The hens have it! The birthday napkins I whipped up for my friend’s birthday were a success. I think she really liked them and it made me feel good that she knows how much I appreciate our friendship.
These were fairly simple to construct. I made a simple nine patch measuring 18 1/2″ unfinished using two different greens and a cute chicken pattern in the center and corners. Then I cut an 18 1/2″ red square for the backing.
***Tip: 18″ is fairly standard finished size for dinner napkins but you can make them pretty much any size you want. My nine patch squares measured 6 1/2″ unfinished. If you decide to make them from your stash and don’t want to fret with the math, simply cut nine squares of equal size 5″ or better. Sew them together and then measure the finished nine patch. The cut an equal size square for the backing.***
Using a 1/4″ seam I sewed the two squares together good sides facing each other leaving a 3″ opening to turn them right side out. At the opening I turned the fabric inside a quarter inch and pressed.
***Tip: Once I turned each napkin right side out I carefully pressed each one using a chopstick to poke out the corner fabric and a wood paint stir stick to make a nice straight pressed edge. You can pick up a couple free stir sticks at any Home Depot or Lowes.***
I chose a dark green thread and using the zigzag setting on my machine, I stitched all the way around the outside edge of the napkin. This eliminated the need to hand stitch the opening and created a nice country feel to go with the chicken patterned fabric. Finally, I practiced my napkin folding techniques (not very good at that) and placed each napkin inside a carved wooden chicken napkin ring found at Pier 1.
Quick and easy!
