Friday, March 8, 2013

Color Obsession: Cloth Napkins


I love color.  Any day of the week you can find me wearing tie dye.  I couldn't decide on a single color of dishes so I am going with Fiestaware.  I just went to the website to get the link, BIG mistake, found out they have NEW products - soap/lotion dispenser!  NOT TO MENTION A NEW COLOR - Lapis, available in June.  I CANNOT WAIT!  It's a collection in progress.  I plan on getting this new color, along with MORE of the retired 75th anniversary color - Marigold. I love LOVE love my dishes.  They make a for a fun dinner party. 

My future sister-in-law LOVES color as much as I do, so much so that she added "anything rainbow" on her Christmas list.  My very talented Mom decided that she would find her cloth napkins (I should note we are a family of hippies, hate the waste of paper products.) Mom found a set of napkins but also found really cute material to MAKE her some napkins.  

Long ramble made short:  I WAS JEALOUS.  I just had to have some too!  I went to my local quilt shop and found these amazing fat quarters (a FQ is a half yard, cut in half)  
The Prettiest Fat Quarters You've Ever Seen
Mom came for a weekend visit, sewing machine in hand, and we went to work.  She looked up how to do a mitered-corner napkin.  She found her how-to over at Prudent Baby: Mitered-Corners.  Because of my color obsession, I couldn't decide on my napkins, so I have 14 different colors, times 2, so 28 napkins to make.  

**I will tell you of a super awesome trick Mom taught me during this process; it adds some time to the whole process but makes the ironing way less stressful.  On your machine, sew a 1/2" allowance all the way around the FQ, THEN 1" IN FROM the 1/2", sew another line all the way around the FQ.  When you get to your ironing board, all you have to do is iron, NO measure as you go, you already have it marked out.  You could draw your lines, would be faster and save on the extra thread but I don't have disappearing fabric pen and wanted to get my napkins started.  Also removing the stitches once ironed, you don't have to worry about the fabric pen washing out.**  (I have since adopted this trick for ANY time I have to iron a seam before sewing)

As you can see, I have a FQ sewn ready for ironing and one that is ironed. 


Here is an up close look at our work:


My first completed corner
Mom's purple, my green completed napkins

Nothing says finishing touch on a dinner party than matching NAPKINS to FIESTA PLACE SETTING :)  See, Fun Dinner Party.


This photo always makes me smile :)

I haven't completed my entire collection, like I said I have 28 to make.  As of today I have a solid start and have already used them.  No more jealousy here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep! I already have an update:

1) If you're doing 28 of ANYTHING, I would invest in the vanishing fabric pen.
2) I found a trick after you iron so if your ironing isn't perfect it's nearly foolproof!

After you have the ironing done, unfold the 1", place napkin wrong side down, then fold the napkin over into a triangle, place a measure tool at the corner where the ironed folds intersect.  Make a mark 90 degrees to the fold, mine comes out to be 1 1/2".  I don't care for the step where you make a mark where the 1" fold lines up on the 1/2" fold.  I have found the dots don't always line up. 
Unfold 1" hem

Fold at corner, right side in

Mark for sewing


I hope this makes it quicker for you like it is already helping me out!




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