09 December 2010

Finish the Christmas Table with Beautiful Serviettes

It's easy to make beautiful cloth serviettes for your Christmas table that don't cost a fortune, but look like you've spent a bundle on them.
  1. Choose a pillowslip in a colour to complement your Christmas table theme (you'll get eight dinner sized serviettes from one pillowslip).
  2. Cut the hem edge off the top of each side of the pillowslip.
  3. Turn the pillowslip inside out and carefully cut the seams off. This will leave you with one long length of fabric.
  4. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, press with a hot iron. Fold in half lengthways again and press. You should have four neat creases.
  5. Open the length of material out and fold in half widthways. Press.
  6. This will give you your eight serviettes. Carefully cut along the folds.
  7. Measure in 2.5cm from each edge and rule a straight line from corner to corner using tailors chalk or a very light lead pencil.
  8. With your sewing machine on the longest stitch length, and using a matching thread, stitch along each line, turning at each intersection.  If you don't have a sewing machine you can do this by hand, using a small running stitch.
  9. Now form a fringe by pulling the loose threads from each side of your fabric square.

This is the basic instruction to make a simple fabric serviette. You can be creative and use different fabrics or decorate them with fabric paint or embroidery. You can even stitch a folded hem rather than fringing if you wish.

Then to finish the serviettes off, tie each napkin with a length of raffia, ribbon or tinsel to match your table setting. Slip a sprig of evergreen from a Christmas pick into each serviette to add a pretty accent. You can use the little leftovers that have fallen off your Christmas picks over the years for this rather than buying new ones. (Christmas picks are the little bunches of imitation holly and poinsettia used in decorations).

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