Furoshiki are traditional Japanese wrapping cloths used for carrying objects and for presenting gifts. Whether made of ordinary material or fashioned from exquisite fabrics with hand-painted designs, they’re environmentally friendly, versatile, and easily adapted for odd or difficult shapes. The only requirement is that the cloth be square.
Make a personal furoshiki by joining local printmaker Theresa Haberkorn in her new class. You’ll carve a simple image on a speedy carve block, then use it to create a pattern on a hemmed piece of blank cloth. Making the print block is easy. Theresa demonstrates basic carving techniques and covers important considerations for developing a successful pattern by repeatedly stamping the image. The focus is on simple forms for the print block – positive and negative space, types of repeats, and color choice are all considerations in deciding what to carve.
Once you’ve finished your print block, play around with the stamped image to make a pattern. Rotating the block or overlapping the images are simple ways to create a design that has visual rhythm and movement. So many options! Theresa encourages you to experiment. You’ll test out your ideas on paper before stamping on the fabric.
This class is a great place to begin for novice printmakers, and fun for those with some experience. We think you’ll be wonderfully surprised at what can be done with a simple image! You’ll leave class with a set of carving tools and your carved block in addition to your personal furoshiki.
An email will be sent to participants the Monday before the class. Classes with homework may receive pre-class info earlier. No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered and your SPAM folder. Due to SPAM filters and inbox settings, we cannot guarantee you will see, read, or open these emails. Two Hands Paperie assumes no responsibility for non-attendance of a class. Contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com with any class questions and see our Class Policies page for more information.