley Arts Market

2009-10-13T06:00:00.007+01:00

Lynsey from Swirlyarts, home of the original cheeky chicken and a wealth of recycled goodies, has done a great blog featuring all the stall holders at Saturday's Ilkley Arts Market. Take a look to see the wonderful range of arts and crafts. Thanks, Lynsey - and to Jo and Rifat from Keighley Arts Factory for all their hard work organising it ... oh and, of course, to Megan and Trufood Catering for that delicious spicy squash soup!