DIY: Customize Dinner Napkins

Napkins are one thing we can’t do without on most occasions especially dinner with family, friends, and loved ones.

Sometimes you would want to give your visitors something with a personal feel and customizing your napkins could actualize that vision for you.

A unique and enjoyable project that can give your dining experience a personalized touch is making personalized dinner napkins.

Therefore, to obtain this you have to follow these steps and get your materials to exhibit your inner creativity.

Items/Materials

• Plain fabric napkins (cotton or linen)
• Fabric paint or fabric markers
• Stencils or stamps (optional)
• Painter’s tape (optional)
• Paintbrushes or sponges
• Cardboard or plastic to place under the napkin while painting
• Iron (for setting the paint)

Procedure

To begin, use napkins made of plain fabric. Napkins that are white or light in color will best showcase your graphics.

To get rid of any chemicals or sizing from the manufacturing process, wash and dry the napkins which also helps improve the paint’s adhesion.

To protect your workspace, spread up a newspaper or a plastic sheet, and in order to stop paint from leaking through to the opposite side of the napkin, insert cardboard or plastic inside.

Choose the pattern you wish to make. One can create a design by hand, with stencils, or with stamps. Stencils can give an organized and polished appearance if you’re not sure about your freehand painting abilities.

If you’re using stencils, use painter’s tape to secure the stencil to the napkin. Fabric paint can be applied with a brush or sponge. Gently dab the paint to prevent bleed-under.

If using a stamp, press it firmly onto the napkin after dipping it in fabric paint and use fabric markers or brushes to draw freehand designs.

Permit the paint to fully dry. Adhere to the drying period specified in the fabric paint instructions, which is often one day.

Set the paint by the manufacturer’s directions when it has thoroughly dried. Ironing the design is typically required for this. To set the paint, cover the painted area with a cloth and iron over medium heat for a few minutes.

Verify that the paint has dried and set on your napkins. Apply more paint as necessary, then go through the drying and setting steps again.

To add a personalized touch, add a monogram. Stencils can be used to make uniform, tidy letters or even make napkins with a theme for special occasions, holidays, or regular use.

For a distinctive style, use abstract art, floral patterns, or geometric patterns and carefully select hues that go well with the design of your dining area or table arrangement.

Add some designs

• Tape the entire stencil’s edge to the napkin to keep it in place. This guarantees that any surplus paint will land on the tape rather than the napkin.
• Wipe up any extra paint with a paper plate or cloth after dipping your brush into the paint.
• Over the stencil, begin tapping with the brush. It will take five or six passes to get it opaque. Take your time and use a gentle touch to prevent paint bleed-through.
• Carefully and slowly remove the stencil off the napkin. Give it a full day to dry.
• To seal the paint, turn the monogrammed side of the napkin over and iron over the top for about two minutes, moving constantly to prevent burning.

Maintenance

• To protect the paint, wash the napkins by hand or on a gentle cycle in cold water. Steer clear of strong detergents.
• Dry by air or use a low-heat tumble dryer.

How to Make Cloth Napkins

Making cloth napkins is a simple and stylish method to dress up your table with fewer paper items.

To achieve that you will need:

• Cutting mat
• Cutting ruler
• Rotary cutter
• Iron and ironing boar
• Sewing machine
• 1 yard fabric
• Short pieces of ribbon in different colors
• Thread

Method

• Cut the Fabric
• Press the Hem
• Create the Hems (Press the edges of the hem all four and fold each corner. Unfold the first side when you get to the last corner, then fold it again and press it so that all the corners match.)
• Sew Around the Napkin
• Make sure each napkin has a distinct color ribbon so that everyone knows which one belongs to them.

Source: www.Ghgossip.com