Mary Mulari - Simply Napkins: Fast Folds, Finishes & Festive Flourishes

Simply
NAPKINS

No matter what your time, budget, or dcor limitations, theres space in your life for these little squares of accessible elegance.

Gail Brown and Mary Mulari

2003 by Gail Brown and Mary Mulari

All rights reserved.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio or television.

Published by

700 East State Street lola Wl 54990-0001
715-445-2214 888-457-2873
www.krause.com

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2003108201

ISBN: 0-87349-583-7
eISBN: 978-1-44022-026-5

Printed in the United States of America

Photographs by Dustin Penman (portraitexpressions.com), taken at Aberdeen Mansion Bed & Breakfast (aberdeenmansionbb.com) in Aberdeen, Washington

The following company or product names appear in this book:
505, Amazing Designs, Aqua Magic, Aquafilm, Babylock USA, Bernina, Brother International, Cactus Punch, Clover Bias Tape Maker, Clover Border Bias, Clover Fusible Web, Clover Fusible Tape Maker, Clover Mini Iron, Clover Quick Bias, Concord House, Covington, Criswell Embroidery and Design, Dakota Collectibles, Dan River, Deco Wrap No-Sew Neck Roll, DMC, Dreft, Elna USA, Embroidery Arts, Fabric Traditions, Finishing Touch Rayon Thread, Finishing Touch Ultra Tear-Away, FrayBlock, FreeSpirit Fabrics Studio Collection, Ghees Floral Dimensions, Hoffman California International Fabrics, Home-Sew, Husqvarna Viking, Hydro-Stick, Isacord, Ivory, Janome, Jumbo Rick Rack from Wrights, Lenox Maywood, Madeira Rayon Thread, Marcus Brothers Textiles, Michael Miller Fabrics, Nancys Notions, OESD Badgemaster, OESD Ultra Clean and Tear, Offray, Oklahoma Embroidery Supply (OESD), OxyClean, P & B Textiles, PBS, Pellon Stitch N Tear Lite, Pellon Tear-N-Wash, Pellon Wonder Under, Perfect Sew Liquid Stabilizer, Pfaff American Sales Corp., Prym-Dritz, Purrfection Artistic Wearables, Quilting Treasures by Cranston, Radial Rule, ReVisions, RJR Fashion Fabrics, Robison-Anton, Sensuede, Sewing with Nancy, Singer, Springs Fabrics, Springs Quilters Only Fabrics, Steam-A-Seam, Success Acrylic Serging Yarn, Sulky KK2000, Sulky Rayon Thread, Sulky Super Solvy, Sulky Tear-Easy, Therm O Web HeatnBond Lite, Therm O Web HeatnBond Ultra Hold, Thimbleberries, Timeless Treasures, Ultrasuede, Vermillion Stitchery, Viking, Viking Fuse n Tear, VIP by Cranston, Washable Quick Fuse Inkjet Fabric from June Tailor, Woolly Nylon , Wonder Under, Wrights Double-Fold Bias Tape, Wrights Extra Wide Bias Tape

D edication

In celebration of my adopted hometown, Hoquiam, Washington and the proud resilience of my Gray Harbor neighbors.

Gail Brown

For Diana Langlee, my friend and now my stepsister, who has used and enjoyed all the napkins Ive made for her.

Mary Mulari

Table of Contents

I ntroduction

Why Napkins (and This Book)?

Simply put, we love napkins and think you will, too for their beauty, practicality, affordability, recyclability, and fun. No matter what your time, budget, or dcor limitations, theres space in your life for these little squares of accessible elegance. Experience has taught us that napkins somehow improve our cooking too; we know, unequivocally, that meals always taste better when served with cloth napkins.

We set out to answer the obvious questions about napkins: Where can I find fast and easy ways to fold napkins? What can I do to upgrade or embellish ho-hum ready-mades? How can I make my own napkins whether or not I know how to sew? Then we went a few steps further into our love affair with napkins and asked: How can I use napkins as gifts, furnishings, and fashions? (Gail may have carried this too far: She coordinated dog and dcor, dressing her black Labrador, Gunnar, in a napkin bandana see .)

Every project was designed to fit your busy lifestyle. Featured folds dont require extra pressing, starching, or more than a few simple steps. The materials we used are not exotic most are readily available at local variety and fabric stores, and if not, through reliable mail order sources. (We both live in lovely little towns with limited retail outlets. What you see in this book is from Aurora, Minnesota, and Hoquiam, Washington, population 1,800 and 9,000, respectively.)

If any fold, finish, or flourish puzzles you, please write. Our Web sites include bonus book updates and links to our e-mail addresses, and we hope you will visit often (www.marymulari.com and www.gailbrown.com). Also, watch for Mary and host Nancy Zieman on Sewing with Nancy (PBS) and the video version of Simply Napkins (available from Nancys Notions, www.nancysnotions.com). You might also find Mary at consumer sewing shows, machine dealer conventions, and retail stores, sharing her unique brand of lively how-tos and humor. For now, Gail is taking a break from TV and public appearances but will continue to write and answer your mail.

Enjoy this book and napkins.

Chapter 1
F ast, F abulous F olds

Fabric: Red on Red! Kiss the Cook from Dan River.

You may never have the time or inclination to make napkins. But anyone, any age, nearly anywhere, can enjoy napkin folding. The 27 folds featured in this chapter are intentionally easy, requiring only a few steps and no additional pressing or starching.