skip the gift wrap with Caitlin / Real Swanky!

This Tutorial Tuesday, Caitlin of Real Swanky will be showing us how to wrap gifts without the use of paper! It's a great way to utilize your..

• spare fabric
• a bandanna
• a cute vintage handkerchief
• a dish cloth or towel, which may be part of the gift, to boot!

You will need:

• Your gift
• A square piece of fabric (or whatever you are using to wrap) that is at least 3 times the length of the longest measurement of your gift

For my gift, I'll be wrapping up my latest embroidered piece, an anatomically correct brain (details here). It measures 7" in diameter, so I made sure my fabric was at least 21" long. For placement, start with your gift at least 1-2" away from the edges of your fabric's perimeter.

Flip the whole piece towards the other end of the fabric once.

..and again..

Flip once last time, you may have a few inches of fabric remaining at the end, so flipping it one last time is a wise idea. As you can see above, the "wrong" side of the fabric is facing up on your left and right side.

Take the fabric on the left and right side, and tie it into a knot, as you would tie your shoes.

Then, tie one last time. That's it!

This method of wrapping is great for just about anything -- books, soaps and perfumes, cooking utensils, boxed goods, and a heap more.

WEST Sale IV: Furoshiki Giveaway

We know you love free stuff--I mean really, who doesn't love free stuff*?  Be one of the first 50 people at the WEST Handmade and Vintage sale IV to make a purchase this Saturday and you will receive a bonus Etsy Furoshiki!

Here is a great post from Etsy about ways to use these funky wraps.

What is a Furoshiki? I'm glad you asked!

"Furoshiki (風呂敷) are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth traditionally used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods."-Wikipedia

Here's a ton of great ways to use a Furoshiki (see bigger version here):

If you like what you see here, make sure you're one of the first 50 people making a purchase from one of our awesome WESTies, and you could receive one!! All you have to do is take your door prize ticket from your purchase to the team table in the front entry way! We'll see you at the sale!

Update:
In order to receive your free Furoshiki you must:
-Be one of the first 50 people to make a purchase at the WEST IV handmade and vintage sale on Saturday
-Bring your door prize ticket to the team table in the hallway outside the room