The Eco-chic thing you need to try: Furoshiki

I want to talk about furoshiki.  Furoshiki is essentially tying and folding a square scarf to create eco-friendly bags (for groceries, a purse, etc.) or gift wrapping. Type “furoshiki” into a YouTube search and watch some of the videos, they’re pretty cool.

YouTube how-to Video

^ that’s the link to the “how to” video of the bag that I’m currently using.

This is the scarf that has replaced my lost lunchbox. I already had it in my closet, so you don’t need a special kind of scarf, just square. It’s much smaller than the one in the video, but it has a lot of space. If you plan on trying this out, use a silk or nylon scarf. The knots come out really easily in silk or nylon, but still look good and support a surprising amount of weight. I’ve seen websites that sell cotton ones though. (furoshiki.com).

These bags (and gift wrappings- there is a pretty awesome way to wrap bottles like this) are extremely convenient and eco-friendly as well. I’m using mine as a lunch box, and I will try this technique out on the next gift I wrap. If nothing else, you just learned how to make an extremely chic beach bag ;). After a trying a few different styles of bags it is easy to get the hang of it and make a bag that suits your needs; you will be able to control the style and length of the handles, choose if it stays open or can close, and how much space is inside the bag.

I’m going to visit Florence soon, and I’m thinking that this might be the substitute I use for my over-weight purse.

♥