What is Chiyogami used for?

Traditional uses for Chiyogami included paper dolls or decoration of tea tins or small paper boxes; still today the scale of the patterns is reminiscent of these early uses. 

Modern artists, craftspeople and hobbyists have vastly expanded the range of applications for Chiyogami. The most common uses are probably as cover papers for bookbinders, and as accents or envelope linings for invitations, but many other uses are possible and common. These include:

  • collage
  • lampshades
  • boxmaking
  • iris folding
  • origami
  • decorative packaging
  • washi eggs
  • framing and hanging as art
  • covering frames, light switch plates, pots, shelves, tables, gourds and other objects
  • embellishments for stamping, scrapbooking, cardmaking
Here is one of the more creative uses we've seen for Chiyogami, courtesty of our very own Peter Jones - covering a giant moose statue!

Do you have other ideas, suggestions, or examples of using Chiyo. We'd love to hear about them!

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