Simple Napkins With a Fun Flair

We love to use cloth napkins. Not only do they make the table look extra nice they are so much more absorbent then the paper variety. As you can imagine they wear out quickly and can be expensive to replace. The good news is are they very affordable to make and are wonderful projects for beginning sewers.

Why not add a simple creative twist? Find two coordinating fabrics and cut 16 inch squares from each. With right sides together machine stitch 1/4 inch around the four sides sewing sharp neat corners. Leave a 2 inch space along one side of the napkin unstitched. Trim the excess fabric away from the corners by clipping them at an angle being careful not to clip your stitches. Turn the napkin inside out to the right side. Iron the edges and use a straight pin if necessary to pull out the corners. Iron the seam allowance inside along the unstitched space. Lastly top stitch all the way around the napkin at 1/2 inch and again at 1/4 inch.

This is wonderful practice sewing straight seams and turning corners. By the time you finish one napkin you'll have sewn all around it three times!

Tips: we really like to use 100% cotton fabric; check out the sale table for inexpensive fabric- even if it feels a little thin that's o.k. because you're lining them; using a rotary cutter is the best and quickest way to cut your squares; the double top stitching helps the napkins retain their shape- we hardly ever have to iron ours:)