Reusable Napkin Tutorial!

Just recently I have gone crazy over these reusable napkins! I just love everything about them! So I thought I would share with you guys my new addiction and see if y’all want to join me. Its lots of fun, I promise!

First of all, I am in love with the idea that I can customize this area of my kitchen AND feel green while doing it! If I’m going to be in the kitchen a few times a day I might as well work to create a cute environment that I love to work in. I find that these napkins add such a simple yet satisfying touch to your everyday meals.

Honestly the only downside to having reusable napkins is the laundry part. No one likes the sound of EXTRA laundry. But in my case and possibly yours its easier than it sounds! I already use lots of kitchen towels when I cook and clean the kitchen and I typically wash them with my large towels. All I did to make this easier for myself is put a small basket in the pantry that holds my dirty reusable napkins and kitchen towels! When it gets full I wash them and already have them all separated in a batch of laundry! You really don’t want to wash them with your bath towels or clothing anyway! I find it worth the extra amount of effort in that aspect.

In the tutorial I show you how to make your very own beautiful napkins! Here are a few tips for making them that I did not include in the video!

-The Fabric I used is 100% cotton and they work like a charm! I have also seen people use linen and they look wonderful and work great.

-Prewash your fabric!

It WILL shrink, and your napkins will look distorted if you do not prewash your fabric. The best way to avoid fraying is to run a long zig zag stitch across the cut side of your fabric, however I find that pretty to be a tedious and long route. A shorter way to prewash your fabric with a minimal amount of fraying is to cut 2-3 inch long snippets off the corners of your fabric before washing (like in the picture below). You will still find frayed edges, but they will be much better off than fabric without those edges cut!

-You will need about 1 yard of fabric for 4-6 napkins. That is a rough estimate, you may get more or less napkins depending on how large you make your napkins and how wide the fabric is. Also keep in mind that if you are using two different prints you only need 1/2 yard of each print.

-Be patient. Your first napkin is probably not going to look the best, just being honest here! Unless you are very comfortable with a sewing machine you will probably need to make 1 or 2 napkins before you like the way that they are turning out. But it is all a wonderful process of learning and it is not hard to grasp once you practice!

-Materials Needed

Sewing Machine

Iron

Scissors (or a rotary blade if you have one!)

1 yard of Cotton or Linen fabric (1/2 yard of two different prints)

Pins

Pencil or pen

Ruler