Napkins Good Enough to Eat

“My second favorite household chore is ironing.

My first being hit on the head on the top bunk bed until I faint.”

-Erma Bombeck-

journal entry:

Melissa has new dishes.  I haven’t seen them yet but she has told me about them. She is planning a Christmas dinner.  She wondered if I would make something for her.  I said yes.  What?  Cloth napkins.  Easy, I said.  Well, her new dishes were blue and pink and striped and square and white and black and green and red.  A very beautiful shabby chic set of dishes.  So, she wanted to have cloth napkins just as “eclectically shabby” as the dishes.

I asked her if she wanted a color scheme.  She said no.  In fact, she wanted odds and ends. Just like the dishes. I reminded her that she would have to wash and  IRON them after each use.  Yes.  She knew that.  I cut the fabric 13×13.  I zigged the edges and then turned the edges under.  On some I added lace or trim  On others I didn’t.  I had just about given up finding something equally interesting to use for the rings.  Then, I found these shower curtain hooks while walking through Target.  Bling, bling !  They are just perfect.  Most shower curtain rings are plastic or if they are interesting they aren’t circles.  They just hook through.  These rings have serious diamonds and lock closed.

I did have some scraps but I also had fun buying a few extra pieces of fabric.  I love the Home Fabric Store which sells bolt ends.  I made a beeline for sale bolts and bought 1/3 of a yard of several fabrics.  I can make four napkins out of each 1/3 yard- cut because the fabric is so wide.  On the average, each cut was less than $2.00.

I finished the napkins today.  I ironed them so they looked nice and crisp and slid the napkin rings around them.   On some of the rings I attached things.  Like flowers.  Red, blue, yellow, brown, black, pink. They are completely non-essential.  That is why they are SO fun.  Here you go, honey.  Can’t wait to see your Christmas table !

“Coloring outside the lines is a fine art.”

-Unknown-