How to Make Real 1621 Thanksgiving “Serviette” Napkins
For those Americans who love our country, and who hunger to see the real history of Thanksgiving restored to our annual holiday, here’s a simple and historically accurate project that will spark curiosity and conversation at your next Thanksgiving get-together.
As detailed in The American Patriot’s Treasury of Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas (*1), the English pilgrims used what were called “serviettes” as their dining napkins. Unlike today’s table napkins, serviettes were laughably large, even bath towel-sized linens. Although they weren’t always used to cover a person’s clothing, they were large enough to do so, should users have deemed it necessary.
Clothing in 1621 was, after all, extremely time-consuming to clean or replace, so protecting one’s valuable attire at the table was often of great importance.
The over-sized serviette was used in a number of ways, including tying two corners around the back of the neck (which is often how we see them portrayed), tucking one corner into the front collar, laying it across the lap, or for a more dignified and graceful appearance, folding two or three times lengthwise, and draping it over the shoulder opposite the dominant hand.
These early table napkins were primarily made of plant linen, but occasionally cotton was used.
In this example I will be using a stout, unbleached cotton, as cotton is much less expensive today than linen, and easier to care for. White linen serviettes were actually the favorite of late Renaissance homemakers. No matter which options you choose, be sure to wash and dry the fabric to take out shrinkage before sewing the edges (linen edges need to be zigzag stitched before washing as the fabric unravels excessively).
Also choose a matching 100% cotton thread for authenticity, and be sure it is suitable for hand sewing (if machine sewing, choose a machine thread).
Begin by cutting out bath towel-size rectangles or squares on the fabric grain (for how-to’s see page 29 in A Combo Guide for Beginning Sewing and Authentic Period Costuming, *2). You can either machine sew the edges, which goes very quickly, or you can sew the edges by hand for a truly authentic finish. I will demonstrate how to hand sew a serviette using the blind hem stitch as follows:
Be prepared to spend about two relaxing hours hand stitching each serviette. (Historically, hand sewing chores presented a great opportunity for ladies to get together and gab!)
Start at a corner as shown (following), folding twice, then folding over the first edge twice as shown. Using an iron to press the folds will make the sewing job go faster.
Fun Historical Note: Ironing is authentic to 1621. The type of iron used in the 1600’s would have been a sadiron, or flatiron. Such irons were basically a solid, flat-bottomed chunk of cast iron with a handle on it (shaped similar to today‘s irons), which could be set into a fire for heating.
Using a double or single thread, begin hand stitching your edges by hiding unsightly starter knots inside the edge fold (whenever possible). As for historical accuracy in choosing double or single threads, I have not as yet found any source references that specify a preference among early 1600 English tailors and seamstresses. Single thread is considered most appropriate for the hem stitch today, however. (I am using a double thread in the photos following.)
If you are new to hand sewing and need help making thread-end knots, directions can be found on page 9 of A Combo Guide for Beginning Sewing and Authentic Period Costuming (*2).
After stitching a ways, you’ll begin to run out of thread. Simply anchor your stitching with a few snug, stationary stitches, trim loose end-thread(s), and pick up again with a new length of thread.
Once the stitching is completed, finish with a little pressing of the edges, and there you have authentic 1621 English serviettes!
2007 - Using English serviettes for the first time. As you can see we do not have a formal dining set up, but serviettes are versatile and would fit just as nicely in a formal setting. Mmmm, good viddles - everyone is so quiet in this picture! We really did laugh a lot that day. As was the custom in 1620-21 English society, we had the men sit down together before the women, which our teen boys found very amusing :-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
About the Author: Carrie Franzwa is the Founder of LetsPlayHistory.org, a national website dedicated to making history fun for all ages via the reenactment arts http://www.letsplayhistory.org . She is the author of various titles, including:
