A buttonhole napkin for travelling - readymade or DIY - Outfit 393

 




I am wearing a white dickey (a decorative collar without any shirt, just a shirt front). The dickey has buttons which enable me to pin on the napkin to the top button. An alternative would be a brooch or pendant with a chain so you can tuck in the napkin.

Whenever I dress for a dinner out, especially in summer and light evenings, I look for something light, a change from the funeral blacks of winter. But I then consider that I might stain my lovely outfit with food. 

I don't want to have clothes hung up and never worn. What a waste of money - and wardrobe space. (Americans say closet.)

Angela Lansbury wearing a buttonhole napkin supplied at the Tanglin Club, Singapore.


You can buy two white dinner napkins for just under 15 collars (plus postage) from Etsy from suppliers in the USA. Others on Etsy offer sets of six at proportional prices. From EmbroiderybyLinda and DapperDiner. The napkins can be supplied in cotton or polyester. 

Cotton or Polyester
Cotton, for a softer feel? To match your tablecloth. To wash on high heat to get rid of stains and bacteria. Or polyester to repulse stains. 

You can take one with you on holiday. Make sure to pack a blouse. Or make a tie with a button to hold the napkin. Just sew a small, inconspicuous button, which fits the button hole, onto clothing which is strong enough to stay in shape and support the napkin. 

DIY Buttonhole Napkin - recycling an old shirt
You can take one with you on holiday. Make sure to pack a blouse. Or make a tie with a button to hold the napkin. Just sew a small inconspicuous button which fits the button hole onto something which won't be pulled out of shape but is strong enough to support the napkin.

The dickey is perfect for adding to any top which does not have a button. I travel with two dickeys, one in white, the other in black.

Two in white cotton for ten pounds, plus about 14 pounds postage to the UK.

DIY buttonhole napkin
I could make a buttonhole napkin from an old white or coloured shirt whose collar and cuffs have frayed or stained, if the placket is still in good condition. Cut a diamond shape (square) with the east or right hand point over one buttonhole. Use an existing table napkin to test the right size when hanging from your neck. 

An alternative is to buy elastic with buttonholes (from Amazon.co.uk) and make an elastic choker to go under your shirt or blouse or dress collar. Sew the right size button on a napkin or handkerchief. 

Useful Websites
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/650082487/set-of-2-premium-100-cotton-dinner (dapper diner)
Amazon listed them but the seller did not post to the UK. 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buttonhole-Waistbands-Maternity-Knitting-Crafting/dp/B091D9DZK6
2.99 pounds sterling. If you have prime, it is free postage.

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