Quilted napkins

Hi friends. I realized I’m not living up to my “pincushions” part of my blog lately, so I thought I would share a recent sewing project. I’m always looking for ways to be environmentally friendly, from what I eat, to the products I have around my home, to constantly pestering of coworkers to get them to recycle. There are so many little things you can incorporate into your life that are easy to do and while they may not help a ton, every little bit counts. A few months ago I realized I was using way too many paper towels. From cleaning up a mess to using them as napkins, I was going through them like candy. I started making a conscious effort to use rags to wipe up my spills, and decided I wanted to use cloth napkins. I was just going to buy some napkins, but then I realized I have tons of fabric scraps that I could put to use. I also have a lot of large pieces, but I really wanted to find a purpose for some of my smaller scraps. Upon asking google for advice, I realized that a lot of people make their own napkins, but very few of them make patchwork napkins. Challenge accepted.

So many options, I will have very colorful napkins

I looked through my drawer of fabric and pulled out some fabrics I thought would go together nicely. As you can see I have three different color schemes laid out. I planned on making more than two napkins, but the weather got warmer and I got distracted by power tools.

Yes Harry, sitting in my lap does help me sew!

Harry really likes to help me with my sewing projects. After a cuddle break, I cut squares to the size of my smallest scrap. These pieces ended up being quite small, which meant more sewing.

Pattern laid out 

After deciding on a pattern, I sewed the pieces together, row by row. I pressed the seams open to reduce the thickness. Then I quilted them onto my backing. Actually, I’m not sure this qualifies as quilting since I didn’t use any batting.

Patchwork top sewed onto the backing

I cut my backing down to size, folded the edge twice, and sewed it in place. Easy peasy. These didn’t take long and it was a nice way to upcycle my fabric scraps. I need to make more of these soon because these get dirty, I forget to wash them, then I sometimes end up using a paper towel which defeats their purpose.

The finished product!

I think it’s important to try to live a green lifestyle. I don’t understand why more people don’t make simple changes in their life, every little bit helps. It frustrates me when coworkers use paper plates or plastic silverware. I keep some spare dishes and silverware at work and wash them off when I’m done. It’s easy, and really doesn’t take much time. What are some of the things you do to live a greener lifestyle?