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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!
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!
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 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!
Thanks for the tutorial, I plan on making some napkins for Christmas presents.
Thanks for the very clear directions on how to make mitered corners. It was a big help!
I linked these! Thanks for the great idea.
I loved your napkins. I linked them on myskinnypurse so that I could share it!
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!
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.
Great tutorial! I’m looking early for holiday gift ideas and this is top on my list. Thanks for sharing.
Great idea! I had been thinking about making some place mats. Napkins would go great with them. 🙂
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!
Thanks so much for sharing the instructional! My current cloth napkins are getting old, and this will be a great project for me tonight.
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.
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!