First Napkin

I started the first of the main projects in Stitch by Stitch today: a napkin. I'll be making a total of 4, but for today I finished just the first one. The first step was to cut out a 19" square. I thought that I had gotten it, but then I decided to trim an edge that was a bit unraveled and in doing so realized that I must have gotten off somewhere because the edges weren't completely straight. So in trying to get it straight and then making sure it was still a square, I got down to an 18" square. I'm glad it was a napkin and not something that was super dependent on size. I'll just have to remember to make the other three napkins 18" also.

Then the instructions were to finish off the cut edges by doing a zig zag stitch right along the edge (over the edge actually: overcast edge). This was quite fun and I really enjoyed doing it. I think I'll have to make sure to remember this technique for future projects. I might even just use this type of edge for the receiving blankets to burp cloths project instead of hemming the cut edge.

Then the technique to make mitered corners was simply to fold the corner down and then fold the sides to meet the points (there are other corner techniques discussed which I shall try on the leftover material for practice when I finish the other three napkins). This was a bit fiddly as the edges didn't want to stay completely straight while I was pressing. I don't know if pinning would be helpful but I will give that a try for the next napkins.

After all the folding and pressing, it was time to stitch again. The instructions were to topstitch beside the overcast edge.

Here's where I definitely need more practice. First, I need to make sure to keep a straight line. Second, I got too close to the edge a few times and shifted back over. When viewing the front side of the napkin, these jagged lines really show up. Oops. I also need to make sure to finish evenly with where I started so that everything lines up.

The good news is that I have a functioning napkin, so I'm going to focus on that and use the other three napkins to make these techniques even better.