Stepping out of my usual sharing, I’m back to expand on my Personalized Towels post from a few months back! We have towels, napkins, napkin rings, and a table runner (plus a how-to on a table cloth!). As my closet is getting more and more full, I am thrilled to add sewing for my home instead of my closet!
This set was so damn fun to sew up! And I got to film the whole thing for the Sewing Summit!!! It is a week of free classes from tons of different speakers sharing how to make up different fabric crafts! All the projects are from free patterns, so you can participate completely free! If you want to access the classes after they expire, you can grab an all access pass.
Let’s dive into these fun projects!! Check out the towels I talked about over here, and just how personalizable they are! Then we can start off with the napkins! I learned so may things about napkins. There are different sizes for different occasions. Tea (12 x 12), lunch (14 x 14), dinner (18-20″ square), and formal (22-26″ square). So really, if you have fabric you love, whatever the size, you can probably make a napkin or four. Just add 2 inches to the size you want, press each edge in a scant half inch, twice, and topstitch. Check out the sewing summit for my tips and preferences on beautiful corners!
Now, we need napkin rings to go with them. Not because napkin rings are really a necessity, but more because there are always scraps leftover and they are really fun! The next paragraph is the quick instructions on sewing them up. Skip this if you aren’t sewing, already watched the video, or just don’t care about how to sew these cuties up.
Grab the pattern above and cut out two each of the backer, the loop, and one center, then one 4.5 inch strip of FOE for each napkin ring. Everything has a half inch seam allowance already included. Interface the backer and loop pieces. Sew the backer pieces together, right sides facing. Leave that gap for turning. Repeat for the loop pieces. Fold the center in half, right sides together, and stitch. turn everything right sides out and press the hell out of it. Topstitch around the backer and loop, closing the gaps. Line up both short edges of the loop with the center of the backer. Use a zig-zag stitch to stitch the loop to the backer. You might need to stitch halfway through, then turn and start again from the other side. This is now ready to be the bow! Align the short, raw edges of the center and stitch with 1/4 inch seam allowance. You can serge or overlock stitch the raw edges if you’d like. Slide the FOE inside to loop of the center piece, overlap the ends by 1/2 inch and zig-zag that elastic into a loop! Slide the center over the bow. Tweak to your heart’s content and you are done!!
Now let’s get into this table runner (or cloth, even though I didn’t sew one up!) First, you want to measure the top of your table. If you’re going to a full table cloth, you want to add 24 inches to each of those measurements. If you’re going for a runner, you want the 24 inches on the length and about 1/3 of the width. There is definite wiggle room there because, surprise, when you sew, you get to make shit exactly what you want!!! I decided I wanted to color block my table runner. If you want exactly mine, here are the cutting dimensions for the pieces: one blue and one green of each of the following, 19×2, 31×3, 43×6, and two stripes each of, 7×3, 7×7, 32×17. My table is 72×41. I used french seams to sew this beauty together and could not be happier with the end result!! My sister has already asked for one for each holiday, with coordinating napkins! And we have a running list of snarky phrases to personalize some towels!
I really hope these table accessories spark some creativity for you! These are fantastic beginner projects, and wonderful kickstarters for anyone lacking some sew-jo. Or if you just have a full closet and want to keep sewing your ass off. Be sure to check out the Sewing Summit! And since I’m completely crazy, also check out the other class(es) I participated in!!
Stephanie xx
Those look great. Napkins are a great replacement for the paper kind… better for the environment
I like your video . Your sewing construction skills are professional-looking. Good job and thank you.
Thank you for these great ideas. I love a beautifully set table. Even 5 minutes in it looks like a bunch of kindergartners were here…lll
Thank you was fun class. Will be doing all again for sure
Beautiful items and I love the clarity in your explanations and all the additional information. Very helpful for rookies like me!
Love how the whole set works together so well. Easy to understand even for a beginner.
I enjoyed your presentation. Your work is lovely and you made it easy to understand. I have been sewing for a long time…mostly self taught. Now I am retired and in stay at home mode for a while, I have time to learn some techniques that will make my work look even better. I appreciate this opportunity. Thank you!
I would find it helpful if you told us about the type/kind of fabric you choose for each project. Thank you
I really enjoyed your video! I’m anxious to make holiday napkins & runner for gifts!
Just finished watching your video in the sewing summit! I loved how you did french seams on the bottom of the table runner…such a great way to avoid buying a large backing fabric 🙂