A furoshiki is a square of cloth. That is the entire product. What makes it work is knowing which size to buy, because a cloth that is slightly too small will not tie and a cloth that is too large swallows the gift. Almost everything else follows from that one number.
The everyday size, and the one that gets used most in Japan. Wraps a book, a bento box, a small boxed gift, or a couple of jars. If you buy one furoshiki to find out whether you like them, buy this.
The gift-wrapping size. A wine bottle, a shoebox, a cake box. This is the one to buy if the purpose is specifically to replace paper wrapping at Christmas, because most gift boxes land in this range.
Large enough to become a bag. Two corners knotted into a loop and it carries groceries, which is the original job — furoshiki predates the shopping bag here by centuries and has come back for the same reason paper bags did.
Buying two or three sizes together costs less than buying them separately, and the sizes are what you need rather than the patterns. If the plan is to wrap several gifts this year, a set is the sensible purchase.
Paper cord wrapped in fine foil, used here to finish gift envelopes. Tied once around a knotted furoshiki it does the job ribbon does, without the plastic and without slipping the way ribbon does on fabric.
Two wooden or bamboo rings that the corners thread through, turning a large cloth into a bag with proper handles instead of a knot you have to grip. Common here and essentially unknown abroad.
A wrapped furoshiki has nowhere obvious to write on, which is the one practical thing paper does better. A tag tied into the knot solves it, and it is also where you tell the recipient the cloth is theirs to keep and reuse.
What size do I need?
The working rule in Japan is that the cloth should be roughly three times the diagonal of what you are wrapping. In practice: 50cm for a book or bento, 70cm for a bottle or a shoebox, 90cm and up for a bag or a large boxed gift. When in doubt go one size up — an oversized cloth still ties, an undersized one does not.
Cotton, rayon or polyester?
Cotton for anything you are going to knot. It grips itself, so the knot holds and does not creep loose. Rayon and polyester chirimen look better and slip — they suit formal flat wrapping where the cloth is folded rather than tied. Start with cotton.
Is it actually cheaper than paper?
Not on the first gift. A 70cm cotton furoshiki costs more than a roll of paper. It becomes cheaper somewhere around the fourth or fifth use, and the recipient usually keeps it and uses it, which paper never gets to do.
What are the three knots worth learning?
Otsukai tsutsumi, the basic box wrap — lay the box diagonally, fold two opposite corners over it, tie the remaining two on top. Bin tsutsumi, the bottle wrap — stand the bottle in the centre, tie two corners at the top, then twist the other two around the neck. And the bag knot — tie adjacent corners in pairs and lift. Those three cover almost everything.
Do I give the cloth away with the gift?
Both are normal in Japan. For a casual gift the cloth goes with it. In more formal situations the furoshiki is a carrying wrapper and is taken back after the gift is handed over. If you are wrapping for someone abroad, say on the tag that the cloth is theirs, or it will sit in a drawer unused because they were not sure.
Can I post a gift wrapped in furoshiki?
Yes, inside a box. The knot will not survive a sorting machine unprotected and the cloth will arrive grey. Wrap the gift in the furoshiki, then put the whole thing in a plain shipping box.
How do I wash it?
Cold water, gentle cycle, hang to dry. Cotton furoshiki are fine in a machine. Rayon and silk chirimen are not — those need hand washing or dry cleaning, which is another reason to start with cotton.
It keeps coming undone. What am I doing wrong?
Almost always the fabric. Rayon and polyester do not hold a knot under weight. If it is cotton and still slipping, the cloth is too small — you are tying with the very ends of the corners rather than with enough length to make a proper square knot.