Napkin Land
Now that all the gifts have been given, let me you about some of the things I made! This gift was for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. It’s a set of 12 napkins in shades of gray & yellow. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the colors in their kitchen, and I’m pretty sure they’ve painted the dining room since I was last there, but these colors seemed neutral-ish enough.
I found this great basket at AC Moore, which seemed to be just the right size for a pile of napkins. Plus, I really loved the deep, dark color of it. It seemed slightly more classy than the natural wicker basket I’m using in my kitchen.
I had these in the works since mid-November, when my SIL mentioned she liked the set I’d made for my MIL last year. I chose and ordered the fabric right away, washed it, cut it, and then left it sitting there until 2 days before Christmas, LOL! See? Even when I’m on the ball, I’m cutting it close!
I also made a table mat, impulsively at the last minute (read: Christmas Eve), when I realized the scraps were large enough to piece something together, and there was a nice chunk of fabric left from my skirt that could be used for a backing piece.
The nitty gritty
Pattern: The first few napkins I ever made were done using the instructions from Simple Sewing, but I ‘ve made about 100 napkins since then and haven’t consulted the book in a loooong time.
Modifications: I start with fabric that’s 18″ x 13″, which is not a standard size – it just happens to correspond to the size of the fabric that I had on hand when I made my first napkin. And now I make them all to match.
Fabric: Selections from Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern and Lotus collections.
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Those are so pretty. I just got a serger for Christmas, and thought I might try to make napkins when I’m learning how to use it. Unfortunately, I’m envisioning a basket of wrinkly unfolded napkins post-laundering.
See what Lisa has been blogging about: The Giant Secret Project finally revealed!
They do come out a bit wrinkly, but they smooth out nicely once they’re folded.
I love them! That’s one of my favorite colorways of hers. You have a very lucky sister in law.
See what Sarah Jackson has been blogging about: more making
I love that colorway, too – which is why I couldn’t resist buying more for a skirt when I saw the fat quarters in person
I fell in love with the little clay stockings and am really hoping you do a tutorial on making these. They are just adorable!
I’m glad you liked them! As it turns out, I ended up deleting all of the step-by-step pictures I took. I may be able to be talked into doing it again next fall, though, just in time for the 2009 holidays!
Love the set of napkins, so pretty and a thoughtful gift. What size do your napkins turn out to be? I have been making mine kinda small, 10X10. Use this size to get the most out of a yard of fabric but not sure if I am happy with that size.
See what Shannon has been blogging about: Deals To Be Had
Well, I cut them 18×13, so they are a bit larger than 16×11. I usually fold them in quarters, and only open them halfway to use them.
18×13 lets me use 1 fat quarter for a napkin and then have an 18×9 piece left which I can add to other leftover pieces and make a patchwork table mat.
Or, I can use a half-yard piece and get three napkins out of it, and a small strip leftover.
I am glad you are considering a tut on the stockings. Spring would be better because it would take me till Christmas of 2009 to make 12 of them. I’m not too handy with clay.
What a great idea and beautiful choice of fabric!
You have totally inspired me and as a result I have just taken delivery of my very own sewing machine! Now the challenge has begun – I feel a little lost as to what to start with but I am sure I’ll be sewing madly away very soon! I am working my way through your book recommendations!
Kylee