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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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.

Steal of the Day: JCPenney Hemstitch Table Linens

CasaSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:32 -0700

Even if you don't entertain often, every home should have a classic and simple set of table linens, for the occasion that guests drop by and to nudge you to actually sit down and enjoy your brunch every Sunday morning. If you've inherited some antique linens, that's wonderful, but you may want to keep them in good shape for parties. There's no need to drop big bucks on your tabletop, especially when the JCPenney Hemstitch Table Linens ($12-$27, 50% off) are so affordable. You can choose from seven color choices, or mix and match for a table setting that's just for you. Why not buy several color options and see where the mood takes you? Also, if monogramming is your thing, your runner and napkins will be monogrammed free — how 'bout that for a steal?

Casa Quickie: Bid Adieu to Paper Napkins

CasaSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:00:54 -0800

To add elegance and environmental savvy to every meal, ditch your paper napkins in favor of pretty cloth napkins. Ideal Bite has some resources for cloth napkins, or you can always make your own.

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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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Steal of the Day: Kiwi Orchid Napkin Rings

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:00:59 -0800

It's not hard to take your dinner table from blah to glam with these Kiwi Orchid Napkin Rings ($6) from Hazelnut, my favorite home shop in New Orleans. No need for fancy patterned table linens: these beauties will do the trick on a simple white table cloth, with white cloth napkins and some simple tea light votives. Just add a romantic homemade dinner and you'll be set (literally).

Steal of the Day: Ikat Napkins & Placemats

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:45:19 -0700

It kind of cracks me up that Ballard Designs refers to their discounted inventory as part of an "Estate Sale." I'm sure their "estate" is a steel-walled warehouse in Ohio somewhere. But, since they're selling steals like these Ikat Napkins ($25) and Placemats ($40), I couldn't care less where they've been storing their goods. I love the grosgrain ribbon details and the blue and raspberry color schemes. They're also are totally scratching my ikat itch.

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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.

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?