Saturday, August 4, 2012

dinner white cloths

outdoor dining dinner white cloth 217/366 :: breakfast dinner white cloths dinner white cloths

I made these "dinner white cloths" recently. They are a solution to the problem of Ken not liking any of our cloth napkins. Instead, he insists on using one of these ratty white cloths (it's not that they so ratty, exactly, but the way they are in constant use in our kitchen makes them dulled and grey in no time--not pretty for a dinner napkin).  I understand why Ken prefers this type of cloth as a napkin--they are really absorbent and practical.  I decided to designate a set just for use as dinner napkins.  I *hope* that they will stay white and pure for awhile, as they won't be used to wipe up spills and so forth.

I'm happy with how they turned out.  We haven't used paper napkins for several years, although I did use paper for many years before that.  What kind of napkins do you use??

13 comments:

darah said...

Oh my husband will be thrilled with these- he also hates our cloth napkins because "they just spread the mess around!" super cute idea!

Rain said...

These are super cute! We use paper napkins. But I've been wanting to switch to cloth. We finally have a rag drawer now instead of reaching for paper towels. So we're getting there.
Blessings!

Denise said...

they turned out great!
probably a dumb question - but where do you buy the plain white cloths?

Mary Beth said...

Denise--we buy them at Target. They are Birdseye weave flat diapers (make sure not to get prefolded--not the same thing). They are getting harder to find--sometimes sold on an end cap now (still in the baby section). The fabric is wonderful--truly absorbent and soft.

Thank you everyone for the nice comments!

Jules said...

I love, just love, how you have worked with what Ken does rather than what you wished happened! They look great and having spent years using muslins when my boy was little I am wondering why we don't all use this kind of napkin. xx

The Pinnt's said...

My question involves how you stay up on the washing? How often do you have to wash them and how many do you have on hand? I'd love to do this it just seems like too much with my little ones... I'd love your experience!

HOA Mgr Lady said...

I use cotton bathroom hand towels. the little decoative ones. Very easy to wash and wear.

Christina Weedon said...

I LOVE birdseye material! Another thought... what about dyeing some of those that aren't so brilliant any more? I dye prefolds and flats with Dylon dye, and it REALLY holds up. I actually made a tutorial and everything! ;)

Mary Beth said...

The Pinnt's--we have 12. As far as the washing goes, we only are eating a sit-down at home dinner 3-4 nights a week. I might run a load twice a week--all depending. Also, if the cloth sat untouched all through dinner (for example, boys never used it) I'd not launder it--just put it back in the drawer. If I run out, I'd use other towels or plain white cloths.

Christina Weedon--LOVE the idea of dying them. I'll check out your site.

Christina Weedon said...

I thought you might!! I absolutely love the vibrant Dylon colors, too. Here's a link: http://www.dandelionsonthewall.com/2012/02/how-to-dye-prefold-diapers-update.html

...if you dye some, will you tell me about 'em? :)

nicole said...

i always use cloth napkins. i have taken to buying fat quarters in coordinating colors and turning them into 12x12 napkins...sometimes serged, sometimes fancy hems.
wash and wear. nothing fancy.

i love your fabric patch choices.

Mary Beth said...

Christina Weedon--did the cloths turn out to be colorfast? My only worry would be not being able to wash them with a full load.

Nicole--thanks!

Christina Weedon said...

If you stick with Dylon dye, YES. Follow the packet instructions, and you'll be good to go. My first diaper-dyeing experience was with RIT, and that was a *big* mistake. We used red, orange, and blue, and have had no trouble w/bleeding colors.