Last year, I bookmarked the Christmas Tree Napkins by Sew Hungry Hippie. I saw them being made and shared a lot on Instagram, but by the time I saw them, I did not have time to give them a try. Somehow the holidays are already here again, so I figured it was time to give the tutorial a try.
Fabric Pull
And by give a try… I mean pull 22 colors from my Kona solids stash and sew up a rainbow of 11 napkins. Top to bottom, I pulled:
- Pomegranate
- Brt. Pink
- Violet
- Dk. Violet
- Lapis
- Copen
- Mediterranean
- Turquoise
- Pool
- Aqua
- Clover
- Grasshopper
- Chartreuse
- Cactus
- Bright Idea
- Papaya
- Torch
- Flame
- Tomato
- Ruby
- Pepper
- Black
Christmas Tree Napkins
The napkins don’t take long at all to sew together and press. I wasn’t especially working fast, and I could easily make 3 napkins in a hour with some time to spare.
Christmas Tree Napkins
The napkins were always intended to be gifted to my in-laws. They like to use cloth napkins at meals, and when the family is gathered together, we differentiate seating arrangements with our napkin colors. Since these napkins were destined for my in-laws, I had to get a photograph with the beautiful rainbow that is cast by a prism we inherited from my husband’s maternal grandparents.
Christmas Tree Napkins
When unfolded, the napkins are a nice half circle. I opted to take a bit more time when making each napkin and sew a line indicating each fold line. That way it will be easier to know how to press the napkins after each wash. Speaking of wash, the photo above is after I gave the napkins their first wash. I also labeled the napkins with their color names because I know my in-laws would appreciate knowing the colors.
I don’t know if I have any other sewing that I’ll do for the holidays this year, and it feels good to have a handmade gift already delivered. Are you making anything special for gifting this year?
For my Pilates classmates I made: lined canvas totes with contrasting decorative fabric. I made napkins for one member who didn’t need another tote. I’ll give them at our Holiday luncheon.
Yvonne these are adorable. What a great gift. I too am a cloth napkin person, these may be in my to make pile soon.
Those napkins are really fun! What a great way to mark everyones seat. Have a very happy Thanksgiving.
Yvonne, these napkins are just so cute. They make a great gift.
I was making napkins, too, on Saturday and Sunday. I made those when I worked at a quilt shop. These are quite fun and it sounds like your in-laws will get good use out of them – perfect in all the rainbow colors. I love the picture with the rainbow from the precious crystal.
If ever your fantastic collection of Kona solids came in handy, this is it! I love this gift – handmade, from your heart with so much thought, and the picture with the prism – it is precious Yvonne.
We are cloth napkin users here as well (to save on paper waste) so this would be a super fun project. Your in-laws will love this gift for sure.
What a fun set! We use cloth napkins too and I immediately appreciated your idea to stitch along the pressing lines! I also love that you labeled each one with the fabric colors – and that your in-laws will enjoy that!
I made that years ago with Christmas fabrics to hang in my house at doors for example for Christmas. I folded them in 3, 4 or 5 folds. http://destulipesetdescoeurs.blogspot.com/2014/12/tuto-des-sapins-en-francais-idees-et.html. And I love your rainbow and the idea of napkins!
Those look very fun! Have a lovely Thanksgiving!
what a great idea – and a fun way to add color to the table!
Love your ideas!!
That’s a great idea to mark the fold lines! Love your rainbow napkins.
I like the rainbow! My friend has made several sets of these, but always in holiday prints. I think the solid rainbows will get much more use. We are also cloth-napkin people. Certainly we pull out the paper napkins for messiest uses, but generally don’t worry about soiling them because I can wash them. I like the feel of a good cloth napkin under my hands, so I’m sure your in-laws will appreciate these!