Patriotic Stenciled Napkins

We’ve been thinking a lot about tablescapes lately.  They are such a wonderful way to decorate for a smaller party without having to create a separate dessert table.  One must have when creating a tablescape is a pretty set of napkins to decorate each place setting with.

For our Fourth of July party, I created patriotic stenciled napkins to add a special touch to each guest’s seat.  After looking around for “reasonably priced” linen napkins, all of the options that I found were too expensive to paint on.  Instead, I created a no sew option – which I will share soon – using linen fabric, fusible webbing and an iron.  By adding a little fabric paint and stencils, I created a beautiful and simple addition to our celebration.

You Will Need:

Linen napkins (store bought or homemade)

Navy blue fabric paint

ABC stencils

Stenciling brush

1.  Decide on the words you want to stencil.  To stick with our Fourth of July theme, I chose AMERICA and LIBERTY.  Some other patriotic words could include STARS, FLAG, STRIPES, FREE and BRAVE.  You could also add stars and stripes instead of words.

2. Pre-fold your linen napkin in the way you plan on using it on the table.  In my tablescape, the napkins would be draped across the plates, so I folded them into rectangles.

3.  Place the side of the napkin that will be facing guests up.  Stencil the letters of the word using navy blue fabric paint.

Be sure to check the back of the stencil for excess paint when you move it to complete different letters.  This will help keep the fabric clean from stray paint marks as you work.

4.  Let your stenciled napkin dry.

These patriotic stenciled napkins are such a beautiful way to add a touch of patriotism to your celebration on Independence Day!  And why save them just for Fourth of July?  I think you can use these napkins all summer long!

Happy Celebrating,

Natalie