CasaSugar

Etsy Finds: Sophisticated Cloth Napkins

CasaSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:00:54 -0700

I'm a big enthusiast of white table linens. With a basic backdrop, you can be flexible with your other dinner party décor, changing up your palettes and patterns to make each party special. That said, you'll need to bring in color and flair with napkins, napkin rings, flowers, and serving dishes. So, I thought I'd share a few colorful and sophisticated cloth napkins to get you started on your quest for the perfect party.

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Roundup: Striped Table Linens

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Stripes are the little black dress of tabletop décor. They're always in style. You can never go wrong with a good striped or broad-plaid tablecloth. For instance, I'm absolutely in love with the Designers Guild Dickenson print, and I don't see that changing . . . ever. It's a good thing, because a table cloth and six napkins will cost me $195. For now, I might have to treat myself to a set of four napkins ($40). But why stop there? There are so many striped table linens to love. See my other beautiful finds when you read more.

Roundup: Fall Napkin Rings

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:30:53 -0800

Thanksgiving is approaching and I've been looking around for some festive Fall napkin rings to add a little oomph to my dinner table. The holiday of course calls for cloth napkins (paper would be a total sin), and since I'll be all dolled up, I can't allow them to go undressed. Napkin rings with a leaf motif are cute but also a little kitschy, so I find myself gravitating toward rings with a seasonal palette of warm tones that don't necessarily have a Fall themed pattern. The Red Batik Wood Napkin Ring Set ($17.94 for six) from World Market, for example, has a geometric batik pattern in shades of red and brown. To see what other Fall napkin rings I've rounded up, read more.

Etsy Find: Cinderella Pumpkin Napkins

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:49 -0800

When it comes to pumpkins, we often think of jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin carving at Halloween, but the gourd-like squash is stylish all season long. There should be nothing preventing you from decorating with pumpkins until Christmas comes along . . . then poinsettias and fir trees can have their heyday. I'm smitten with these Cinderella Pumpkin Napkins, a set of four olive-green cotton napkins each embroidered with a freshly harvested pumpkin, recalling Cinderella's Fairy Godmother's coach. Their warm-colored palette is ideal for Fall. If not these, you should pick up an alternate set because by now I hope you all adopted cloth napkins in lieu of paper!

Etsy Find: Cactus Picnic Napkin Set

CasaSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:00:00 -0700

If a cactus could ever look cute, JackRabbit has devised a means to that end with the Cactus Picnic Napkin Set, a set of four 10-by-12-inch handmade napkins screen printed with a grid of perky green cacti. I can't think of a better occasion to debut these prickly succulents than a backyard barbecue - or perhaps a Park(ing) Day picnic. While the weather is still warming up here in San Francisco, temperatures are turning chilly elsewhere, so you'd better snatch these babies up fast and throw some T-bones on the grill. But if you're located in the Lone Star State or other arid environments, these linens won't ever go out of style . . . and you know that cloth napkins are always an eco-fashionable statement.

Summer Style: Hibiscus History Placemats and Napkins

CasaSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:00:07 -0700

You can always incorporate Summer Style into your home with color, flowers, and beach gear. But honestly, the only time I ever really enjoy the season is when I'm outdoors. And, what better way to do so than to have a picnic or an outdoor barbecue? Setting a colorful outdoor table is the simplest way to achieve Summer Style, so the Anthropologie Hibiscus History Placemats ($64) and Napkins ($24) are just the thing. Pair them with some barbecue-sauced burgers and simple sparkling lemonade and your July barbecue will be good to grill.

Do You Use Cloth Instead of Paper Towels and Napkins?

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:00:23 -0700

Using cloth rags and napkins instead of their paper counterparts prevents waste before it happens, and is more environmentally safe, especially if you wash them in cold water. Americans go through rolls like clockwork but in Europe it's more common to use cloth. When I lived with a family in France, we each had our own cloth napkin with a designated napkin ring; we'd reuse it for a week or until it was soiled. Have you already picked up this habit?
Source

Etsy Find: Designer Chair Cocktail Napkins

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:00:40 -0800

If you have your sights set on a Le Corbusier or a Philippe Starck but need to collect 80 penny jars before you can call it your own, think about ordering the Avrilloreti Designer Chair Cocktail Napkins ($26), which will cost you less than 30 Sacagawea dollars. If they don't fit the bill, try my Casa Quickie resource, or just make your own designer chair napkins. You might prefer a real LC4 Chaise Lounge ($2,660), but, oh, wouldn't we all?

Do You Use Cloth or Paper Napkins at Home?

CasaSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:20:20 -0700

A few weeks ago, I touted the eco-benefits of using cloth napkins, so now I'm curious what type of napkins you use at home.

DIY: Cloth Napkins With a Binding Edge

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:01:27 -0800

Over the weekend, I made a slightly more complicated version of our DIY napkins, riffing on a pattern I adapted from The Purl Bee. My sewing style is a little more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants when it comes to more straight-forward sewing projects. For instance, I didn't pin anything on the project. While this is fine if you're used to working with fabric, I would recommend pinning for this project if you're not comfortable with more "free form" sewing. This is definitely a pretty project though, and one that will get lots of oohs and ahs at your next dinner party. These directions make 12 napkins.

Here's What You Need

Sewing machine
Three yards of fabric for the body of the napkins
One to one and a half yards of fabric for the binding
A binding maker
Pins
Sewing Scissors
Newspaper or paper bag measuring approximately 12 inches by 9 inches to use for napkin body pattern
Thread that matches the color of the binding fabric
Iron and ironing board

To get more directions and to see photographs of the process, just read more
Here's How To Do It

Prewash all fabric to avoid shrinking and puckering after sewing.
Iron fabric.
Using your newspaper, weight the body fabric (three yards worth) down with a heavy item (I used a Stoli bottle, but a juice bottle works fine as well, or a book). Cut out around the perimeter. You can pin the newspaper to the fabric if you're concerned about accuracy, though this is a forgiving project.
Cut the fabric for the binding, using the directions on your binding maker. For instance, for my binding I cut the fabric to 1 3/4 inches. You can do this on the diagonal to make the fabric longer, though I simply cut it straight across and sewed the ends together. Either way works fine. The great thing about cutting straight across your fabric is that you can notch a cut about four inches into the fabric and then quickly rip the fabric, and it will come out to the correct width. This saves a lot of time.
Iron the binding fabric.
Pull the fabric through the binding maker, ironing as you go. When you get to the end, fold the binding over again and iron. Working on a high steam setting seems to work best.

Once you've ironed all of your binding, fit the square napkin body between the binding edges and sew along the edge. The binding should measure the same on each side, so you don't have to worry too much about missing the binding edge.
Stop before you get to the corner, and either pin or tuck the edge fabric so it aligns with the corner. You're basically tucking a tiny bit of the binding fabric inside itself to form a neat corner.
When you get to the end, finish the edge by cutting a bit of excess for the binding, then tuck it inside itself so no raw edges show, and sew it onto the binding edge where you began.
Do this eleven (or however many napkins are needed) more times, and then do a little party dance (or have a drink with some of that Stoli you used to weight the fabric).
Find a cute and clever way to present the napkins on a table, and smile humbly when you are complimented on such a fine job.

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CLOSEOUT! Home James Jabberwocky Placemat and Napkin Collection - $45.00	Calvin Klein "Tonal Bands" Linen Collection - $10.00
Chilewich - $62.00	Confetti Indoor/Outdoor Umbrella Tablecloth - $14.99
Calvin Klein "Tonal Bands" Table Runner, 15x90" - $100.00	Unison - Porter Tablecloth - $64.00
Feed Sack Table Runner - Blue - $399.00	Fiesta Rainbow Burst Napkins, Set of Four, 17x17" - $22.00
Bardwil "Broadway" Blue Stripe Napkins, Set of 4 - $30.00	Martha Stewart Collection "Canopy Stripe" Placemat Collection - $9.00
DwellStudio Table Woodblock Runners - in ink - set of 2 - $160.00	Tuxedo Stripe Collection by Chilewich - $25.00
Striped Table Runner - $25.00	Savona Stripe Tablecloth/Napkin - $4.95
DwellStudio Table Woodblock Lake Napkin - set of 4 - $64.00

Fall Leaf Napkin Ring - $1.49	Red Batik Wood Napkin Ring Set of 6 - $17.94
Pandan Basketweave Napkin Ring Set of 6 - $11.94	Tonal Beaded Napkin Ring - $3.95
Brown Wood Carved Square Napkin Ring Set of 6 - $17.94	Set of Six Maple Leaf Napkin Ring - $45.50
Alessi - ethno napkin rings by alessi - $18.00	Octagon Napkin Rings by Aman Imports - $10.50
Resin Hoop Napkin Rings - $3.50	Striped Napkin Rings Sets of 6 - $11.94
Amber Glass Napkin Ring - $2.95	Poinsettia Napkin Ring - $3.95