We love the cloth napkin here at Sew4Home! It's a green alternative to paper; it's super simple to make; and it adds a cheery splash of color to your table. That's a trifecta of winning reasons to give it a try today. We used a different fabric for each of our six napkin samples, because mixing and matching is fun.

Our Nature Brights projects were made using Patty Young's wonderful Flora & Fauna Collection. To learn more about the collection and all the tutorials available, read our article: Nature Brights Kitchen: A Bowlful of Color with a Generous Helping of Style.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Décor Computer 3050)

Fabric and Other Supplies

Our napkins are 20" x 20" finished, which means you need at least 21" x 21" of fabric to make one. If you're working with 44"-45" wide fabric, as we usually are, this means you need at least 21" in length. Here's your math quiz for today: If a yard of fabric is 36", what standard cut would you order to accommodate your napkins? (pause here for the theme song from Jeopardy) ... That's right! "What is ¾ yard?" ¾ of a yard is 27" - plenty of length. In fact, with 44"-45" in width and 27" in length, you can make TWO napkins. Multiply to your heart's content to make more.

• For our six napkins we used six different fabrics from Patty Young's Flora & Fauna collection by Michael Miller Fabrics: Blossoms in Black, Daisy Dot in Lime and Stone, Ta Dot in Moss and Apple, and Dandelion in Raspberry
• All purpose thread in colors to match fabric
• Contrasting all purpose thread for edgestitch (optional)
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pencil
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Straight pins

Getting Started

1. Cut 21" x 21" even squares from each fabric you're using for your napkins.
2. We recommend a rotary cutter for cutting squares. It's faster and more accurate. If using a rotary cutter for the first time, we have a detailed explanation of the proper use of this tool in our article on Quilting Basics.
   NOTE: Need help selecting a rotary cutter that best suits your needs? Check out our Buying Guide on rotary cutting products.
   

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. Fold and press a ½” double hem along all four sides on one fabric square. To do this, fold in ¼" and press, then fold another ¼" and press, encasing the raw edge within the fold. For a truly professional finish, see our tutorial on how to make easy clean finished corners.
   
2. Using a straight stitch and contrasting thread (the contrasting touch is optional; you can use matching thread if you prefer a simpler look), sew around the entire folded perimeter. Remember to stop at each corner, with your needle in the down position, and pivot.
3. Repeat for each fabric square.
   

Other machines suitable for this project include the Brother NX-450 and the Baby Lock Espire.

Comments (8)

Liz Johnson, Editor, Sew4Home said:

... @ SandraTD -- these napkins are single sided with a pretty hem as shown above. Cotton is more absorbent than a cotton-poly blend, so yes, I think cotton is a better choice for napkins. If you want a thicker napkin, you can use two layers, stitched together and turned... as we did in our recent Heirloom napkins: http://sew4home.com/projects/table-linens/1017-thanksgiving-traditions-heirloom-napkins-a-ties-free-spirit-artist-trio-3

January 24, 2012

SandraTD said:

... I have printed out both of these patterns. I expect my dining room will be much brighter. Is cotton the best fabric, or can I use cotton/poly too?

January 24, 2012

SandraTD said:

... Do you use a backing for the fabric?

January 24, 2012

mwlipari said:

... I just maade up a batch of these mix and match napkins. I made them two sided as Gaillic suggested. They turned out to be the perfect compliment to the solid colors of my mix and match Fiestaware plates. Thanks for the pattern!!!

January 01, 2012

Michele in IL. said:

... awesome! Thanks!

December 27, 2011

Liz Johnson, Editor, Sew4Home said:

... Double thick napkins! Sounds like a dandy, and colorful, idea. Thanks, gailllc

November 10, 2010

gailllc said:

... I love cloth napkins very much, and although I know how to do a very neat mitered corner, I don't love to do that part. I make all my napkins mix and match with two fabrics each -- kind of like an empty pillow. More fun, more mixing and matching options, less mitered corner work Win, win, win!

November 10, 2010

sewbusy123 said:

... to make it easier for the "non-math" brains - buy your fabric in 1 1/4 yards to yield four napkins without the 6 inches of "leftover" from the 3/4 yard purchase.

March 29, 2010

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