Have you seen lace-trimmed napkins at stores like Pier One? I’ve drooled over those beauties for a long time. But, they are pricey!
I found a package of men’s handkerchiefs for $13 and some change at Wally World. The quantity in the pack was 13 (although, I have no idea why they sell handkerchiefs in a baker’s dozen).
Hmm…hankies launder well and last a long time before wearing out. They might make good napkins, if embellished in some way.
The white napkins are the ones I refer to in this post.
The hankies.
I love them paired with a print napkin or a solid napkin, either one.
The hankies have a nice, tiny turned edge. To attach the loop trim I purchased at a local fabric shop, I turned down the end of the trim and began stitching at the hanky corner.
Notice, I attached the trim to the back side of the napkin’s turned edge – to make the back side prettier.
In my way of thinking, if you make the back side pretty, it won’t have an ugly side.
Set a wide zig-zag stitch on your machine for sewing over the trim base. You want to avoid stitching directly into the trim. (My needle did not like going into that stuff!)
Begin and end the trim with a 1/4″ to 1/2″ fold-under and back-stitch a couple of times. The process is very simple, and the napkins turn out neat.
I don’t know what this loopy, dainty trim is called. It sort of reminds me of tatting, so I decided to buy it. I love tatting…
This type of trim was not my original plan (in my head, anyway), but I didn’t find a trim similar to the napkins I’ve seen for sale in stores. This loop trim cost about a dollar a yard, so the total cost per napkin was around $2. Definitely worth the effort!
With 13 hankies in the package, you can get two sets of six (with an extra for a whoops!). I’ll be on the look-out for a completely different lace trim for the next set.
Another note about the hankies. I think it’s a good idea to use brand-new-out-of-the-package handkerchiefs rather than used ones. 😉
What about you? Don’t you agree? And, how do you feel about tatting?
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