Wrap · Everyday
Handbag wrap
A square cloth knotted into a handbag for carrying soft gifts or shopping, a reusable stand-in for a plastic bag.
- For
- Carrying soft gifts or shopping by hand
- Wraps
- Soft or small items
- Cloth
- laid as a square
- Closed with
- Double-tie (square knot by two ties), Twisted handle
- Level
- Moderate
A contemporary form promoted in Korea's zero-waste movement: one square becomes a bag for market or travel, then unties flat again.
- 1Fold the square cloth in half into a triangle.
- 2Tie a knot at each of the two folded side corners.
- 3Turn the cloth inside out so the knots are inside.
- 4Put the gift into the pouch.
- 5Tie the two long top corners together.
- 6Twist the cloth and tie once more to form a handle.
History & tradition
Modern Korea; zero-waste wrapping guides (2010s)
Folding a square into a handled bag is a modern take on the everyday cloth bundle: before the 1960s Koreans carried groceries and food in bojagi. Greenpeace Korea's 2019 guide calls it a 'wallet wrap' (지갑 포장법), though the result is a bag. Bojagi totes and backpacks were also part of Lee Hyo-jae's eco-minded revival from about 2008.
Taught as an 'eco bag' in Korean bojagi courses and promoted as a reusable alternative to plastic bags.
Researched with medium confidence.