juliea9967

Thanks for the link. That is a great tutorial. I am off to my stash to find some fabric for napkins!

kuntryquilter

I make them with cotton fabric, have bought cheap cotton sheets and made them. Also left over cotton fabric from a quilt or table runner. I don't hem mine, just serge.

I like large napkins that cover my lap, so they are 18" square

KenmoreGal2

My family of 5 has been using cloth napkins everyday for over 15 years now. I've acquired them in many ways - at yard sales, thrift stores and I've also made them from fabric scraps and used sheets (washed of course!) I also prefer cotton, it's more absorbent. I like my napkins 22" square but that's my personal thing. When I make them, I hem the edges and don't worry too much about how perfect my corners are.

You definitely don't have to wash your napkins after every meal!! Many meals they hardly get touched. The important thing in my mind is to make sure every family member uses the same napkin every night. To be swapping napkins is a bit yucky. When they get dirty, I wash them but I find that can sometimes stretch out to a week or longer depending on what we are eating. When we have a really messy meal like ribs, I use paper napkins.

I've found 2 different ways to make sure each family member always has their own personal napkin. If you eat at a table which must be cleared off afterwards, you can buy a different color napkin ring for each family member and when they are not eating, their napkin is contained in that ring. We kept the napkins in a decorated basket on the table when they weren't in use. For the past 10+ years we've eaten our dinners in the dining room (not the kitchen) which helped with the napkins a lot. The table is always set and we always sit in the same place. So each of us has his own napkin at the ready all the time.

A patterned fabric will hide stains better. When we ate in the kitchen we used a variety of solids and patterns. The kids actually enjoyed picking their own "napkin of the week". Since we moved to the dining room, I use patterned table cloths to hide the stains which means I had to switch to solid color napkins. I still use a variety of colors though, all coordinating with the tablecloth. (I must have a stash of 40 napkins). Sometimes they get stained with oils and look unsightly. At that point they become rags and I make some new ones. It's a very easy project.

I commend you on wanting to switch to cloth. It's really not a big deal to maintain them and it saves a heck of a lot of trees.

ckcowl

I've been using linen napkins for years, linen holds up well, a very tough fabric. I make mine 16" square, then they are large enough for the occasional fancy folding and linen comes in wider widths than regular cottons 56" - 60". I just press a narrow ( double fold1/4") hem around them & straight stitch.

AnnT

I use cotton and make mine ! 18 - 22" because I like a big napkin. We always used cloth napkins growing up ( 5 kids, 2 parents, 1 grandparent)and Momma washed them once a week. We each had a different napkin ring and put the napkin back in the ring after eating. We always knew which one was ours. We learned to be careful and neat!

rjwilder

I agree with PaperPrincess, Sams and Costco sell them cheaper than you can make them. They hold up well, we've been using them for years. We made personalized napkin rings and everyone just slides their napkin back in it and we can use them for a week. Then they are washed with colorfast bleach.

redtweety

I like using pretty dish cloths. They are absorbent, and wash nicely. I have a small laundry basket in kitchen so when dishes go out there, so does our "napkins". We use nice dish towels as bibs when eating a messy food.

Eva Knight

Why have 2 layers of material? I've have never seen any napkins anywhere with 2 layers. Just wondering.

matraina

I've always used a single layer of fabric and used a 1/4" hem on them. I turned the edges twice so there would be no unfinished edge.

leighway

I made several hundred for my son's restaurant. I used natural colored lightweight cotton canvas, which will drape but will withstand the real test of time. I used my serger and made a rolled hem and made them each 19" square, which allowing for shrinkage still gives a good cover. Every time I use one (I kept some for myself) I get pleasure from the organic feel and the simplicity. Oh and I used Made in USA canvas. That was important to me.