There’s something about Thanksgiving time that just feels rustic and organic, don’t you think? I’m sure it has to do with being the season of the harvest, what with the landscape turning all shades of warm before the chilled winterscapes set in.

To achieve a rustic feel at your Thanksgiving feast this year, consider adding a personal touch to your linen napkins: make them look like vintage grain sacks. This project is simple, straightforward, and highly rewarding.

Materials Needed:

Linen napkinsFabric marker in the color of your choiceLong metal ruler (long enough to run from end to end on your napkin)

Start by laying out your napkin flat onto a piece of scrap cardboard that runs the length of your napkin. I suppose you could actually start by ironing your napkin, but I wanted to keep the fold lines here as guides to my grain sack stripe placement.

Tape the napkin flat and straight onto your cardboard.

Even if it’s not ironed (especially if!), make sure the napkin is as flat as you can possibly make it on the section you will be striping.

Lay your ruler down at the point you want your first stripe. Tip: Work from the center stripe outward. If you want three stripes, for example, use the ruler to draw your middle stripe first. Take your fabric marker, and draw the straight line. Take care to keep the linen cloth taut underneath your marker, to maintain a straight line.

Lift your ruler up – do not slide it. Wipe off the side of the ruler where you drew your line so it doesn’t smear on the napkin at your next line.

Place the ruler where you want it for your second line, and repeat the fabric marker drawing. Again, always be sure the fabric is taut below your marker tip so the line will stay straight and the fabric doesn’t bunch.

Wipe off your ruler’s side, dry it, and position it for your third line.

Lift the ruler, wipe off the side, and let your fabric marker dry for 24 hours on your linen napkin before washing or using it.

You might also like other colors for your Thanksgiving table. Maintaining a rustic palette, you might consider red or brown or even deep orange as your grain sack stripes.

Three identical stripes work well here. Other ideas might be: three lines in a thin-thick-thin pattern, two thick lines, one thick line (like an inch thick), and any combination of these lines running horizontally.

Throw a few pumpkins and pinecones into your centerpiece, and you’ll be set for a rich, rewarding Thanksgiving experience with loved ones this year.

We hope you enjoy creating your own unique rustic grain sack linen napkins – especially the simplicity of this type of project. Happy DIYing!