As a guest of The Purl Bee you are invited to browse our home page, view our projects, post comments and access our archives. Enjoy!
On Thanksgiving my friends and I always have a very fun, very huge, party. We usually have to improvise a table and don't end up eating until around 9. Last year I made these cute napkins for my gathering and they turned out to be a very popular project. This year, however, I'm doing something totally different and going to my boyfriend's parent's house in Washington DC. (I'm thinking of going to to this quilt show while I'm down there...)
Since it will be a smaller (and hopefully earlier) gathering I decided to make a set of six Thanksgiving napkins, but with a more sophisticated feeling. I followed the pattern from last year, but I used the amazing new Yuwa Silky Dots in Red/Violet for the binding. Despite it's name and sheen this lovely fabric is actually 100% cotton. For the main panel of the napkins I used two different Shot Cottons. I used the color Moor on one side, and Cassis on the other. The subtle glow of the shot cotton compliments the silky quality of the binding.
The background fabric in the photo above is Kokka's Black Flowers by Nani Iro.
If you want make these napkins, just visit my Handmade Napkin Project Journal from last year, but with the following adjustments:
You will only need 6 binding strips.
Everything comes together in exactly the way pictured, just use two 16" pieces (one in Moor and one in Cassis) as if they were one panel. Make sure the corners and sides are all lined up well. They should stay together pretty easily without any sort of adhesive.
Since the binding fabric is so fine and silky I recommend using a ballpoint needle on your machine. It won't pierce the fine threads but rather push them out of the way which will keep the fabric from puckering along the seam. (Thanks to Heather Ross for this tip. I wish I'd known this while making my set!)
Enjoy! -- Molly
November 14, 2007 purl bee Print Share in Fabric, Sewing, Molly's Sketchbook, Holiday Projects | 8 Comments
Reader Comments (8)
I was just wondering if you could enable your RSS feed on your blog. I've subscrbed through Google and would get pix if you do that. Thanks.
I believe that the RSS feed is enabled? Look at the bottom of the right hand navigation column. Glad you're enjoying the blog! --Joelle
Given the small surface area of the tape and the slippery quality of the fabric, the back face of the binding tape tended to move/slip out of the path of the sewing needle. Of course you can't tell this until you turn it over after sewing! I had to re-sew along the "back" to secure all faces of the binding tape to the napkin, which made for less-than-perfect edges.
I have several theories (surface of the sewing machine, inexperience with binding tape, more frequent pin placement) and am hoping that you can speak from your experience with binding tape and in particular the Silky Dots fabric!
Keep up the great work. :) PS-they loved the napkins despite the less than perfect edges. Perhaps only I would notice...