風呂敷

I finally did something with all of the handkerchiefs I had made last year. (the original idea was to print a calendar on them.) I already had a big cassette design that I like, so I went with that! something to do with procrastination or being overwhelmed with a project that's too challenging. but I'm better about finishing things now.

in Japanese these are called 'furoshiki' and are used to wrap gifts or just things that you need to carry around. I think they are used in most East Asian cultures as well. I really like them & have already used some for wrapping things - there are techniques for wrapping different shapes of things. for example very handy for carrying a couple of jars or bottles without them clanging together.
*Updated!* I have these consigned at Grass Hut, tender loving empire, and a new place called mag-big in Portland. in fact, tender loving empire has a 15% off everything sale on black friday... just so you know.

check out this article I found about furoshiki, as well as some wrapping techniques to get you started using them. cloth grocery bags are ubiquitous in Portland now, but I'd like to see more of these in use.