Popular Posts from the Past: Cloth Napkins

I’m taking the sun lover’s summertime approach to blogging. Yep, I’m going to occasionally post popular posts from the past. This post, originally posted on the old blog, is probably the single most popular post of my blogging career. It was linked right away by a couple of high traffic web sites—About.com, I think, and a page with environmentally friendly projects that I can’t find anymore.  Every once in a while, it will be linked again, found—I guess—by searches for “cloth napkins.”

 

This same basket of cloth napkins, by the way, still sits on my kitchen table, almost as bright and new looking as they are in the photo.

 

 

Perhaps you call them serviettes. Whatever you call them, I spent part of the afternoon making us a new assortment. Some of the fabric I used was given to me by a friend when she cleared out all her fabric scraps before she moved; some of the fabric was from an almost new curtain I picked up at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for twenty-five cents; and I also cheated—at least by my tightwad rules—and picked up 1/2 meter pieces of a couple cute springy prints in the bargain bin at the fabric store.

We always use cloth napkins. It’s been 20 years since I’ve purchased any paper ones. Cloth napkins work better, cost less, are probably more environmentally friendly, and they look a whole lot prettier, to boot. The ones we were using were at least 10 years old and starting to look faded and warn, and besides, I’ve gone to a more retro pastel cottage look in the kitchen, so it was time for a fresh set of the right colored napkins.

You might be wondering if cloth napkins are worth the work. I certainly think so. After all, a set that I can stitch up in an hour or so will last for 10 years. It took longer to photograph them and compose this post than it took to make them! They do have to be washed, but that’s hardly enough work to even notice. I just throw the dirty napkins in with other laundry—I figure 10 napkins are equivalent to one T-shirt weight-wise—and then quickly fold them as they come out of the dryer. In the summer I hang them on the line, and even then they need no ironing to look good.

So how did I make them? First I ripped pieces of 100% cotton fabric into 15 1/2 inch squares. (All-cotton fabric is much better than a polyester/cotton blend. Polyester fibres are stain magnets, and nothing looks worse than dirty looking napkins.) Sixteen or 16 1/2 inches square might have been a better size, but that extra inch would have meant I could only get two napkins crosswise instead of three, and for a tightwad, that’s too much of a sacrifice to make.

Next I turned the edges under 1/4 inch and then 1/4 inch again and hemmed. I hemmed a first side and then the side directly opposite before moving on to the edges perpendicular to it. Hemming in this order gives a nice little square stitching detail on the corners. Each napkin took only a few minutes from start to finish.

When I’d hemmed them all, I gave them a quick once-over with an iron so the hems would lie flat. Then I folded them up, collected them together, and insisted that everyone in the family admire them, especially if they wanted supper.

Update on Thursday, July 5, 2007 at 5:19PM by rebecca

Darlene suggests putting a button hole in one corner of each napkin, and then it

will attach to any shirt and protect from the dreaded spaghetti sauce!

I like that tip!

And if you do make some cloth napkins, please let the rest of us see them! You can either post a photo on your blog or send me a photo and I’ll post it on mine.

Comments

[Carla Rolfe]

I remember this post when it first went up, and you've motivated me once again to make my own. We've got rain in the forecast tomorrow, so I can't think of a better way to spend my morning than sorting through my fabric. I only hope mine turn out as pretty as yours!

[jen elslager]

What a lovely idea! I feel so... pedestrian. I use plain white paper towels!

But I do use lovely baskets like that for storing things.

:)

[darlene]

Thanks, Rebecca - I also love this post. And I'm wondering how long your daylight hours are now? Enjoy them!

[rebecca]

Hi Darlene,

It's light for 20 hours a day or so, and I'm trying to enjoy them. If it'd quit raining every day, I'd enjoy them more!

[rebecca]

I bet they'll turn out great, Carla!

[Kim in ON]

I remember this one, too! I have fabric in a Rubbermaid bin that I purchased to make napkins, and I never did!

[Connie @ Practicing Theology]

Sewing napkins is the primary way I taught my daughters how to sew--still working with my youngest. I'm with you, make the napkins a bit smaller in order to get more from the yardage you have! Great post, you've inspired me to go digging through my fabric stash for more napkins--or go look for fabric at the thrift stores!

[Christa Blakey]

I'm so glad you reposted this, Rebecca. I just got a sewing machine, and these look simple enough for me to start out on--thanks for the inspiration!

[rebecca]

Christa,

They'd be a very good beginner project.

[darlene]

And if you put a button hole in one corner, it will attach to any shirt and protect from the dreaded spaghetti sauce!

[candy]

Good idea Darlene. My husband has embellished many of his shirts with tell tale spots.

Sounds like a sewing project I can actually do. :)

[Larissa]

When I first saw this post I thought you had fat quarters together for a quilt and I was like neat! The I continued reading and thought what a great way to use up some of my scraps! Thank for the wonderful tip! Let me know though do you pin them first? Or simply turn under and sew? Thanks again, Blessings!

[rebecca]

Larissa,

I'm not much of a pinner when doing a small hem like this. I just "roll" the fabric with my fingers as I guide it under the presser foot. If you are inexperienced, and find that difficult (and this is a skill that develops over time), I'd suggest doing a quick press with an iron before sewing. If you press, you might be able to skip the pinning step.

I hope that helps.

[Larissa]

Thanks I just did it without pinning, but they came out nicely, I only made a few since my husband was worried if they would be soft enough. Super easy! Thanks again for the great idea!

[rebecca]

I'm glad they turned out, Larissa!

[rosemary]

Oh, I love cloth napkins, and yours are so pretty! I've made lots of them too. Just sewed 5 new aprons--what fun! Made 3 out of of red ticking, 2 out of blue--just the right sturdiness for aprons.