Spring 2 days away

Hard to believe

 

Waking up this morning to it being 30 degrees, it's hard to believe that Spring will be here in 2 days. As I said last night feels like a soup day and we are making Taco Soup! Can't wait.

Mr. Luther this morning as I was folding laundry, looking out into the yard. I tried to get him to come over this morning and he wasn't in the mood to come out of the barn, really I didn't want to go out to the barn, so I understood. Now my escape artist and her friend were out pretty early today digging in the frozen grass.

Things are quite here on the farm and I thought it would be a good time to catch up on some sewing and maybe give a tutorial on my flour sack napkins I make.Here on the farm we try not to waste so, I started making cloth napkins from kitchen flour sack towels. Paper napkins you use and throw away, but these you use and throw into the wash!

 

Flour sack napkins

 

With me sewing all the time I have scraps of fabric that are to small to use on clothes or aprons, so what do you do with them? I at first had a mess of scraps in plastic bags just waiting for the day to be used and this pile was getting very large. I came across an article about linens, and it hit me to make fabric napkins from the scraps.

All you need to do is get some kitchen flour sack towels from one of your local stores, or I have been lucky at times to get it by the yard on line. I wash the flour sack towels and dry them. I have learned over time that these napkins are easier to make square by ironing them before you cut them into fours. Now it won't be perfect but they are easier to deal with. I fold each towel so when you cut it, they will be four separate squares.

 

 

You will be left with one edge of the square with a finished folded edge and one edge will be finished but not folded, this edge will be the top of your napkin, where you will sew on a scrape of fun fabric. Now you will have to fold over the other raw edges about 1/2 an inch and iron them down.

You should only have two raw edges to do. Then take to your sewing machine and sew down the edges. When you are done sewing that, go to your scrap pile and pick out a piece of fun fabric to decorate your napkin. The scrap piece needs to be at least 1 inch long on both sides of the top.

I sometimes go around 1 1/2 inches depends if I can use the scrap for anything else after this project.You will then attach your piece of scrape to the unfolded top of the napkin, right side down. When you are done sewing the scrap to the top, go back to the ironing board. You will place the napkin right side down to iron.

 

 

Fold the side in and iron on both sides. You will then fold over the top edge about 1/2 inch and iron this also.

 

After you are done with that, fold the top down to the flour sack napkin and iron this down to make a crease.

You will now go back to the sewing machine and sew from one corner of your scrap fabric to the other.

 

Now you have a finished flour sack napkin that you can put on your table!

These have been one of my best sellers at the Farmer's Market here in town, so simple to make. You can make them as fancy as you want, it is up to you. I personally love the crazy patterns and colors that are in our basket on our table, they are so much fun.

Now I also have a replacement for paper towels in our home. These we use mainly to clean tables or messes on counters . I love Re using things in our home. One item that gets turned into many things are bed sheets! This is what I make our cloth paper towels from. You can get so many with a regular sheet. I fill a basket and place it by the sink so they are easy to get to. Use and wash!

 

 When they get thin I use them out in the barn, they are great to use on critters for first aid or cleaning around eyes!

Found Short Stuff''s nest this afternoon, she thinks she is sneaky. Everyday it's a game of finding this little girls eggs or sometimes even her and a surprise, the Three Stoogies wanted to have their pictures taken today.

Ms. Red really didn't want to much to do with me and a camera, so we played peek a boo from my laundry room.

It's been a great day! Even with the gloom appearance outside, everyone has been outside, playing and digging.

I wanted everyone to know that I bit off more than I could chew by trying to post everyday, I'm new at this, so I will be posting weekly I think.