Cloth napkins! (easy tutorial)

We use cloth napkins.  We have for years and years and years.  Why? Well, first of all, it's not as wasteful--you can just pop them in with your regular laundry and voila--they're ready for the next use!  Another reason is that they really work better than paper napkins, we especially noticed this when our kids were little and really messy :) (or for messy meals like BBQ ribs!!)

I make our napkins, and they last years and years. We have some from when we were first married (20 years ago!!) and they are in good shape still :) A few years ago I made some from flannel (which I had left over from another project) and we learned that flannel napkins are the BEST!!  :) They are soft, yes, but they really soak up dirt/grease/wetness/etc -- all the stuff you need napkins to wipe off your fingers or face! I have been gradually making more, replacing the non-flannel ones with flannel napkins.

Here is the most recent batch of napkins! 

I thought I'd share with you how easy these are to make.

The first thing I do is go to the store and buy flannel (when it's on a good sale!)  I usually buy 1/2 yard for every 2 napkins I want to make (so for instance, if I want to make 6, I buy 1 1/2 yd).

Wash and dry the fabric in the washing machine so that any shrinking that will occur will do so before they are made.

It would probably be nice if you measured,
but I basically just do as thin as I can easily
do without burning my fingers :) 

Cut out squares of fabric. I like to make them 18 x 18 inches (though I've made them smaller before, too).

Fold over about 1/4" on each edge and iron it down; fold it a second time so that your raw edges are inside.

Fold it over the second time so your
raw edges will be inside

Stitch all around the 4 sides--then snip your threads and voila!  They are ready to use!

Simple, right?? (the worst part of it for me is the ironing!)

I am really making these to use. I don't really care if they are perfect or not. Therefore, I do not spend tons of time on them.  I usually don't have tons of time to spend, so that's practical for me :) If you are really concerned that they be perfect (like if you are giving them as a gift or something (?), you would probably measure how far you iron the edges in...and maybe mitre the corners...but for my family's breakfast/lunch/dinner usage, these are just great!

Since I'm not really "finishing" them nicely (no mitred corners, etc) I DO go in reverse over the folded overlapping corner parts to just flatten them so that they won't get lumpy when washed either. It looks something like this:

Give it a try!  It's a quick and easy project that you can all use!

How about you?  Does anyone else out there use cloth napkins?