::Napkins::

my solid white napkins were getting a little boring.

i picked a couple cute, calico, vintage-y fabrics 

and got started sprucing them up.

i just love the cozy feel of handmade touches around the house.

these are going to make our casual summer dinners, just a wee bit fancier.

i love the spring time and was inspired to use these florals.

here's how to do it:

cut strips of fabric 2 inches wide.

 join the strips with a simple seam.
press open.

 fold the strip in half wrong sides together and iron.

here's my prepared binding

so pretty

lay the napkin on a flat surface with the back of the napkin facing up.

 line up the raw edge of the binding with the edge of the napkin,

just like you would do when binding a quilt.

using a straight stitch, sew along the length of the napkin 

until you are a quarter inch away from the corner.

backstitch.  pull napkin out and cut threads.

using both hands, fold strip straight up perpendicular to your stitch while holding folded piece in place.

continuing to hold strip in place, fold strip back down.

put the corner back under the needle while carefully holding the strip and napkin together.

starting at the top, sew a straight line all the way down to the next corner and repeat for each corner.

when you get all the way around,

trim the edges so that you can fit one end of the strip into the other.

doesn't this blurry picture look great?!?! 

can you see how one end is inside the other end?

once the ends are together, finish with a straight stitch to attach.

turn the napkin over so you are looking at the front of it.

fold the binding over the edge of the napkin towards you and iron in place.

fold and iron around the entire napkin.

no need for fancy mitered corners, just fold one side under the other.

stitch binding in place with a straight or zig zag stitch on 

the top side of the napkin all the way around.

i used a scant quarter inch.

 

side view 

add a monogram for a personal touch.

tj maxx and other discount stores are a great source for inexpensive, high quality napkins

that are perfect for this project.

this makes for a thoughtful hostess gift that takes just minutes from start to finish.

i'd love to try it with scrappy binding too.

i have 10 cloth napkins and each one will be trimmed with a different floral fabric.

i can't wait for our first summer party!