Kitchen Linens
I enjoy intentionally setting a pretty table for people who eat with us in our home. I love working with fabric, using less paper waste, saving money, and the variety of “tablescapes” that can be created. It is fun to change things up with each season or event. One set of dishes and a variety of fabrics are all it takes to change how everything looks with very little expense.
Some of you have the time and skill to make your own table linens. I encourage you to get busy creating if you have not already. For those of you who are unable to make your own, I have created a small inventory of table linens. I have more napkins than anything else because that is where I started. You will also find smaller inventory of uniquely sized table runners and what I call table scarves and an occasional placemat. A few other items I occasionally make are market bags and all purpose paper towel replacements I call utility cloths. We use these in our home so much that I rarely purchase paper towels.
When you look at my inventory, one of the first things you will notice is that I use a lot of colorful patterns and freely combine those patterns. This use of color and design is very purposeful. When we use our napkins and other linens, they encounter food stains. It just goes with the territory. The colors and patterns hide those food stains much, much more than solid colors. Your kitchen linen inventory is an investment and it stays beautiful much longer when the eye is distracted from the stains.
I want people to really use these products. I use mine all the time and am still using the first napkins I ever made. A lot of people eat at our table! Over the years cotton does fade a bit and begins to show signs of wear, but it just feels more vintage to me. A lot of mine are at least 6 years old (that is when I began using cloth napkins) and still get regular use.
A few years ago I also began making a smaller cotton flannel version of cloth napkins for everyday use. They have such a comfortable cozy feel. I am never tempted to iron them after washing as I sometimes do with the cotton versions. These can be so colorful and look great just piled into a basket on the table. Voila, a colorful centerpiece!
So you will find lots of napkins in cotton and cotton flannel along with a smattering of whatever else I have been inspired to create. I realize that there are lots of places to purchase similar items. I encourage you to begin building your own inventory wherever you choose to shop. (For anyone who is interested in making their own napkins and doesn’t know where to begin, I have instructions available for the construction method I use. Just send me an email request.) Please join me in setting a pretty table for those you love.