This DIY cloth napkin tutorial takes the absolute beginner through a simple sewing tutorial and will teach you how to sew corners perfectly! These make great hostess gifts with or without monograms.
One of the things I’ve always purchased but never made were cloth dinner napkins and table runners. Silly, right? Silly because they are easy to make if you know a few shortcuts.
This dinner napkin gift is for those people who love having a coordinated table. It is for the aunt, sister, mother or friend who loves hosting people for any dinner, but who becomes ecstatic when they get to host a big family get together.
And we all have the friend who loves anything monogrammed. Help each of them expand their table linens with customized DIY dinner napkins.
If you are a sewing beginner, do this project. You will get such a rush from delivering a project with straight hems and wonderfully pointy corners. Do this to get a boost that will keep you inspired and sewing. Trust me – just do this one. Can you tell I’m still kind of riding the high here?
Obviously, you can purchase any type of fabric for this cloth napkin tutorial, but let me offer a word of caution: although it might look great in your photos or on Pinterest, no one likes wiping their face with burlap, ya’ll.
adding handmade burlap napkin rings.
gifting your cotton napkins wrapped up with a working fabric collar (stack flat-folded napkins and secure with a thick swatch of your desired fabric).
create a wrap with your working fabric for the bottle of wine you’re bringing along with your handmade cloth napkins.
1.5 yards fabric – I purchased a nice, thick 100% cotton home decor weight fabric. You can go the simple route and get white or go bold and get a pattern you think your recipient would like.
Wash and dry fabric per instructions for the material, but skip any fabric softener.
So set up that ironing board in front of the television after the little ones have gone to bed and iron your little heart out. You will thank me for it, I promise.
Cut squares of fabric at 20.5 inches, but don't put the iron away just yet.
Once you have all squares cut, fold over all edges a half inch and iron. Then fold them over another half inch and iron. You are hiding the raw edge of the fabric with this to prevent fraying.
You can either do a full mitered corneror what I call tuck-and-fold corners.
The difference between the two methods is that the tuck-and-fold method does not remove the fabricin the corners. I have commercially-made linens that have both, so I really think it's your preference.
Leaving all other hems intact, unfold your hem completely on one side of the napkin - you should have two crease lines.
Fold up the corner to the 2nd hemline (from the edge).
Fold up the hem twice and iron. Pin in place until sewn. Repeat on the other end (of the same side).
Repeat all ironing and pinning for the rest of your napkins. Take it to the machine and stitch at the inner edge of the hem (not the outside edge of the napkin). I stitch down the folded corner, too.
Voilà! You're done making the cloth napkins and you're awesome.
or a full mitered cornerwith acrylic paint.
Get out your iron. Don’t run away! Listen, I know ironing stinks. But when you make gifts for people and it calls for ironing, just do like I do and pretend you’re Donna Reed (donning pearls is optional, but makes it sooooo much more fun).
So set up that ironing board in front of the television after the little ones have gone to bed and iron your little heart out. You will thank me for it, I promise. Not only does it make the sewing part of this project fly by – think Top Gun fast, folks – but it also makes for a professional-looking end result. Swanky cloth napkins? Yes, please.
Cut squares of fabric at 20.5 inches, but don’t put the iron away just yet.
Corners. Tricky sometimes, yes, but not for these cloth napkins. You can either do a full mitered corner or what I call tuck-and-fold corners. I’m sure there’s a real name out there somewhere, I just don’t know what it is. The difference between the two methods is that the tuck-and-fold method does not remove the fabric in the corners. I have commercially-made linens that have both, so I really think it’s your preference.
Leaving all other hems intact, unfold your hem completely on one side of the napkin – you should have two crease lines.
Repeat all ironing and pinning for the rest of your napkins. Take it to the machine and stitch at the inner edge of the hem (not the outside edge of the napkin). IStitch down the folded corner, too. I like to make sure it’s not going anywhere. See? Isn’t this a simple cloth napkin tutorial? You’re almost done!
Voilà! You’re done making the cloth napkins and you’re awesome.
If you are not painting the napkins, go ahead and give them another iron before wrapping them up. You should also think about running a lint brush over them.
I think it’s good to include a small card that details washing instructions if you paint the fabric. Or you could opt to launder them after every use, you wonderful friend, you. If you offer that with your gift, let’s be friends. I have some laundry you should meet.
Speaking of being friends: are we friends on Pinterest yet? If you’d like, go ahead and Pin the photo below to share it with your friends and followers.
Thank you so much, Aimee! See you at the party.
It’s amazing to me how many people are digging that Leo meme! :) Thanks for coming by, Rebecca. I know you’re super busy and have your hands full of that little cutie!
Susan @ 2 cats & chloe invites you to read Bacon is Rad. Gluten is Bad.
Thanks, Susan. I’ll be sure to check out your party!
Haha, Leo is ironing! That is the best meme ever!
I am still giggling imaging wiping my face with burlap. LOL Happy Thanksgiving Sarah!
Okay, I have a whole bunch of white tablecloth fabric which I never ended up using. I could totally do this!
You have such neat and tidy corners… very well done!
I love the idea of a burlap napkin ring too.
There are so many things that I buy that I can purchase for myself. I’ve never thought about making these either and they do look so easy after seeing you doing it. Will have to try and make this myself. Thank you for the tutorial.