Crash My Stash: School Lunch Cloth Napkins!

Posted by Ethne~

Well good gracious, my KD and Easy Mac have started kindergarten and it has been a roller coaster, including but not limited to KD telling her teacher to go to jail.  I tell myself, “Self, this is just an adjustment period.”  My besties pointed out that at least she didn’t tell her to go to h-e-double-hockey-sticks.  Indeed.

I have also told myself, “Self, it is your own questionable parenting that has caused this since you told the girls that you saw a bailiff with pink handcuffs which were made for naughty girls.”

This is all true.

On a positive note, when I discussed the jail incident with KD’s teacher, I took the opportunity to tell her that I gave the girls wide discretion to dress themselves and that they therefore looked like clowns most days and would she please not call child protection on me.  She said she sees that at a positive rather than me acting like my six-year-olds can’t do anything.

ANYWAY, since I’ve decided to pack the girls’ lunches, (seeing as I don’t trust them enough to pick the good choice at lunch) (negating the teacher’s compliment, probably) (but really so I can be in a little more control over what they eat since I make a lot of foods like bread and jam and applesauce) I’ve tried to make things as environmentally-friendly as possible too.  I got them re-usable lunch bags from Land’s End, which is my favorite online store – I got their backpacks from there too; I got fabric sandwich and snack bags that are not only re-usable but dishwasher safe (I know!?) – those are by “byo” from Target; We got Disney Princess Thermos containers for their beverages; Rubbermaid has great mini containers for various items; and we use their Ikea toddler spoons for when they eat fruit or applesauce (and I found that for canned fruit, you can get the bite-sized pieces in cans, which is way cheaper than the individual packs).

One thing we were going through like crazy, though, was paper towels for napkins each day.  I knew I could fix this up right quick – and have a stashbuster to boot!  I made kid-sized cloth napkins!!

We use cloth napkins at home anyway since it saves money and is good for the environment, so the girls are used to using them.  AND, Thrifty Nana (my mom) loaned me her serger, which has a hem function.  Easy as can be.

I picked out a bunch of different fabrics and cut them to a 10.5”x9.25” rectangle.

Cutting a lovely purple napkin

My stack o' napkins and my hand for size comparison.

Hemstitched up and done!  If you don’t have a serger, you could do a tight zig-zag stitch or double-fold the end under and do a straight stitch on your machine.  If you do the double-fold, I would make the rectangle a little bigger so it doesn’t end up miniature.

Of course I have a Canon Rebel and I take this picture with my cell phone.  Well, the nice hem stitch is at the top of the picture.

I used natural color thread for every one since changing serger thread is horrible.  It looks neutral and will be wiping mouths, so let’s face it – IT’S FINE.  I plan to make seasonal ones too since that’s totally crafty and NERDY and I have kindergarteners and can still get away with that crap.

I am the best, crappy mom ever.

Shaun’s reaction: he may have died a little inside.  But we know I am an emotional blackhole so it only makes sense that I will slowly suck out his soul, one project at a time.