Cloth napkins
 

I would like to switch to cloth napkins.

Any recommendations? I want something absorbent that holds up for years. It doesn't have to look pretty but that's always a plus. ;)

Re: Cloth napkins
 

Address you looking for fabric suggestions for diy?
Or purchasing premade?

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

Re: Cloth napkins
 

I love our flannel napkins!

I also prefer fairly small ones. I have had better luck with visitors being willing to use ones that are shaped like paper napkins rather than the traditional shape of cloth napkins.

I will take a fat quarter of fabric and make four napkins.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Re: Cloth napkins
 

Purchasing premade

I will also take fabric suggestions. My daughter has been sewing lately and she's off all week so I could pay her to sew me some.

---------- Post added at 03:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:31 PM ----------

I would like smaller ones. I think 10x10

I have no idea what you are talking about in your last sentence. :lol It sounds like sewing terminology.

I also don't really understand the different shapes? Aren't they all square?

Re: Cloth napkins
 

You can buy quilting fabric in what is caled 'a fat quarter' meaning it is the same amount of fabric as a quarter of a yard but instead of being a skinny strip it is mostly square. In most fabric stores like Joanne's and quilting stores they will have huge displays of them.

When I do this I end up with napkins that are about 9" square and I fold them in quarters.

Normal cloth dinner napkins that are sold are normally closer to 20" square. And are folded in to quarters and then folded again to be set out as a rectangle.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Re: Cloth napkins
 

A fat quarter is 1/4 of a yard but it's cut differently then straight off the bolt.
Straight off the bolt is long and narrow, about 9"x44"-60"+ depending on how wide the fabric is. A fat quarter is generally taken off a 46" wide (I think, it might be 52") fabric and cut in quarters like a sandwich, 18"x23" or 26".

Anyway.
Fabric choices.
I would say flannel is a great option. Quilting cotton would work over time, but in the beginning it would be harder to use, you could wash it several times in the beginning to soften it.
Duck cloth would hold up for a long time, it would also need to be washed a lot in the beginning to soften it a bit. But over time it would make really really great napkins.


Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

Re: Cloth napkins
 

If your daughter has a foot to do rolled hems or a nice way to finish off the edges it is really quick.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Re: Cloth napkins
 

I love our Green Mountain Diapers unpaper towels. Not fancy enough for a nice meal but work great for our daily needs.

Re: Cloth napkins
 

For just us at home, I went to the discount store and just bought some of the nicer washcloths for us to use for napkins.

Re: Cloth napkins
 

I only do pre-made.

I have official cloth "napkins" but also have some larger sized wash cloths we use as cloth napkins too. They are more absorbent. Some cloth napkins are not absorbent at all so we avoid those.

Re: Cloth napkins
 

I bought my cloth napkins at Pier 1 in 1998. I still have them!

Pier 1 is gone now but I don't think there was anything special about them. Just cotton.

Re: Cloth napkins
 

I have some nicer cloth napkins, but for everyday use, we bought a bundle of inexpensive washcloths. I avoided ones the same color as the ones we use for bathing. Works well for us.

Re: Cloth napkins
 

I've gone though a few different kinds of cloth napkins over the years. The ones I have now are Pioneer Woman ones from Walmart, and I love them. We tie ours to our seats to reuse for a couple of days until they get actually dirty, which keeps us from going through them so quickly... I couldn't imagine dirtying 21 cloth napkins a day!

Re: Cloth napkins
 

Dh and I will reuse napkins for atleast a days but my children will manage to actually get there dirty almost every meal ( unless they are completely ignored and they wipe there fingers on there clothes).

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Re: Cloth napkins
 

I loved the flannel ones I had for a long time - they were handmade and I got them in a swap on here. We used them for unpaper towels as well, so they got more use than just napkins, but still lasted us about 7 years.

Now I have cotton/linen ones I bought for very little at the local thrift store. They're white, which isn't ideal, but I got like 30 for $1, so I can't complain.

She is the one that goes through napkins here. I keep them in a basket on the counter and he uses them every time he washes his hands, so I do end up washing them all every other day. The kids well reuse theirs all day as long as they're not eating something with tomato sauce.