Our Cloth Napkins: Before and After

One thing I did manage to accomplish before Hudson's slightly-earlier-than-expected birth: making a new set of cloth napkins!

For months now, we have been wiping our mouths with these rags well-used napkins:

Believe it or not these are just a few years old!  But between kiddos and a few kitchen mishaps, they have seen better days.

I did some research and decided on a double-sided napkin: one side made of quilter's flannel (soft and absorbent for wiping your mouth, dark to hide stains) and the other side regular cotton print (for the aesthetic appeal of the napkin).  I just have to point out that I am very utilitatian, so the fact that these napkins (literally) have an aesthetic side and functional side is quite a bit of progress in my homemaking. :)

I was originally going to make two sets of napkins: 10"x10" kid's napkins and 16"x16" adult napkins.  After I made the kids napkins, I felt that 10"x10" was plenty big enough for adults, so I made all the napkins that size.  Which also meant that we ended up with 36 napkins because I had bought enough material for bigger napkins.  Oh well, hopefully they will last us for years!

The green napkins with multi-colored polka dots were originally meant to be the kids napkins but now they just seem out of place amidst the other prints since they are the same size as the other napkins.  I might use these for a different purpose, like burp cloths or something.

This project took way longer than I expected (probably about 2 weeks worth of sewing for most afternoons) but I am happy with the result!