guest post: everyday snack napkin gift set {by little green designs}

Happy Holidays!

I'm so happy to be here guest-blogging with Kacey at Stay-at-Home-Artist.  And of course I am so very excited for her and the changes happening in their family that are allowing me to be here, sharing with you, today!

My name is Kate and I'm from littlegreendesigns.  I am a crafter, seamstress, wife, mother, and all-around happy gal.  Come join me on my blog where I like to carry on about family, fun, sewing, and the joy that is life!

Today I have a tutorial for you of one of my favorite handmade gifts.

Cloth Napkins – Cute, Easy and Eco-conscious!

We crafty-people are constantly on the lookout for easy and fast handmade gifts.  With the holidays quickly approaching I am turning to one of my favorite “go-to” gifts: a set of handmade cloth napkins.  Not only are they eco-conscious, but they are also super cute and trendy, can match whatever kitchen they need to, and are a snap to make - even you can do it!

 
These ones specifically are my favorite style and size because they are perfect for every day use.  They're smaller than a regular dinner napkin but just as useable.  My family uses them at Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, and every snacking moment in between.  They're the perfect size for a muffin on the go, a late night TV snack, or even in kids lunch boxes!

One Gift Set = 12 coordinating cloth napkins

**See Below for a Printable version of this How-To**

Supplies:

* 1 yd each of two coordinating fabrics
* sewing machine
* iron
* coordinating thread
* corner-pushing-pokey-thing-tool (that's a technical term, see step 3 for details)

How To:

Step 1 - Cut fabrics into a total of 24 - 10" squares.  12 of each fabric.

Step 2 - Place two pieces of same fabric right sides together and stitch 1/4" from edge. Leave a 2" opening along one side.  Clip Corners.

Step 3 - Turn napkin right side out through 2" opening and use preferred corner-pushing-pokey-thing-tool to push all 4 corners out into defined points.  (My preferred tool is the rounded back end of a skinny paint brush, it's just perfect! It's not too sharp but also not too big and fat.)

Step 4 - Iron and topstitch around napkin.

Step 5 - Repeat 11 more times to finish napkin set.

Step 6 - Wrap them up and give them away!

SIDE NOTE: If you want to cut costs you can do 1 yard of fabric instead of 2 and just do one color.  This makes for a smaller set of 6 napkins.  If you decide to purchase less than 1 yd so you can do multiple colors for less money please make note that you need to purchase in 1/3 yd increments, not 1/2s.  You can cut 4 of the 10" squares in 1/3" yd, which would turn in to 2 napkins.  Use this info as a reference in quantity planning!

If you're anything like me, I don't like to be tied to my computer when I am sewing.  I like to shut down, turn up my ipod, and rock out.  And so I have created a one-page print out of this tutorial so that when you go to work you can have the info, and my mad teaching skills, at your fingertips.

Click HERE to download the print out!

Happy Holiday Crafting!