I have come to believe that forced changes are not all inevitably bad. I also find it interesting that I resist such changes to the very last second that I can dig my heels in and stand my ground.
The city of Baltimore changed its recycling and sanitation schedule to a single stream, one day a week,recycling pick up and a one day a week garbage pick up. Now, the city residents did protest (as did I) to this change on the grounds that we felt we would be buried in garbage and no one would recycle as much as the city had hoped.
I have to say that I am recycling 10x more than I am casting to the dump. And, as of this writing, the streets in my neighborhood are no dirtier than they were the day before the policy took effect. This time, a forced change (and the threat of a hefty fine) has swayed the direction in which our family impacts the environment.
I have also been thinking of ways to reduce our waste even more. I have a few things on the list. At the top of that list is eliminating paper waste from the home.
So, in an OCD craft-astic fury, I made a few sets of cloth napkins. Here is how I did it:
Start with 100% cotton fabric. I cut my fabric into 21"x21" squares. Make sure your fabric is pre-washed and dried in the dryer. You don't want your finished napkins to shrink on you.
I sewed roughly a 1/4" rolled seam on 2 parallel sides. Sew top, then bottom, then left, then right seams. This will make your seams really neat.
I used contrasting thread to give the pirate motif a little style.
Press and voila! You have napkins. Seriously, it took me 2 hours from cutting to pressing 14 napkins (and that was with taking photos). I even made some smaller ones for the boy to take in his Laptop Lunch.
I love how they turned out and will love setting the table with them even more.
Sometimes simple can be monumental. Here's to making everyday beautiful and sustainable.
