Do you remember those commercials?  The ones that made cotton sound like some romantic experience…

Anyway, I was just thinking about that because I wanted to share with you another one of my favorite cloth items.

I told you before about my love for handkerchiefs.

My other (and actually first) love is cloth napkins.

Cloth napkins were the first big change I made in our home when I became interested in eliminating spending on disposable items.

I’ll admit, it took a little while to get used to.  At first it felt really strange to get these pretty little pieces of fabric all dirty.

But I decided if we were going to do it I had to get over that.  And I have.  Now I have no trouble grabbing one to wipe smears of spaghetti sauce off of little girl faces.

And amazingly they really aren’t even that stained.  I’ve found one way to keep them looking nice is to stick with patterned fabrics.  Save the fancy whites for company.

If you start looking at the store, you might be intimidated by the cost of cloth napkins.  I certainly was. 

Until I found some one day at the thrift store.  I think I paid two dollars for six of them (as opposed to two dollars a piece at Wal-mart).  That started my collection, and I’ve picked up a few more sets here and there.  Then my mom was nice enough to finish the edges of some fabric scraps on her serger to make little mini-napkins for the girls. 

I’ve noticed sometimes when we have company that they are a little hesitant to really use the napkins… I try to encourage them that it’s OK.

And in answer to the most commonly asked question, no I do not feel that it adds to my laundry in any significant way.  I wash them with my kitchen towels in warm water with some vinegar thrown in to keep them fresh.

I love them.  In some silly way, it makes our meals feel a little bit fancy.