Furoshiki

Based in Pont-Saint-Martin, France, Aurélie Le Marec lives and breathes furoshiki. She runs workshops to teach the art of furoshiki, works closely with textile designers and seamstresses, and helps to highlight textile reuse and waste reduction. You can see more of her work by visiting her website at www.latelierdufuroshiki.fr

• Furoshiki: an ancient technique 6A thousand possibilities 8The knots 12The basic knots 14Single knot 14Flat knot 15Undoing the flat knot 15Adjustable handle for a bag 16Decorative knots 17One-loop knot 17Butterfly knot 17Furoshiki for carrying things 183-in-1 shoulder bag 20Cross-body bag 24Bag with two adjustable handles 26Basket with two handles 28Beach bag 30Backpack 1 32Backpack 2 34Handbag 36Handbag cover 38Laptop bag 40Book bag 1 42Book bag 2 44Two-bottle carrier 1 46Two-bottle carrier 2 48Watermelon carrier 50Guitar case 52Poster carrier 54Plant holder 56Belt bag 58Gift wrap 60Wrap with a point 62Four-point wrap 64Long wrap 66Flower wrap 68Round box wrap 70Book wrap 1 72Book wrap 2 74Bottle wrap 1 76Bottle wrap 2 78Flower wrap with handle 80Knot-free wrap 82Two-colour wrap 84Rosebud wrap 86Bouquet wrap 88Flowerpot wrap 90Decoration and tableware 92Tissue box wrap 94Kimono-style bottle wrap 96Basket wrap 98Cutlery wallet 100Bunny wrap 102Two-colour cushion cover 1 104Two-colour cushion cover 2 106Cushion cover with side knots 108Long cushion cover 110

French author Le Marec tries her hand at explaining an ancient Japanese art. As she points out, furoshiki is the ultimate, ecologically perfect answer to the plastic-bag epidemic, as it advocates reusing or reconstructing fabric into a covering that can often get double or even triple use as a tablecloth, picnic setting, or part of a larger item, like a quilt. An upfront section outlines the history of furoshiki, considerations on "becoming green," and options for fabrics, sizes, colours, and patterns. Black-and-white illustrations show the how-tos of different fabric knotting methods within the first few pages and are also embedded in each of the 50-plus projects, along with a quality colour photograph of the finished piece. Across three categories (for carrying, gift wrapping, and decorating), Le Marec showcases practical projects like a laptop bag, flower or bottle wrap, and a ready-to-hug bunny wrap that could encompass a kid’s toy.