Well, hours after writing that last post, I crumbled. I rushed into a new-to-me fabric store just before they closed Wednesday night and bought supplies to sew a new tablecloth and 12 napkins.

I couldn’t help it. I liked the napkin rings I posted about, but they just didn’t cut it for me. Of course, I worked up my math on the fly and consequently under-bought fabric. So the overhang on tablecloth was a little short and the napkins were a little petite. But I learned how to miter a corner and wound up thankful for our dining room’s new look – along with many, many other less superficial things that top this year’s grateful list.

Hope your holiday was wonderful.

For this month’s Washington Post column, I created a project you can customize with images of family, friends, or special places for a meaningful holiday table. Simple materials and the sewing is optional. Check it out over here.

I am having a renewed love affair with this set of napkins I made last year from a stack of cheap Ikea dish towels. I love all the variations on the nautical blues and whites, and when you convert dish towels into napkins, half the seams are already done for you. Bonus!

The best part is reaching into our drawer, pulling a couple out, and seeing how jaunty they look with any of our mismatched, patterned plates. The combo really perks up a lunch of gussied-up frozen pizza.