Painted Cloth Napkins

In an effort to be less reliant on consumable paper goods, I decided to wean us into using cloth napkins! The ideal cloth napkin for everyday use is pretty enough to set the table with, but not so fancy or precious you can’t wipe your hands on it.

Cloth napkins, especially modern or stylish ones, are EXPENSIVE! I knew that if I bought really nice napkins, I would never want to get them dirty or risk ruining them. I was pondering making my own out of some fun fabric. But again, the work that went into them could make them feel too special. So I compromised. I bought some really affordable, average quality plain napkins and customized them. I got this pack of ivory cotton napkins from BB&B, they were $9.99. Less than 1 dollar per napkin, score. I bought a small jar of black fabric paint on Amazon for $6. Not counting tape and a paint brush, these napkins came to ~$1.30 per napkin.

I chose a simple dash and dot pattern that would be easy to do over and over again, staying fairly consistent. At first when I started out, they looked very childish and I wasn’t sure about the rustic simple style. But the more I plugged away and continued painting, the more they grew on me. They remind me of of mud cloth a little!

Paint, tape, brush and a ruler were the only supplies I used besides a sheet of cardboard and the napkins themselves.

These napkins aren't square, even though the description says 16" x 16". If you buy the same ones adjust for the rectangle shape or just repeat a partial row of pattern.

Wash and iron your napkins before painting. Make sure to protect your work surface with some cardboard or waxed paper. I didn’t have any paint bleed through onto the cardboard, but better safe than sorry.

I used washi tape to mark out the grid for my pattern. I used the same pieces of tape over and over, peeling and re-sticking. This is simple repetitive work (depending on your pattern) so prop up your phone and watch a TV show while you work or listen to a book or podcast to make the time go faster. I painted in two shifts over two days.

Lay your napkins somewhere to dry. I draped mine over the ironing board and washer/drier, just in case some ink transferred through. It didn't, but I'd lay down an old towel if drying them on floors or kitchen counters.

 When all the napkins are painted and dried overnight, iron them thoroughly on both sides without steam to set them. They are now ready to use!

Easy peasy. So far the paint on these has not faded in the wash, and the napkins haven’t stained. It still did take some getting used to using cloth napkins on messy hands, but that is what they are for! And if you destroy some, luckily it will be easy to replace them.