Go Green, Fabric as Gift Wrap...

We all have a closet, room or at least a box of fabric hanging around that "someday" we will get around to using. What if you considered "Recycling" this fabric? Check out this idea, it will serve you well in many ways. The pluses, first you will have more closet or shelf space and second you will have an opportunity to give and share some of your favorite "scraps" of fabric with friends and family.
Imagine what someone else who has been gifted with your

treasure will do with it. It could hopefully become part of a future project or well, who knows.

Here are a few "Let's Be Green" ideas.
1. Wrap your package with the extra fabric. You can easily fold the edges in upon themselves and tie together with a big piece of extra Satin Ribbon or just pull the corners up and tie it together. You could even pop a faux Flower/Birdie or piece of Holly/Pine cone to create an impressive gift.
2. Marcus Fabrics (one of our favorite fabric manufactuers) came up with an idea from Japan called "Furoshiki". Wow. Lovely, artistic and you can create it from just a bit of extra, recyled fabric.
Instructions:
With all of the emphasis on minimizing use of plastic bags and other environmentally friendly practices we wanted to introduce you to one of the prettiest & most creative ways to wrap gifts - furoshiki. This versatile ancient Japanese practice of using tied cloths to wrap and transport items allows you to wrap almost anything, regardless of its shape or size.
We thought quilters around the world could easily adapt to the concept of furoshiki on many levels: (1) you can show off your favorite fabrics even before you've committed them to that perfect quilt design (2) the cloths are reusable, reducing the impact on our environment; (3) they're perfect for gift wrapping, grocery shopping (and fabric shopping!), even basic home décor.Try these ideas as a starting point:

• Select several prints and cut squares of varying sizes. Hem the edges. Fold them up and wrap them up in one of the cloths, tying it at the top. Insert a gift card with an explanation of the cloths.
• Wrap a bundle of fat quarters with a coordinating furoshiki cloth for your favorite quilter, or as a door prize at guild functions.
• Wrap a basket of basic quilting essentials in furoshiki to encourage a beginner.

For a double-sided furoshiki that's perfect for carrying heavier items, sew two coordinating fabric squares with right sides together, and turn right side out, sew the opening closed and press.

With only 11 Days until the big Holiday, we wish you well. Stop in the store or log onto maryjos.com. The website is open 24 hours a day. Easy to fit into your schedule and you never have to find a parking space!
Happy Holidays...