Hemstitch Cotton & Linen Napkins or Placemats, Set of 6, Taupe or White

Cloth napkins and placemats finished the traditional way, with a wide folded hem and a fine hemstitch border running all the way round just inside the edge. They come in sets of six, in taupe or white, as small, medium or large napkins or as placemats, so you can dress a whole table in one look or build it up a piece at a time.

No paper. No printed trim. Lay them out, and the table looks set for an occasion even on an ordinary weeknight.

A border you can see through

Hemstitching is the old table-linen finish: a few threads are drawn out of the weave just inside the hem and the rest are gathered into small bundles, which leaves a straight ladder of tiny open holes. On a white napkin the holes catch a little shadow and read as a fine dotted line. On taupe they pick up whatever sits underneath, a pale plate or a wooden table, and frame the cloth from the inside.

A quiet detail, and the one that tells guests these are proper napkins rather than a pack from the supermarket. The hem is turned under wide and flat, and on the placemats the corners are mitered, joined on a neat diagonal so each one sits flat and square.

Four sizes, from a cocktail glass to a dinner plate

The Small Napkins are cocktail size. Tuck one under a glass, wrap the stem of a wine glass, or line a bread basket with it. The Medium Napkins are the everyday dinner size, generous across a lap and still easy to fold neatly beside a plate. The Large Napkins are a little bigger again, the size for long, unhurried dinners, and they make a fuller fold on the plate.

The Placemats are rectangles sized to sit under a dinner plate with room for the cutlery either side, finished with the same hem and hemstitch as the napkins so the two match when you use them together. Exact sizes are in the specifications.

Taupe or white, and they work together

Taupe is a soft gray-brown, the natural color of linen, and it sits easily with oak, stoneware and the muted tones most kitchens already have. White is the classic choice for a formal table, and it looks especially crisp laid on dark wood. Both colors are woven from the same blend of linen and cotton.

Every set holds six pieces of one size in one color, which makes it easy to mix. Taupe placemats under white napkins, or white placemats with taupe napkins, give a two-tone table that still looks deliberate. Either way, the table is set before the food arrives.

Specifications

Type: Hemstitched cloth napkins or placemats, sold in sets of 6

Material: 55% linen, 45% cotton

Finish: Wide folded hem and an open hemstitch border on every piece; mitered corners on the placemats

Colors: Taupe, White

Large napkin dimensions: 20 x 20 in (50 x 50 cm)

Medium napkin dimensions: 18 x 18 in (45 x 45 cm)

Small napkin dimensions: 8 x 8 in (20 x 20 cm)

Placemat dimensions: 14 x 20 in (35 x 50 cm)

Set: 6 pieces, all one size and one color

Use: Dining tables, dinner parties, drinks and everyday meals

Not included: Plates, cutlery, glasses and other tableware shown in photos

Package Includes

6x Hemstitch Napkin in your chosen size and color, or 6x Hemstitch Placemat in your chosen color