Reusable Lunchbox Napkins Tutorial

For readers of RachelleWrites.blogspot.com, I'll be pulling some of my tutorials over here to my new crafting website! I'm excited about having a central place for all my crafting and recipe goodness!

Two of my four children are now in school all day and that means lots of lunches, especially for my one who is a selective eater, to put it nicely.
I thought it would be fun to make some napkins for my girls.
I ran over to JoAnn's fabric and picked up 1/4 yard each of three different cotton fabrics. This was enough fabric to make six napkins and have a little bit of fabric left over.

 
Then I decided on the size of napkin I wanted, about 8 x 8 inches, and began cutting. You can do a larger napkin if you like, but this size is perfect for kids.

I cut each square 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" to allow for seams.

Then I put two squares right sides together.

I picked a plain Jane thread to stitch right sides together and then additional thread for top-stitching that would coordinate, but also stand out as an accent.

Start in the middle of your square and stitch around all sides, stopping about three inches before you meet up with your starting point. This leaves a hole to turn the napkin and it's handy because then the hole isn't on the corner.

 Press the napkins after you turn. I hate to iron, but I'm telling you, you can't skip this step. Iron our the seams flat and tight and then get ready to top-stitch.

No need to hand stitch the hole closed! Just top-stitch around the entire napkin with your cute accent thread and Voila! your napkin is finished and the turning hole is stitched neatly shut.

My girls were excited about their napkins. They were a little concerned about getting them dirty, until I explained to them that these are napkins we'll use again and again. Just throw them in the laundry when you unpack your lunchbox.

I told them, Every time you use your napkin, you can think, "My mom loves me!"