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I am working on a little project that needs cloth napkins (stay tuned...) and thought making cloth napkins would also be great for Earth Day (April 22)!
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Here are two versions, one with mitered corners and the other with square corners. First pre-wash the fabric. Cut fabric into a square 1" larger than the desired finished size. I cut 17 inch squares so that I would have 16 inch napkins.
Mitered Corner Napkin Instructions
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Iron edge over 1/4 inch.
Moving clockwise, iron next edge 1/4 inch over. Iron all four sides then fold first side over again another 1/4 inch. Do all four sides moving clockwise.
Open up corner.
Cut off top of corner.
Fold top edge down (to corner of second fold line) and iron.
Fold the side edge to the middle on each side (folding on press lines - fold side down then fold again to make corner). Repeat until all four sides have mitered corners.
Sew all the way around the edge of napkin.
Finished with a mitered corner napkin!
Square Corner Napkin Instructions
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To make a napkin with square corners, iron edge over 1/4 inch. Moving in clockwise direction iron next side 1/4 inch until all four sides have been pressed 1/4 inch.
Now fold over edges another 1/4 inch (moving in a clockwise direction).
When all four sides have been folded over twice, sew all the way around the edge of the napkin. I think most people sew straight off the edge on each side, but my sewing machine doesn't like sewing through those layers.
I also like the way it looks from the front.
Finished!
Thanks for the tutorial. I’ve got some Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric that I’ve been wanting to make into napkins. Thanks for the inspiration I needed.
These are gorgeous! Thanks for the tutorial on mitered corners – I can never figure those out!
This would make a great addition to your quick gift pattern card set. ;o) Thanks for the tute!
Love ‘em!
Very nice! I had started making a few cloth napkins some time ago but never finished enough to make the switch from paper to cloth. This was the post I needed to inspire me to finish that project up. Thanks!
Are you using regular woven fabric for this or a heaver weight? I’ve thought about making cloth napkins, but wasn’t sure what sort of material to use.
Cute! What type fabric did you use? What do you think will work best?
This is great! What do you think is the best kind of fabric for napkins?
I have to put together a picnic basket for a auction and will now be busy making cloth napkins! Thanks for the tutorial!
Hah! Perfect! I always love your tips. Thanks for such an easy project that requires very little sewing skill (perfect for me). I added your craft to the end of today’s post on my blog – been trying to blog a different Earth-friendly tip every day.
Thanks again!
The fabric I used for the napkins was a lightweight cotton. I really think almost anything would work. These napkins are thin, but I don’t think it matters. I will say that fabric did stretch slightly on some of the mitered corners. It doesn’t bother me but maybe a heavier cotton would prevent that. Do take into consideration that the fabric gets turned two times— that is some bulk to sew through. So too heavy of fabric might make it difficult to sew.
Thanks for the post. I just sewed for the first time this last weekend. I made an activity bag for my oldest for this summer.
I love the napkins. They seems simple to make and very cute.
I will be linking to your site.
Thanks again for sharing.
Thanks so much for your lesson on how to make lovely napkins!! I was never sure on the mitered corner ones even after stitching for years!!
Thank you for the tutorial on mitered corners. I always enjoy all your tips.
Those are lovely! The fabric is beautiful! I’ve made my cloth napkins in the past with a rolled hem from the serger as it was quick to do, but I love the look of the mitred corner! Will have to give that a try.
For those wondering about fabric choice, I used a linen blend for our everyday napkins, and navy for the colour, so no stains show even after a year of daily use!
thank you thank you thank you! Every time i read the instructions for mitered corners in books i get reconfused. You made it so easy. Gonna go practice now!
Thank you — a million times thank you! I’ve been meaning to make hand-sewn cloth napkins and your tutorial has given me the push I needed.
Thanks so much for sharing the instructional! My current cloth napkins are getting old, and this will be a great project for me tonight.
Thanks for the great tutorial! I made some blue and white checkered cloth napkins a year ago or so, but I’ve been wanting to make several more batches. You’ve reminded me of a great project for this week!
Great idea! I had been thinking about making some place mats. Napkins would go great with them.
Great tutorial! I’m looking early for holiday gift ideas and this is top on my list. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the tutorial. I have used cloth napkins for many many many years. Never made them before. I searched the web for a good method. Yours is the best I’ve found.
These are very cute napkins and a great tutorial! I am going to work on some soon. I have run into your site several times during my searches. Keep up the good work!
I loved your napkins. I linked them on myskinnypurse so that I could share it!
I linked these! Thanks for the great idea.
Thanks for the very clear directions on how to make mitered corners. It was a big help!
Thanks for the tutorial, I plan on making some napkins for Christmas presents.
I inherited a stack of well laundered feedsacks – really looking forward to ‘returning’ them to my in-laws as napkin sets to keep them in the family – thanks so much for the really clear tips!
Awesome! I just love the way you describe about the corners. I’m going to make a set of 6 and will gift it to my mom on new year eve. Thanks for a wonderful tutorial.
I found this tutorial a number of weeks ago and bookmarked it with the idea of making napkins as Christmas presents. I’m still very new to sewing, but I got a Singer for my birthday, so I knew that I wanted to make handmade gifts this year. I followed your instructions (the photos were a big help too!) and I just finished my first batch! I am so pleased with them, and will definitely be making more now. Thank you so much!
Hi. I just made 9 napkins out a $1 tablecloth I got at a yardsale. I made the mitered corners and they came out pretty good. Thanks for all the tips and good pictures of each step.
Just what I was looking to see today! I really hope you know how much this means to me. I’m thrilled someone took the time to write about it. Any chance I could contribute to this? I really hope so. I’ve bookmarked your page here and will be back. Also visited some of your sponsors, good stuff. I hope you visit my site about Christmas sometime soon and return the favor. Have a sunshine and roses day.