Fabric ink, napkin rings and buttonholes

—gina

A few weeks ago I had a crafting weekend at the coast with a pair of great friends.  I was determined to get through some things that have been on my list for waaaaaaay too long.  I also was determined to get comfortable with my buttonholer on my sewing machine.  I was successful on both fronts!  Over the weekend I completed 16 buttonholes, and they look good. 

One of the projects I brought (and finished) was a set of easy napkin rings for us to use every day.  We use cloth napkins and sometimes it’s hard to remember who had which napkin the night before.  Other times it’s challenging to convince my three year old that my napkin is not his.  So, I got this idea to make personalized rings.  I whipped them up quickly and there are a few things I would do differently.  I used a Moda Cross Weave fabric for my ring (shown above) and the weight was perfect.  I used Westminster Shot Cottons for the others and they were a bit too light weight (shown below).

The length is also something I changed up.  I made the boys’ rings longer so I could easily stamp their names on them.  I’m not sure it’s the best length.  I think the shorter length of mine works nicely to easily cinch up the ring.  My ring’s finished length is 10.5”, the boys’ is 15.5”.  I also got a little creative with some fabric ink and rubber stamps.  I headed over to Collage with my son and we chose a set of letters, a blue ink pad and a fancy dragon stamp.  (I also discovered that the more detailed the stamp, the more challenging it is to get a really good image on fabric, at least for the novice I am!)