Add a Homemade Touch of Class to Any Meal
 (ARA) - Over the last three centuries, napkin folding has become a popular art form. Today, cloth napkins are a feature usually reserved for expensive, four-star restaurants. But adding this touch of class to your own kitchen table can make each meal special and replace wasteful, often expensive paper napkins. You can easily incorporate this look into everyday meals or special holiday occasions by making your own napkin creations - even if you don't know how to sew.
The experts in fabric care who make EASY-ON Spray Starch offer the following five tips and ideas to help you create your own one-of-a-kind cloth napkins that will make any four-star restaurant envious:
1. These elegant table additions can begin with extra fabric you have around the house, or if you have a specific theme or occasion in mind, your local fabric store is sure to have a pattern or color to match. When deciding on a fabric for your napkins, make sure that it's absorbent and washable in hot water. The fabric will be exposed to a number of stains including food, beverages, and the occasional smear of red lipstick. You'll find greater durability in fabrics with a heavier weight, but if you plan on embellishing the napkins, choose a fabric that will work well with the materials you plan to use.
2. After you've decided on a fabric, you'll want to measure out one yard for every four napkins. This will make your napkins approximately 16 inches square. If the fabric is new, pre-wash it before cutting and press after washing. While pressing, use a product like EASY-ON Spray Starch to make the material crisp and easy to handle before beginning.
3. When they first became popular, cloth napkins were almost blanket-like in size, but today, there is no set standard for size. For everyday napkins, measure out 16 inches square on a cardboard template to allow for a inch hem. Either serge the edge or use a regular stitch to hem the edges. Using a contrasting thread color on the hem is a creative way to add more personality to your creations. If you didn't exactly excel in your home economics class, measure the cloth 16 inches square and cut with a pair of pinking shears to give the edges a finished look.
4. For a decorative addition to your spring table, add flower appliqus to the corners or edges of your napkins for an elegant touch. For more detailed designs, use fabric paint to decorate the fabric, but stay away from puffy and metallic paints as they do not launder well. Presentation of the napkins can add even more class to your table. Before folding or wrapping the cloth in a napkin ring, iron the napkins and their edges once more with EASY-ON Spray Starch to add a fine, crisp line to the material.
5. For special occasions, draw attention to the napkins by creating a homemade napkin ring with a simple piece of colored ribbon with a small flower - fake or real - placed inside. Or try a simple fold such as a half roll - where the napkin is folded in half horizontally and rolled from the left side to the middle, or an even more formal double roll - the same as a half roll, but with the right side rolled toward the middle as well, forming a double roll.
Whether you're cooking a five-course feast or sitting down to a simple candlelit pizza dinner, cloth napkins can easily add a touch of class to any meal, and to the host themselves.
If you have any questions regarding the use of starch on cloth napkins or any material, call the experts at (800) 228-4722.
Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com, e-mail: info@aracontent.com
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EDITOR'S NOTE: EASY-ON Spray Starch is a registered trademark of Reckitt Benckiser Inc. |
