Recently I was at a friends' house, sipping coffee and chatting about life while she folded laundry. (Yes, I offered to help. No, she wouldn't let me). She was folding along when she mentioned to me how they always use cloth napkins, even though its more laundry. Hers were in need of replacement, she sighed.
I've had a set of cloth napkins every now and then but not enough to be in constant rotation. I figure a family our size probably needs about two dozen. After talking with my friend, I hopped online to see what was available. Functional napkins are inexpensive enough, but I wanted something that was a natural fiber. Pretty napkins are more expensive. With the amount I need to make paper napkins a thing of the past, I could spend quite a bit.
Instead of clicking "Buy It Now" on a particularly fetching set of 6 napkins ($20 plus shipping!), I dug through my fabric stash to see what I had. Some dark brown linen might be just the thing - dark enough to hide the worst of what dinner time with 5 young ones could come up with, but nice enough to bring out for company.
Want to make a set of your own? With minimal sewing skill, you can! If you want to extend the savings even farther, consider checking out a thrift store - vintage sheets, table cloths or even an old skirt or two can be re-purposed into napkins at pennies on the dollar. The best part is that using cloth napkins is not only frugal, but environmentally friendly. If you re-purpose a used item, that goes double!
Cloth Napkin Tutorial
Step 1: Gather your supplies. You'll need:
Enough fabric for the number of napkins you want. I cut mine into 12x12 squares, so do the math and figure out how much you need.
Sewing Machine
Thread
Scissors
Rotary Cutter/Mat/ruler (not required, but this makes cutting and measuring so much easier!)
Iron/Ironing board
Step 2: Cut out your napkins. 12x12 is standard napkin size
Step 3: Using your iron and ironing board, press the edges in 1/4 inch, then fold over 1/4 inch and press again, making a nice finished hem all the way around. Pin in place.
Step 4: Sew all the way around the napkin, making sure the corners stay tucked the way you want them. I used one of the fancy decorative stitches on my machine, but a straight stitch works just as well.
That's it! If you want to further embellish your napkins, you can pop them in a hoop and embroider them. Be creative! And enjoy your lovely, frugal, earth friendly napkins!
