I have to travel with a few crafting supplies (yarn, fabric strips, flowers, beads). I originally planned to pack them in my vintage suitcases:

Yikes, these are heavy when packed. I do have space in the camper/van but I have to be somewhat cognizant of total weight.

So, I decided to haul out my 25 year-old duffel bags. When car camping, then van camping, everything went into these duffels:

But, yuck. Black, plain duffles in my beautiful woman cave won’t cut it. I hate looking at plastic storage:

I did not want to spend money on anything else, especially packing stuff. So, I googled “packing tips” and discovered the world of Furoshiki, the Japanese art of wrapping and carrying stuff. Wow! They use fabric squares to wrap things. Some official Furoshiki:

 I started thinking: what about all those large, square, vintage table cloths that I collect. Many have a stain or small tear, but I love the fabrics and always pick them up when I can (usually $1). Dig, dig, dig, and out come three of the cloths. I transferred the crafting supplies and did the Furoshiki thing. My results are not so neat and pretty, but I will work on that part!

A pink square, Tango approves

Yarns, crochet book

Crochet hook roll I previously made from a vintage napkin..rolled it up and into the yarn bundle

Tying opposite ends

Next, a vintage table-cloth with 1930s era yellow trim, with fabric pieces

One of my faves! Now it is filled with lace, beads, trims

Three tidy bundles, Furoshiki-style. They will look pretty in the camper, maybe on the extra bunk.

Heavy suitcases staying home!

Next project? Tango really loves the bundles. Maybe he needs this instead of a doggy “thunder shirt”

Great book on Furoshiki, available in print or for Kindle

I use the name Tango Willis for my Pintrest boards, where I now have a Furoshiki board and lots of other popup camper boards.

Next post: another simple packing solution for nicer clothes.