I recently received a review copy of The Wrapping Scarf Revolution by Patricia Lee (published by Leisure Arts; $16.95 US), and when I first started reading through it, I have to admit I wasn’t really sure what to think about it. It took me awhile to understand the focus because the idea is simply but at the same time revolutionary: how-to tie knots in scarves as a way to wrap items or create various types of totes. Other than the fact that these turn out to be beautiful, especially if you start off with a beautiful scarf, why would you do this I wondered?

Then I read her story about how she spent time in Korea and this made her appreciate her Korean heritage and that included the bojagi (wrapping scarves) used in place of a paper bag or wrapping paper. Lee was fascinated with the Korean culture that was both frugal yet modern, and the use of wrapping scarves was an integral part of this culture. Compare this to her life in America that included wasteful habits, never even considered in Korea, and she eventually realized it was time to revolt against all this trash (like the wrapping paper she had to throw away after a Christmas celebration one morning).

This experience all eventually lead to her own small business, which involved designing scarves and showing others how to use them to wrap gifts and other items. This obviously brought about her book and is perfectly timed considering the earth-friendly trend that is becoming more popular in America (thankfully). If you are the type of person who brings your own bags to the grocery store, then you’ll “get” and appreciate the concepts in this book.

The book provides 26 step-by-step procedures for wrapping and knotting scarves. You can use these methods to create unique totes, even a backpack, or wrap a gift item, from books to a bottle of wine. I pulled out my one and only scarf (shameful, I know!) and tried what looked like one of the simplest techniques in the book, “The Bow Tie Wrap,” and it was a snap to do.

I love a beautifully wrapped gift. In fact, my very first job back in high school was working in a tiny gift shop, and the owner taught me a lot of tricks to gift wrapping, so it has since then always been something I’ve spent a little extra time doing when I give a gift. Combine this with the idea that you could make these scarves as well, and hey, this is a crafter’s dream come true. On that note, I will say that the only beef I have about the book is that the instructions on how to make scarves is in the very back of the book, and it is not as detailed as I would have liked it to be. But, you really don’t need instructions on how to make a square of material, so that is pretty minor. Plus, you can also buy scarves fairly inexpensively if you don’t have time to make them.

If you are looking for earth-friendly and sustainable ways to wrap up your gifts this holiday season, you will have the help you need to creating some amazing looking gift wrapping with the help of The Wrapping Scarf Revolution.