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At The Purl Bee we strive to create fun and approachable projects for you to knit, crochet, sew, stitch and more!   You can search for our past projects below by typing your search into the search box, browsing our Photo Galleries, looking through our Projects alphabetically or by clicking the links in our Tag Cloud. Enjoy!

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More Inspiration!
Tuesday
Oct232007

Simple + Spooky Cocktail Napkins


pumpkin

These simple cocktail napkins are a great way to add a handmade touch to a Halloween party (and in other colors they'd work for any celebration.) The technique for making the neat corners is a good way to finish any 90 degree angle.  --Molly

Tuesday
Oct232007

Simple + Spooky Cocktail Napkins - Materials

Supplies

The following supplies are to make twenty 7" napkins. 

1/2 yds of five assorted black and orange fabrics.

Counting from the top down I used:

  1. A Windham 19th century reproduction fabric, P+B Dotty in black would work great too. 
  2. Moda's Loft in Orange Smoothie Main Street
  3. 3. Another Windham 19th century reproduction fabric,  Mystery Black Spade Flowers by would work great.
  4. 4. American Jane Orange Dots by Moda.
  5. 5. American Jane Orange Stripe by Moda.

2 small spools of Gutterman thread, in orange and black.

(I also used 2 yds of Black Lotus Cocinelle by Kokka for a table cloth. To make a tablecloth, follow the same direction for finishing the hem and corners below).

Tuesday
Oct232007

Cut, Mark + Cut Fabric

square

Cut four 9 inch squares out of each of the assorted black and orange fabrics.

DSC_0009_2.gif

Mark 3/4 inch in from every corner.

marked-corners.gif

Like this.

cut-corners.gif

Snip all the corners off using the marks you made as a guide.

sniped-squares


Tuesday
Oct232007

Folding, Round One

1st-fold.gif

Fold all the sides in so that the croped corners meet to create new corners, and press them.

CU-1st-fold 

Tuesday
Oct232007

Folding, Round Two

Folded-in-corners

Fold in the corners and press them. The corners should make right angle triangles.

2nd-fold

Fold up all the sides so the folded corners meet and make a neat new corner, much like you did in the first round of folding.

Pin the sides like this and press them.
CU-2nd-fold.gif

 

Tuesday
Oct232007

Sew Hem

ziged-wrong-side

Using a zig zag stitch make your seam with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, begin along one side of the napkin. When you come to the corner, leave the needle in the down position, lift the presser foot, rotate napkin 90 degrees, then lower presser foot and continue to next corner.  Repeat at each corner.

Use the black thread on the orange fabrics and the orange thread on the black fabrics. 

ziged-right

You're done! 

last-shot