I love the look of relaxed muted linens. There is just something so romantic and delicate about them. I’ve had my eye out for the perfect linen napkins, but just could not find the right ones. Erin, our food editor, suggested we make our own. This sounded complicated and I wasn’t sure if I was up for the challenge. She convinces me that it would be the easiest little project and would teach me how. And – oh my goodness, you guys – it was actually easy as pie. On that note, pie is much harder to make! Just a few quick steps and we had ourselves the most beautiful soft pink napkins I could have asked for! You might have caught us doing the step-by-step on my Instagram stories. If not, not to worry. We’ve mapped it out all for you below! Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!

We purchased our linen from a local fabric store. Two yards of fabric was more the enough to complete this DIY. If you are using brand-new fabric, you must wash it at least once or twice. We simply measured out 8 napkins that were 18×18”. You could make them smaller or larger depending on your style! If you already have some white linen napkins, you can dye those as well!

Using nice sharp scissors, cut your napkins from the linen and set aside. We measured out 8 napkins that were 18×18 and left the edges raw, as we love the look!

Peel and roughly chop up 2-3 cups of beets. Place in a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
In place of the step above, we have heard that if you place them in a “setting bath” first this can help to keep the colour in the fabric. We didn’t do this step as beets are very high in natural dye, but feel free to try it out!

Fill up your sink with hot water and start to soak your napkins.

Place two napkins in the pot a time and swirl around. Let them soak for around 2 minutes. Ring out each napkin over the sink, and place them on a drying rack.

Once all the 8 napkins are complete, place your drying rack in the garage to dry overnight. We did notice that there was a small line running through them from the drying rack, but we didn’t mind. If you were doing this in warmer weather, you could place them outside on a clothes line to dry!We had a ton of fun with this project and we can already see the endless possibilities of dying linen with an array of vegetables and fruits! You’ll use these napkins over and over for any occasion. I also added a simple little monogram iron-on “M” that I picked up at Michaels – the perfect little finishing touch! Looking for a quick fun project before Valentine’s Day? This might be the one!

Please note that, because this is a natural vegetable dye, the colour will fade out when washed. Please wash them with care, and not with anything else as the colour could run.

Everything you’ll need
Natural 100% linen cotton
Beets
Scissors
Measuring Tape
Large Pot