Give it a try

Published:

The Complete Napkin Book

REMEMBER when you spent your weekends going to dinner parties where mouthwatering home-made food was served on beautifully dressed tables?

Me neither. Going out for a meal or having a takeaway at home was what my friends and I liked to do.

But things have changed. Staying in has become the new going out, and dinner parties are de rigueur once more.

A good meal begins before the food reaches you – a table set with care, flair and imagination helps create the right mood.

This craft book is an introduction to the world of napery. It reveals a little of its history and shows you how to make everything from a simple fabric napkin for a summer picnic to a delicate hand-embroidered one to grace a wedding feast.

There are inspirational ideas for napkin rings, ranging from ethnic bead rings to futuristic creations – one made using sparkling stainless-steel safety pins threaded on to shirring elastic looked particularly funky, but effective.

With templates for stitching, information on choosing fabrics and laundering advice, this is an ideal book for anyone looking for an absorbing hobby – and praise across the dinner table.

Susan Welsh

HHHHH