We recently had some houseguests over the Labor Day holiday. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I am not at my best in the wee hours of the morning. But an easy tip is to set the table ahead of time. Here is A Beautiful Brunch With Napkin Tutorial.
To fake chipper cheerfulness, I lay out and prepare as much as I can the night before. I LOVE donuts. Don’t you?
See the cake plate the donuts are on? It used to be blue and was rarely used. With a bit of gold and then silver Rub and Buff it has been transformed and hopefully will see more use. I used a paper doily to keep the food from sitting directly on the painted surface for safety.
The majority of the menu was based on what came in our organic food basket this week. The strawberries have been incredibly good this year.
I set the table using a lovely and heavy antique linen panel as a tablecloth. The cloth was topped by a piece of antique crochet, wicker chargers and my Polish pottery purchased while living in Europe.
Once all of the crucial elements were in place there was only a very small space left for a centerpiece. Enter in my onetime shelf found at Goodwill.
How do you like my napkins? I made these rustic lovelies specifically for this tablescape.
Yes, I STILL had ticking fabric left over, even after I made an apron and covered two wing chairs.
The leftover fabric had a few holes near the edges and some remaining rust spots. Perfect for napkins that will never fear a dinner of spaghetti or ribs.
I followed StoneGable’s beautiful mitered napkin tutorial. Yvonne’s instructions were so clear and easy. Of course, I always like to put my own spin on projects. Yvonne’s lovely napkins featured a finished 1/4” seam. I wanted a wider seam of 1/2”.
I needed a wider finished seam so that I could add a decorative stitch. Another twist on this project was that each napkin had a different stitch. Kind of a nod to the wine charms of old. Our family often uses our cloth napkins more than once. (Ditto for bath towels~ oh the horror!) Each family member picked out which stitch they wanted and were so happy to have “their own” napkin.
You can also see that I used the ticking fabric wrong side out. I liked the softer palette that it provided. Here is a close up of a few of the napkins. The row of x’s (or kisses) belongs to Mr. Decor. 🙂
Napkin Reality Check: Each napkin took about 30 minutes to make. While the ironing, cutting and pinning perhaps only took 10 minutes, the decorative stitching ate up the majority of the time. It is very, very slow to sew compared to just a regular straight stitch.
I created a total of 8 napkins. Since I only needed 6 for this table setting I lined a silver tray with one as shown in the photo above and also wrapped a loaf of homemade raisin bread to bring the ticking fabric onto to the buffet. Repetition is always a good thing in design.
With the addition of a yummy egg casserole, a bit of bacon, hot tea, and juice, breakfast was a beautiful success that was most appreciated by my guests.
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. What is yours?
Laura
Can I come be your guest? 🙂 That looks wonderful, what a lovely hostess you are!! Those strawberries made my mouth water..I anything berry! (except kool-aid) blah!
I too love breakfast…I had it for lunch yesterday. I had biscuits and gravy, ham, scrambled eggs and hashbrown casserole. 🙂
Last night I made Zuppo Tosacao…it's a soup from the Olive Garden…wow is it yummy!
Hope you have a great week!
Love ya
Missy
Good Morning Laura Sweetie…
What a beautiful share this morning. I love the table setting, so exquisite, and the pears look so beautiful sitting on top of each plate. The color is so pretty.
Now that buffet and the napkins, be still my little heart. I love the napkins, they are so perfect next to the plates, and I love what you did to the blue cake plate. The silver color is so much prettier, and it is so festive. The doily looks so pretty under the doughnuts. Speaking of which, I don't mind if I do. Yummy, I love a doughnut fresh for breakfast.
The strawberries look so delightful. Your raisin bread, yep I am coming over that's it. I love the raisin bread, and does it ever look country wrapped in the ticking too. Oh Laura what an elegant table setting you prepared. I know your guests were so over the top thrilled. Nobody, and I do mean nobody would ever know that you are not a morning person.
Thank you for sharing this morning. I so love it when you do.
Have a beautiful day sweetie. Many hugs and so much love, Sherry
If this is your spread when you're not at your best, I'd love to see what you do when you go all out. It looks beautiful.
What a beautiful breakfast table…the chargers are wonderful!!
I do love me a hearty breakfast … cooking up some steak and eggs as we speak …
then I'm off to turn my ticking inside out!
Laura, your room is so pretty. I love the beautiful buffet that you set up. Your table is stunning and the shelf is such a great centerpiece. Great tutorial on the napkins too. Hugs, Marty
Laura,
Thank you for sharing your lovely brunch. I love the napkins you created and the clever identification stitches used.
Your Friend,
Deborah
Laura,
Oh your napkins are just beautiful!!!! I love the decorative borders. They were worth the extra time it took.
Thanks for the shout-out! You are so gracious!
I am having a brunch for my mother and her friends next month and your table and idea are so lovely, it has given me many ideas and inspiration!
Thanks, my friend!
Yvonne
What a thoughtful hostess you are. I like all the extra touches, the keys and hearts etc. you added. Lovely. Breakfast is also my favorite meal of the day. I could do without dinner entirely.
Lovely table…looks delicious! Love the idea of the cloth napkins with the stitchery.
Love your table–especially the pears on the blue and white. I love ticking. I just had a guest bedroom chair uphostered in it. Since you'r up doing breakfast maybe EB stands for early bird 🙂 great tutorial and I love breakfast if someone else will cook it!
That looks absolutely lovely! Very nice!
You did a beautiful job with your breakfast buffet, Laura! Love the cake stand and the gorgeous napkins you made. I'm sure your guests appreciated all of your sweet touches!
xoxo
Jane
The Polish pottery is fabulous. The whole table is done so well! Where did you find the wicker chargers? And do you have a serger or fancy machine or what? I am thinking to upgrade to a new machine.Do tell!
Beautiful! K
Making napkins is something I've come to love doing. They add personality to the table, don't they? And your Polish pottery is just lovely.
Breakfast is not my favourite meal of the day. But I do eat it. And like you, if I have company I like doing as much as possible the night before.
Hope your week is going well.
It all looks lovely; I am glad to see Rudi is enjoying the new chairs; the pups always manage to stake out the best spot in the house, don't they! The napkins and tablescape look fantastic!
We use bath towels more than once too!
I love the ticking napkins! Would have never thought of using a different stitch for each person's napkin…great tip!
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, but nothing quite that elaborate! A bowl of cereal suits me fine! Our special fancy breakfast is always Sunday morning after church! Or like the one you arranged, when special guests are visiting!
MGM
Brunch looks awesome!! Love the napkins!
Very nicely laid out, Laura! When I can I like to have eggs for breakfast with some sausage or in an omelette. Even a good size lunch I like. I find I don't eat as much for dinner; I think I prefer that as a lighter meal and have the heavier meals earlier in the day. I think it worked out great that you had enough left over fabric to make napkins. Puppy looks pretty comfy on that chair! : )
Hey Laura..glad you liked my fall decor! I totally understand what you mean about it being too hot to think about decorating for fall…I'm glad I did mine when we had a cool spell. 🙂
I just watched your asian market trip…don't know how I missed that post, but it was so funny! Your little sweet boy is a hoot! Hope he has a great birthday! When is it exactly?
Hugs
Missy
I spotted those ticking napkins from a mile away–alright several hundred miles away! Great idea to personalize each one with different stitching!
PS Let me know when I can come for brunch, LOL!
Donuts are YUMMY!! I loveeeeeeeeeeee the spread and loving those napkins you made! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
What a beautiful table setting. I love those wicker chargers that you were able to make it look like a mini display. Cute napkins, you are a creative one.
Now that I have seen your lovely table setting, I have the urge to invite friends over for breakfast. I am not begins to think I should set my table up more often in the morning.
G'day Laura ~ You create the most elegant & inviting settings. The blue & green theme is so rich! That shelf centerpiece is one fabulous idea … who would've thought! And how the buffet server just compliments so beautifully your entire theme. Smart thinking for those simply wonderful napkins …
You are just amazing. TY for sharing ideas I'd certainly never have thought of on my own.
Have a beautiful day ~
TTFN ~Hugs, Marydon
WOW!! What lucky guests. Such a beautiful table setting. The napkin idea is brilliant!!
I just love it!!! Now, what time did ya want me to come over 'cause I can't get those donuts out of my mind. I'll bring hot spiced apple cider to go with 'em….”K??”
Every thing is just gorgeous girl!
Ya'll have a blessed day from the happy hills and hollers of the Missouri Ponderosa!!!
What a lovely brunch you served! Your guests must have felt honored. I love the napkins, but I adore the chair!
Laura,
Everything looks so fresh and beautiful, I am sure your guests appreciated your effort and hospitality to make them feel welcome and nourished. The chairs turned out great!
Absolutely beautiful table setting. I want those chargers- please!
Dear Laura, Howdy from Kansas and well wishes your way.
Such fun to drop in and yezzzzzz I luvv donuts! Especially maple glazed or that pretty pink stuff that's called frosting.
God bless you and your table looks so pretty plus the buffet inviting.
I don't have a favorite meal…they are all goooood.
d from homehaven
What a lovely table! I love your Polish pottery. I love having guests at breakfast. I feel like I can have quite the spread but it doesn't feel like as much work as dinner. Your napkins look great. I keep meaning to get some made but it doesn't seem to be happening!
Beautiful brunch table…love the pillow ticking napkins. Your dishes look so nice with the pears. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Laura! Oh, this is beautiful! I love how you've set up the buffet. Yum, we have strawberries almost every night. If I had been your guest for breakfast, I would have showed you how much I love strawberries! 🙂
Your table is so lovely and I love those pretty dishes.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
I am with you all the way…I am so not an early morning person! Your tablescape is beautifully crafted, and the ticking napkins are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your charming design. Cherry Kay
JUST BEAUTIFUL Laura!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
I just love all the ticking! I bet your company felt very special! 🙂
Have an awesome week!
~Liz
This setup is gorgeous and so inspiring. I'm bookmarking it!