Needlepoint Napkin Rings – For the Eco-Conscious

I have to admit that I am addicted to cloth napkins. It is so bad that when we travel I take my own cloth napkins to our vacation rentals. This winter as usual my husband and I rented a house on the beach in Molokai, Hawaii, and we had several couples visiting. I got tired of trying to remember whose napkin was whose. It was time for custom needlepoint napkin rings with a Hawaiian theme.

Each ring measures 1.5 X 6.0 inches and I placed them on the needlepoint canvases an inch apart. I used 16 different traditional Hawaiian quilt blocks in bold primary colors. Each ring measures 1.5 X 6.0 inches and I placed them on the canvas an inch apart. I used 16 different traditional Hawaiian quilt blocks in bold primary colors. The background is a rusty-orange, probably influenced by the red soils of Molokai.

After I finished needlepointing the canvas, I cut the rings apart and did loop stitch over the 2 stitches on each edge as shown here. I used the background color along the length of each ring and a different color for the edges — that was so all my guest had to remember was the edge color of their ring in order to claim the correct napkin at each meal. If your canvas needs block, I recommend that you block it before cutting the rings apart. After edging the length, I found that I needed to reblock them again.

I lined each ring with 1 1/2-in gross grain ribbon which I purchased from JoAnn’s,

I slip-stitched the lining together to form the ring and then using the appropriate color overcast the edges.  Voila! My contribution to the ecosystem — no more paper napkins and everyone can remember their color so I save on water by not having to wash napkins so often. These would make a great needlepoint Christmas, wedding, or house warming gift.