Kit’s Flour-Sack Napkin
Thank you for joining us for our program today. We are so happy that you are here!
For today’s program, we will be making a Flour-Sack Napkin, a craft brought to us by one of American Girl’s first characters, Kit. Kit’s story takes place in 1934 during the Great Depression.
Today’s craft can be found ins Kit’s Friendship Fun. The following directions make one napkin. We hope you enjoy Kit’s Flour-Sack Napkin.
Materials
Dark marker
Tracing paper
Masking tape
Woven napkin, white or light-colored
Fabric marker
Embroidery hoop, 4 inches wide
Embroidery floss
Embroidery needle
Scissors
Directions
With the dark marker, trace a cat pattern (or your own design) onto tracing paper.
Tape the tracing paper to a bright window. Tape the napkin over, so the design shows through one corner of the napkin.
Use the fabric marker to trace the design on the napkin. Take the napkin off the window.
Take the embroidery hoop apart by loosening the screw. Place the napkin over the inner hoop so that the design lies inside the hoop.
Snap the outer hoop over the fabric and inner hoop, and then tighten the screw.
Cut an 18-inch piece of floss. The floss is made up of 6 strands, but to embroider, you use only 2 strands. Separate the two strands.
Thread the needle with 2 strands. Tie a double knot at the other end of the floss.
Embroider your design with a chain stitch. Push the needle through the back of the fabric and come up. Then put the needle back in next to where you came up, leaving a small loop of thread.
Bring the needle out and through the loop of thread. Pull the thread snug.
Put the needle back in next to where. you came up, leaving a small thread loop. Continue stitching around the cat’s body or your design.
To finish, make a tiny stitch over the last loop. Tie a knot on the back of the napkin at your last stitch. Cut off the extra thread.
Repeat steps 6 through 11 to stitch the rest of the cat. Remove the embroidery hoop.
Did You Know: In the 1930’s flour came in white cloth sacks? To make napkins, Kit just cut a empty sack into squares and stitched a design on each one. Kit would have drawn a cat, a code among hoboes for a “kind woman lives here.” Drawn on a fence or wall, it meant hoboes could stop at that house for a meal.
Photo of Kit’s Flour Sack Napkin | 2002 | American Girl, LLC., U.S.