Cloth Napkins
Little by little I’m making all of the things that’ll make this apartment feel like home to me. Saturday night (yes, I am a dork), I made six cloth napkins to complement our placemats. They are the simplest sewing project ever. I just cut them to size (about 15″ by 18″) then pressed each edge under twice. First, I pressed a .5″ hem, then folded half of that under for the second pressing. After that, all that’s left is to stitch around all of the edges. Voila! No more paper napkin waste. I might be a little eco-crazy, but at least I’m in good company here in Bozeman. We actually got 15 cents back for using our own bags at the grocery store. Yay!
September 4, 2007 at 12:35 am
What’s your secret to sewing close to the corners? When I get to a corner I leave the needle down and rotate. The trouble is starting again. A lot of times the corner seems to get stuffed down in the plate (where the bobbin thread comes out) and I can’t start up again. I always have trouble sewing from an edge. Good thing I don’t have to start from an edge too often.
September 4, 2007 at 1:14 am
love your napkins - they look like could be ours!
September 4, 2007 at 1:19 am
yay! those are beautiful. we have some sort of blah cloth napkins, and I’ll definitely be taking a cue from you and your super-cute tableware. i’m with roxanne on corner issues when sewing a narrow hem like that– i’d love to know your secret too!
September 4, 2007 at 2:22 am
Roxanne- The first thing is I never start in the actual corner- I put the needle down a few inches from the corner and cruise around. When I get to a corner, I put the needle down and rotate like you said, sometimes I have to hand crank it just to make sure that it doesn’t get stuffed in the plate. If you think your fabric will be really thick in the corners you could also try a denim strength needle. Usually I backstitch a bit to make sure the corner stays flat. I just take ‘em real slow, I have no other secrets.
September 4, 2007 at 5:13 am
We’re experiencing such similar situations since our moves! The grocery store clerk here offered to enter me in a raffle since I bring all of my own reusable bags to tote my groceries in. Portland is all about being earth-friendly, too!
September 4, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Ah, thanks for the tips! I think hand cranking around the corners will be a huge help. My future cloth napkins thank you!
September 4, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Sulu– I know! I feel like you are my twin or something.
Roxanne- Glad I could help.
September 4, 2007 at 10:13 pm
those are so pretty!
September 6, 2007 at 6:35 am
I love those napkins they are so cheery!
October 27, 2007 at 7:28 pm
[...] using mostly fabrics from my Denyse Schmidt fat quarter pack. (Let’s see, I’ve now made napkins, a house, a baby quilt top, a halloween banner and a fruitcake using fabrics from that stack. My [...]
November 10, 2007 at 8:30 pm
I love napkins also! There is nothing that feels so elegant even when eating PB&J’s.