For a cute, country touch to your dinner table, use colorful bandannas for napkins. We used to use a roll of paper towels, instead of paper napkins, but then I discovered how inexpensive bandannas are, when purchased through online websites. Buy the heavy-use ones by the dozen, they're less than 50 cents apiece that way!
I collect cloth napkins from yard sales. It's surprising how many are brand new, and people just don't want to be bothered using them. Yet, I never thought of using some bandanas I've had in drawers for years. I appreciate the hint.
I also do this but take it a step farther. Everyone in the family uses a different color so we all know who's is what color. Since many meals are not messy and do not require the napkins to be washed after each meal, we can reuse them for several days before needing washing.
Bandanas are a great idea for napkins. I have a lot of cook-outs and we eat at my picnic table. Instead of using a regular tablecloth on the picnic table, I bought several large bandanas and sewed them together. Voila! country-style tablecloth! When done with the cookout, just throw in the washing machine and it's ready to use again. Depending on the size of your table, you could use anywhere from 12-20 bandanas - use your imagination.
