DIY Napkins Tutorial

This is totally non-school related, but good to blog about none-the-less :)

Is there anyone else out there who uses cloth napkins? For whatever reason it seems that they just aren't used anymore. Growing up we always used cloth napkins. I think I can remember about three times {if that!} when we used paper napkins. To me, cloth napkins were "normal." I thought everyone used them. But when my friends ate supper at our house they all seemed confused and a bit skeptical of using pretty-printed fabric to wipe their mouths. 

There are many good reasons to use cloth napkins and I applaud anyone who uses them. 

1. Economical: For my husband & I, paper napkins would cost about $40/year. That's assuming we would use 1 napkin each for breakfast, lunch, & dinner. Obviously if you have children the number is going to increase. Saving $40 might not be a big deal to some people, but for my family a penny saved is a penny earned! 

2. Environmentally Friendly: Cloth napkins are reusable. Simply wash, dry, fold, and use. 

3. Easy on the Eyes: Adding napkins can add a lot to your table-scape! {uh oh, there's the Sandra Lee jargon comin' out} Seriously though, how adorable are these?? 

I promise I'm not one of those soap-box people who is trying to convince you to use cloth napkins. In fact, I'm just the opposite. Usually I'm the one who smiles & nods in order to prevent an argument, haha! I really do understand why people don't use them. The purpose of this tutorial is to show you how easy, affordable, & fun it is to make cloth napkins for your family. So if you've ever thought about making them, but were unsure of where/how to start, this is for you :)

Step 1: Gather Your Equipment

Not pictured is an ironing board, sewing machine, and thread. You'll need those too :)

Step 2: Measure & Cut

1 yard of fabric will make {4} 16x16" napkins. I picked up this fun print on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $3! For 16x16" napkins, measure and cut 18x18" squares. {You want a 1" seam allowance on each side of your napkin for hemming.} Depending on how much fabric you have, you may decide on bigger napkins. However big/small you want them to be, add an inch on each side. Make sense?

Step 3: Hem & Pin

Now that your squares are cut, lay them on the ironing board, pretty side down. On one side, fold the fabric over 1/4" and press with your iron. Then on the same side, fold it another 1/4" and press again. That should make a total of 1/2" folded. 

Pin the fold in the middle to hold it in place. Sorry for the microscopic picture. I should've taken the picture from the other side to show you, but hopefully this makes sense!

Do the same thing for all 4 sides. Pin each corner to hold those in place, too! Measure your napkins to make sure they are 16x16".

Step 4: Cutting Corners {literally, not figuratively}.

Unpin one of the corners and cut about 1/2" off, like in the picture below.

Fold the cut corner about 1/4" inward.

 Now refold the left side on the seam that was created from ironing. 

And refold the right side so it creates a clean edge. Pin it back in place.

Sewing your corners like I did is optional. I prefer to do it this way because it prevents the fabric rom fraying and has a clean, professional look when it's complete. That's probably the toughest part of this project, but it's super easy once you get the hang of it.

Step 5: Sewing

Take your first napkin to the sewing machine and begin making a straight stitch down the fold, removing pins along the way.

Use the hem of your fabric and the presser foot as a guide. This will help create a straight line.

When it's done your sides & corners should look like this.

Cut any excess string from where you started/stopped sewing. There ya go! Four beautiful & reusable napkins for $3. My husband and I are still using napkins that I made a year ago, so these will last a while!

If you have any questions or need further details, please email me at contemporarysouthteacher@gmail.com. My button is on the sidebar. Happy sewing!

Bunting!

Those of you who stalk follow people on Pinterest have seen dozens of fabric bunting ideas, if not more. One of my summer projects was to make one of these for my classroom. Here are some of my "Pinspirations":

See this one {here}

The first pic is pretty ordinary, but I absolutely L.O.V.E. the second one! This person made it from scrap fabric. How cool is that?! My favorite part is that none of the fabrics match, which oddly enough make it all go together. Or is that just me? Anyway, back on track...

I decided to go ahead and make mine today since it was pretty gloomy outside {what else is new}. To start, cut a triangle from a piece of cardstock. Ready for a brief math lesson? This is an isosceles triangle because two of the sides are the exact same length. The shorter side measures 6 1/3" while the longer sides both measure 8 2/3". It really doesn't matter how big/small you make the triangles, as long as it is isosceles. Make sense?

Then get your fabric situated. Lay the fabric on a table with "ugly sides" touching. The "pretty sides" should be showing on the top and bottom. Then lightly trace your triangle template.

Cut the triangles with regular fabric scissors first. {I will explain why as we go through the steps}. Continue cutting out triangles until you have your desired amount. I decided to cut 2 triangles for each print, but the cool part about this project is that the design and pattern are completely up to you! 

Pin your triangles like so to hold them into place.

Ok, so here's when I explain the purpose of cutting with regular scissors first, rather than your pinking sheers. Prior to doing this I practiced on some scrap fabric from my black hole storage box. I cut my triangles with pinking sheers first, like most tutorials say to do, but when it came time to sew, the zig-zag edges looked a little...funky. The edges weren't lined up and it didn't look polished. That's when the idea hit me. {Cue inner dialogue} If I cut with regular scissors first, and then sew a straight stitch, the fabric will be secured in place. Then I can trim the edges with my pinking sheers!

I highly recommend doing it this way. It was so much easier! 

Get out your sewing machine and sew a straight stitch about 1/3" from the 2 long edges. Don't worry about sewing the short end closed. You will do this at the very end with bias tape. Now take your pinking sheers and trim the edges! Here's a close-up:

Look at those edges...mmm mmm!

Arrange your finished triangles in the order you want them sewn.

Unravel your bias tape. I accidentally bought the wrong width, so pay attention to that when you're shopping! I got 7/8", which was waaay to thick for my size triangles. But no worries! I simply folded it in half once and it worked perfect. And I apologize for not having any pictures of this step, but I couldn't hold down the fabric and snap a pic at the same time ;)

In other words, make sure your bias tape is an appropriate width for your size triangles.

Before you start sewing, decide how you want to hang the bunting. I've seen people tie it to things by making a bow/knot, pin it in place, or loop it onto something. Whatever method you decide will determine how much tape to leave at each end. For example, you will need to leave more tape if you're planning on tying it rather than looping it. 

I am planning on looping mine above my blackboard, so I sandwiched the first triangle between the folded bias tape, about 6" from the end. The edge of the fabric should line up with the crease in the fold. Straight stitch across. I left about a 2" gap between each triangle. Continue sewing your triangles, sandwiching them between the fold. When you're done, cut the tape 6" from the last triangle {or whatever length you used on the other end}.

Here's a close-up of my color palate.

And here it is hanging up! Pardon the not-so-pretty background. I will be getting better pictures tomorrow. 

 

 

If you would like a custom set for yourself, a friend, or your classroom, visit my Etsy shop for purchasing information! My button is also on the sidebar.

**{posting will be available by tomorrow}

Another One!

Ok, I think I may have found a new obsession with chairs. I revamped one of my classroom chairs a week ago (see that post here) and while I was at the Goodwill yesterday I couldn't help but purchase this aaaamazing bar stool for $9.97! And even better...it has wheels! 

I can envision myself right now with aching feet & a sore back, resting on my bar stool, while still able to access my Smart Board. 

It's. Gonna. Be. Awesome!

Anyway, like my first chair project, this one is also very simple. 

Tools needed:

3/4 yd. of fabric

Scissors

Phillips/Flat head screwdriver (depends on the screws)

Wrench (size depends on size of bolts on the chair bottom)

Staple gun and staples

Spray paint (I used Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze)

After leaving Goodwill I headed to Hobby Lobby the Hobster Lobster to grab some fabric. They were having a 30% off sale on duct cotton fabric, which is very thick and durable...great for an everyday chair. The colors go perfectly with my classroom theme (bright colors). After the sale and taxes, it ended up costing $4.71 for 3/4 yd!

(Side note: when working with fabric, I always try to get the exact amount I need, so measure your furniture first. It's sad to have leftover fabric that's too small to even use).

First thing to do: remove any screws from the back cushion with your screwdriver. Put these aside where you won't lose them. 

Once the screws have been removed, the back cushion will fall off. With your fabric "pretty side down", lay your cushion on top like this. 

BEFORE cutting, fold the fabric on top of the cushion to make sure it will snag onto those little prong-looking things. It needs to go about an inch past the prongs (see where my finger is). Once you know you have enough fabric for the back cushion, cut what you need and snag it on each of the prongs. It takes a lot of pulling and funky maneuvering, especially on the corners. The tighter you pull, the better the result. If the fabric isn't pulled tight enough, it will be loose and baggy. Make sense? 

It should resemble something like this:

Now onto the seat cushion. 

Flip your chair on its side and remove any screws/bolts that are securing it in place. I used a small wrench to loosen them up and was able to use my fingers to spin them off the rest of the way.

Like you did with the back cushion, lay your remaining fabric "pretty side down" and your seat cushion on top. Make sure it's centered with enough fabric to stretch all the way around. Starting at the top, fold the fabric over the seat cushion and staple it in place. On the opposite side, pull the fabric tight and staple it in place, too. Do the same thing on the other two sides, making sure it's pulled tightly. (If I say "tight" one more time...haha) 

Once you have the fabric secured, staple around the rest of the cushion, like I did in the picture below. It's going to be a lot of "pull, staple, pull, staple, pull staple," but you want to make sure it stays. The corners are tricky because you don't want the folds/creases to be visibly noticeable, but don't stress! I had to remove a few staples to fix this issue. Just pull in a different direction and re-staple. 

Alright, so my cushions are lookin' good, but I wasn't quite diggin' the 1992 beige metal vibe. 

It had to go. 

By the way, I just placed the cushion on the chair for this picture. That's my wonderful husband's arm holding the back in place :) Don't reattach the cushions if you're planning on painting the metal base!! 

I had some leftover spray paint from another project, so it didn't cost me a thing. Yay! 

Reassemble the chair and here's the finished product!!

I'm so excited to take this to my classroom!! I'm tempted to go RIGHT NOW, but who wants to go to school on a Sunday? I guess I'll have to stay at home and keep busy with another project ;)

A Bit More "Chair"ful

Ok, here's the deal. I absolutely LOVE anything d.i.y and I am notorious for stalking a particular home-improvement blog {Young House Love}. What I like most about this blog compared to others is that they truly do their best at making their house a "home". I get a lot of inspiration from them, and I hope that you will find some too! 

Last year I used an old chair as the Birthday Chair for my students. Anything to make them feel special and privileged is great :) As much as the kids loved it, the Birthday Chair was lacking in...well...character. It was pretty blah to be honest; no color, black and white fabric, and hard as a rock. This is what it looked like. {of course the only picture I could find has a filing cabinet covering it up! Go figure.} It's the brown chair in the far left.

After some much TLC, this baby is singin' a different tune! The jade & yellow combination is bright & fun, and who doesn't love a great chevron print?

In all my excitement of painting I forgot to take step-by-step pictures. Oops ;) But let me reassure you how EASY this project is!! Anyone with an ugly/old chair can do this. Here are step-by-step directions, thanks to John & Sherry @ Young House Love.

Have you given any of your classroom furniture a new look? Comment below with your ideas and/or pictures!