Easy DIY Cloth Napkins & Felt Bow Napkin Rings

Hi there!  My kids have gone back to school this week, which means Spring Break is over and we are on the countdown to Summer Vacation!!!  I was feeling the need for a bright, springy project today, so I decided to tackle something that has been on my to-do list for a while now -- cloth napkins and napkin rings.  These will go perfectly with my turquoise fiestaware plates and make a beautiful table for our Easter dinner and Sunday dinners all summer long.

I've made cloth napkins here on the blog before and shared with y'all how I make perfect-ish mitered corners the easy way, but today I want to show you how to make this project even easier with NO MITERED CORNERS!!!!  I had to buy men's handkerchiefs for something a few weeks ago and I needed 5 of them.  Come to find out that basic handkerchiefs either come in packs of 4 or 13 -- seriously frustrating!!  The 13-pack was cheaper than two 4 packs so I bought that and had 8 left over.  What was I going to do with 8 white handkerchiefs?!  Then it dawned on me . . . these were the perfect size to make napkins out of if I combined them with another fabric for some durability!!  Ready to see how I did it?  Let's go!

Easy DIY Cloth Napkin Tutorial

Supplies {makes 8 napkins}:

• 1¾ yards printed fabric
• 1¾ yards coordinating fabric -OR- 8 men's handkerchiefs
• coordinating thread

Step1:  Cut your fabric into 15½-inch squares -- 8 squares out of each fabric.  IF you are using handkerchiefs, you'll notice that they are NOT square.  Like, not even close.  The edges are all wonky and crazy.  If you cut your printed fabric into perfect squares, you can use that as a guide for your stitching and end up with normal, square napkins. 

Step 2:  For each napkin, lay out one square of printed fabric right side up and lay apiece of the coordinating fabric {or a handkerchief} right side down on top of it.  Line up the edges and place a few pins along each edge to hold it in place while you sew.

This is where it becomes painfully obvious that the inexpensive handkerchiefs are all kinds of crooked.  Just do your best to center the handkerchief on top of the fabric and pin in place.  Trim the excess handkerchief fabric so that the edges align with the printed fabric. 

Step 3:  Using a ¼" seam allowance, sew around all 4 edges of each napkin leaving a 3-inch opening on one side so you can turn the napkin right side out.  Turn the napkins right side out, making sure to get the corners turned all the way so they are nice and pointy.  Press the napkins at this point to get nice, crisp edges.

Step 4:  Top stitch around all 4 edges of each napkin, near the outside edge to close the hole you left open for turning and give it a professional, finished look.  Press again if desired.

Felt Bow Napkin Rings

Supplies:

• pattern pieces {download here at Oliver + S}
• felt in a variety of colors -- I prefer wool felt because it is so much easier to work with and comes in a TON of colors.  You can find it on Etsy by searching "wool felt" under supplies.
• hot glue gun & glue sticks

Step 1:  Download and cut out the pattern pieces from the link above.  I fell in love with the pattern at Oliver + S because it is THE PERFECT shape and size.  For napkin rings you will also need to print out this extra piece:

 Step 2:  Cut out one of each pattern piece from the felt for each napkin ring you are making.  

Step 3:  Use hot glue to assemble the bow as shown in the tutorial at Oliver + S.  {She sews hers -- just use hot glue instead of stitching.}  BEFORE attaching the bow center, hot glue the two ends of the additional napkin ring piece together to form a loop.  Use a dab of glue to secure the bow base and bow loops to the napkin ring piece, lining up the curved edges.  THEN attach the bow center by placing a dab of hot glue behind the bow in the center of the napkin ring loop and wrapping the bow center around all the layers, catching both ends in the hot glue.

How pretty are all of those colors together?!  Now I'm dreaming up a centerpiece with real grass and Easter eggs in all those shades.  Watch for it right here in the next couple of weeks!

Have a great day, friends!

Amy