Shabby Napkins Homemade

I resisted.

I did.

Until I saw some pictures, and my resistance went out the window fast. It's like you get bitten by a bug or something and you HAVE TO HAVE IT to get it out! What IS that??!! Well, I had resisted those luscious Shabby Chic Couture Napkins in spring floral prints.....from last year.





 

I was strong, didn't need them, I said. That was last year.

And then last week,  I visited Heavens Walk blog, and fell in love with her grass! of all things! looking at her last post, "Music in the Gardens". But I went through her older posts and realized I was finally feeling relaxed after weeks of "unsavory" work....so I continued on her blog. Quite the unsuspecting one. I got comfy. I let my guard down. And then, I got bit. I had browsed leisurely through that beautiful blogland and laughing at her adorable wit, and was an unsuspecting host for a bug who latched on and would not let go when I looked at this picture of her napkins....

source

 It was lightening fast, a sudden shift, a change inside......something was different, and I knew, just knew, I was ill. :D
What the heck IS THAT ??

So what does a sick lady do? I went scouring browsing the net for Shabby Chic Couture napkins. I couldn't afford them as it turns out. Next best thing, her fabrics. Couldn't afford those either. I've been on a severe budget the past year and half. Sooooo, what is this erhm..... "haunted"? :D lady to do? I'm not even going to go into how many hours I spent looking for fabrics I could afford by Shabby Chic and suppliers etc, and I'm not going to tell you how I kept Laurie's picture open on my computer screen for days with just this one picture.....won't go into any of that!

Well I emailed Laurie and told her of my "sickness" acquired from her blog and she understood, Lolol, she'd been sick like that before too :D .....well, we're understood at least. She kindly referred me to a couple of suppliers of fabrics and that led down another rabbit hole.

To cut this short, I decided not to be ''ill'' anymore, I hate it actually, and so I gave up the need for those napkins as they were, and decided to come up with my own. This is a simple thing! And my own version couldn't be that bad! So I dropped the "illness" like an old napkin lol, and off to Joanne's Fabrics I went and I did find some suitable cotton fabrics that would give me what I wanted without the set back in dollars. And they are cotton after all. Though I wanted texture, as in linen, I realized I wouldn't be able to get that in spring floral prints, and the amount of time I'd be using those napkins didn't balance how much energy I had was giving it already, so I had to "settle" for common fabrics and make do.
Well! I did alright I think! I'm happy with 100% cotton in these prints I found and I got enough variety to have my mix n'match "Shabby Chic Couture" Spring Floral Napkins. :D

But Wait! there's' more!......I just love saying that! I make myself laugh LOLOL.....(horrid commercials)

As I walked through an isle of fabrics, there was hanging just the right kind of linen with that thick texture and rough look, though it feels soft and drapes beautifully! Know what I'm talking about? Linen! thick linen. I touched it and I was in love! I picked up the fabric bolt and the piece came off......it was an already cut piece of fabric and it was the perfect size for my table!......then I tried to find the price but the bolt it was on was not the bolt it was cut from so I walked scrambled to the cutting table and the clerk told me if she couldn't find the price, she couldn't sell it to me. Sad face. I asked her for the price of the bolt and it was on sale for $4.99 a yard. Off I went to find another fabric that felt just as luscious. No good....none were. Then something happened. She walked with me to find the bolt my linen piece came from and I said something that made her laugh. Finally she said she could sell me that last piece for the $4.99 price of that bolt it was on! Eureka! Thank YOU Domestic Goddess of Home, Hearth, and Health! LOLOL

The total for the linen was $7.99 and I bought it happily. Now I have my beautifully textured tablecloth which I have to figure out what I'm going to do with the edges.....sew on a ruffle or not....leave it bare and rustic with the edges rough, or not.....or sew some other fabric onto it, I don't know.......any ideas??

Here are the fabrics......8 different ones, 3 in shades of blues and aquas, the rest pinks, all are soft palettes.

 The Linen piece, and I love the selvedge edge......might keep it, but I think it needs something else?? advise?

Individual close ups

 These are ok, not quite Shabby Chic Couture, but all together they are just as pretty and will be fun to use.



and that beautiful linen again.....what to do with the edges? leave them? sew a ruffle? with what?

I'm going to begin sewing these fabrics into napkins today, then will have the set and will update this post with the finished napkins.

Would appreciate feedback as to the tablecloth piece....thank you!

I also found this crochet thingy,  I think a king sized bed lace, from the thrift and I simply COULD NOT leave it there. I thought it would look great over the top of my gazebo, but that is not going to happen. It is rather large though, and I adore the edging, not sure what to do with it, but it is very pretty!

sharing this post with Shabby Art Boutique