I forgot to mention back in November that I had a birthday. And that my Mother had sent me a birthday present which is now one of my all-time favorite gifts, and makes me smile on a daily basis:
Custom cloth napkins! I had been wanting new cloth napkins for some time, since my old ones are so old and stained (we use cloth for most meals here at home). I had even been looking on etsy to see if I could buy some new ones*, but never saw any I liked enough to spend money on.
So when my parents were visiting this past summer, Mom and I went to a favorite local fabric store, and while we were poking around, I caught sight of the bins of "fat quarters." And I started pulling some out, fanticizing about mismatched but yet coordinating napkin fabrics, playing with colors and pattern, esp. those colors that don't really match me or my house so I rarely get to use (like orange and bright green). Mom asked me what I was doing, and when I told her, she offered to make me the napkins for my birthday. Hooray!!!! So then I started hunting out fabrics in earnest, laying possibilities out on the floor of the store. (There were walls of excellent fabrics along the walls of the store, but I purposefully limited myself to the display of fat quarters, just to make it so much less daunting of a project.)
And I LOVE the results!
While I was laying out my final choices, I had two separate ladies stop and ask what project I was planning (I am sure they were crafty women and were curious how I planned on using all these odd fabrics together), and when they heard it was a set of napkins, they were surprised, and each said how much they loved the idea. One woman even said she needed a gift for a niece and thought that might be a great idea. (So, if any of you local friends who sew want to go into business with me. . . I have the Etsy shop already--I'll pick the fabrics, you do the sewing, I'll manage the online store, and I'll give you a very fair share in the profits! ; )
I already had the perfect basket to store them in when they are not in use!
And while this is not at all a very good photo, here is a glimpse of what the table looks like when set with them:
It was hard to wait until my birthday in November. But now they are used and loved every day--and the girls LOVE to pick out their "new" napkin every time they need one. (Smiley always chooses the orange ones. ; )
And you see, it gets better. Because not only did I need new napkins, but I needed a new system for keeping them neat between uses, since often when you use one it does not really get dirty, so you hate to throw it in the wash but then you also can't put it back in the drawer with the truly clean ones. . . So, I found a beautiful solution to the problem:
Napkin rings made from old silverware! Each one is different, so each family member can tell whose is whose. (I had wanted to find napkin rings that were from old utensils with initials on them--wouldn't that have been perfect?! But I couldn't find any, and liked the workmanship of this seller**, so these are what everyone got in their Christmas stockings this year!)
So now, after the meal is over, each child decides if his or her napkin can be used again or if it needs to go in the wash. If it is clean enough, it is rolled up and put in the person's napkin ring until the next meal. And then it goes in this pretty green bowl my dear Becky gave me for a present a few years ago, which lives on the microwave stand by the kitchen table:
I am very glad to have this microwave stand on loan from DH's parents (since my counter space is so limited!) but it is decidedly more utilitarian than attractive. And the cupboards above are pretty high on my "can't wait to do something about that" list, but are also doing their job. BUT how happy it makes me to have those two new bits of prettiness brightening up my kitchen! Both the basket of folded napkins and the bowl of napkins in rings (nestled inside a burlwood bowl) are practical but also add beauty to my kitchen and my day.
Even when I launder them, I get a smile. Because I want to keep them beautiful as long as possible, I confess I am line drying them, so I won't accidentally set any stains and I can pull the seams smooth--but it makes me happy to do that too, and I enjoy seeing them strung on the clothesline over the fireplace. : )
Mother, thank you so much!
*Yes, I understand that they can be really easy to make. For those of you crafty people who sew and who have a sewing machine conviently located in your house. I do have a sewing machine, thanks to my Mother, but no place to keep in in the house, and actually no idea how to use it, despite said Mother's patient instruction several years ago. This is truly one of those times when my itsy-bitsy house logistics create a Catch 22, because while I would eventually learn to use it and enjoy it if it were set up in the house and always ready to go, it is so hard to justify the precious real-estate for something that I likely won't learn to use for some time, and even then would not use very often. Oh, these are times when I start coveting other houses--even one more small closet would be lovely! But in the meantime, I am so thankful for a talented and thoughtful Mother. : )
**And check out the absolutely stunning bracelets made of reclaimed silver utensils by the same artisans!
Seven Years Home
1 week ago
I am so very glad you like them. They do look very pretty in the basket, and I love the napkin rings you bought. I checked out their website and like the bracelets. The rings and necklaces are also nifty. I do think we make a very good team, and I love to make things you like for all of you. I have been wanting to comment to several of your entries, but haven't wanted to stop and put my thoughts into words. I am very glad you had such a good Christmas, and I am sorry that your next contact with your in-laws went so badly. I guess you just have to accept that you and your MIL are just made so differently that you will never really understand each other. You are just the wrong shaped peg to fit into her hole. I am glad you were able to handle the last encounter so well. REMEMBER -- do not pick up any feelings of guilt. You are beautifully made by a loving God who loves you just the way you are. And we do too. I am glad you try, but if you recognize that God has made the two of you so differently, perhaps you can, with God's help, remain the loving person you are, without guilt,and can enjoy your MIL's good points. It makes me sad that you have these ugly encounters, but I also feel sorry for your MIL. She missing out on a lot of joy because of her attidtude. But again, that is just the way she is made. I do envy the time that they have with their grandchildren. But, unless you move back to the midwest, that is just the way it is going to be. There is no way that we can afford to live where you do. About the gift giving. I am sorry she doesn't work with you on it -- especially with your limited space. And I am sorry they put such strings on the gifts. But that is the way she is, and it doesn't seem she will change. Remember -- God made your MIL, too. So forgive all this nothingness that I have written. Just remember you are much loved.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mother, for the loving words and the encouragement to focus on Truth in all circumstances. : ) I had wanted to blog about these napkins for a long time--now you know how much we are all enjoying them!
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking more about what I wrote to you and feel I should add a qualifier. Your dad and I were so very blessed to have in-laws who liked us, and our parents liked each other, so I have never had to really deal with what you do. That made it much easier for me to deal with a really difficult person. We will continue to remember you and this situation in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteI love the napkins! My mom is a quilter and has a million random fat quarters sitting around her sewing room. I'm going to talk her into making me some new fun napkins because my old ones look like rags right now.
ReplyDeleteI store my napkins in an identical basket. Great minds think alike :)
Yay for Moms who quilt and sew!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen you get some, please post a pic on your blog--I would love to see them. In fact, I was thinking how the fabrics I chose really do say something about my personality too. So if you choose your own fabrics, I'd get a glimpse at your inner mind too! : )
I think your choice of fabrics helped me when I was choosing the fabrics for Sunny's b'day dress:)
ReplyDeletePS: Plus -- her coloring guided me. Please send me a picture of her in it sometime.
ReplyDelete