Back to School :: Homemade Lunch Napkins

Last week, Celeste and I sewed lunch napkins. The girls will be taking these in their school lunch bags instead of throw-away paper towels or napkins. These are cuter, environmentally friendly, softer, and a bit of home to bring to school. 

Celeste wanted to learn how to iron so I showed her and she ironed the little squares for me. She also controlled the pedal on the sewing machine. I showed her how to sew with the machine, but she preferred just doing the "gas pedal"! 

Both girls chose which fabrics they wanted together from the scraps I had. Adrienne decided she needed a tag to recognize hers from her little sister's so I added a cupcake ribbon to her napkins. 

There is a great tutorial at Crafting a Green World: How To: Sew Lunchbox Cloth Napkins for a Waste-Free Packed Lunches.  I followed her directions and "quilted" each napkin to help with the wrinkles. 

Back to school is coming up fast. (read: I'm trying not to freak out!).

I set up a basket in the corner of our eating area for their lunch bags and some of their bigger thermos and bento-style containers. We have limited counter space so hopefully this idea will work. I put the napkins in two plastic bags and attached those to the basket handle. I'm just trying to think of little ideas that will make our getting-ready-for-school time smoother. We are planning on getting the lunches ready the night before too. 

If you have any tips, don't hesitate to share them in the comments, I'd love that. Thanks!