Wednesday, February 19, 2014

vintage love....double-sided napkin tutorial



I LOVE my Jadeite......and any excuse to use it! When I was asked to set a table at a Valentines banquet I knew I needed to figure out a way to pull in the lovely vintage color.  So off to my favorite fabric store to find some vintage looking fabric that had mint and red as the primary colors, I was hoping for a variety of 4 fabrics so I could make 2 of each.  Well... they didn't let me down,  I found this great set of fabrics. SCRUMTIOUS by Moda fabrics. grabbed some red rick-rack and red Kona cotton. Let me take a moment to brag about quality fabrics.  I come across people everyday that choke when they ask me about what fabrics I like and how much they are per yard....but no matter what others may think quality fabric is an absolute must!  ONLY IF you want your projects to turn out professional looking, if you want to enjoy your sewing process, if you want a product that will last the test of time.... I could go on!
I have wasted too many hours and projects on cheap fabric.  I also only use cloth napkins and have purchased as well as made them and there is nothing worse than a bad napkin.  I have already washed this set 3 times and they have come out beautiful with minimal ironing...which is appreciated, and while we are talking about cloth napkins I thought I would share my latest napkin organizing find.....over the door shoe organizer is perfect for storing your cloth napkins, you can see what you have, access them easily without digging through a pile and they are out of the way to free up space for other dining accessories. I spent around $40 on supplies and if you compare to customized napkins at a boutique they usually run $24+ for a set of 2.  So I think I did pretty good for a set of 8 costing $8. each.



So here's what you need for 8 double-sided napkins:
You need 1/2 yard print for 2 napkins or 2 yards for 8
2 yards solid fabric
14 yards rickrack...yes 14 :)
matching thread


Square up your fabric and cut 2- 18x18 squares from each print

then fold in quarters to round the edges

I like to use a saucer (here you can see how the fabric matches the jadeite perfect, but the camera doesn't show its true color)




trim up all pieces (16)


now we are ready to add the rick-rack
I like to add it to my front piece first - line up the zig zag with the edge of the right side, stitch on and then stitch the backing fabric right sides together.  Run both ends of the rick-rack off the edge so the ends get caught in the seam when finished.



after you piece front to the back, turn your piece and press all around and opening so it is ready for top stitching


once all your napkins are turned, and pressed run a top stitch all around as close to the edge as you like, this is decorative, and functional as it will keep the pieces together after washing and it will close your gap where you turned your piece.

and voila! your set of beautiful custom napkins is complete!