Here’s a quick and easy project for a Sunday afternoon!  Sewing your own linen napkins adds a personal touch to any table  and is an affordable way to dress up any meal. 

This is a great craft for beginner sewer’s as well!  Once you nail this simple DIY napkin, you can get creative with some clever variations.  This is a great base to test out fun decorating ideas, such as lace, applique, embroidery, stenciling, and more.

This easy-to-follow hemming technique can also be applied to kitchen towels, placemats, and other household linens.  Just adjust the length and width of the linen to achieve your desired size for any project.

Linen is a great material for napkins because they never leave any lint on you.  They also come in a variety of colors, so you can have plenty of choices to match different occasions and seasons.

Linen is super absorbent, so turning these into dish towels is a great idea!  In fact, linen is one of the most absorbent fabrics out there, so it’s perfect choice for wiping up any liquids.The long fibers found in our linen make it extra sturdy and a wonderful choice objects like this where durability is important.

Before we begin the tutorial, select the pieces of linen you will be working with.  I love the look of natural colored linen because they work well for any occasion.  I actually use them daily!  I used our IL019 flax linen in Natural.

When you pick your linen, measure each side to create a square.  This can be however big you like.  20-25 inches on each side is a typical measurement for napkins. Remember, we will be hemming these edges, so measure an extra inch on each side.  So, if you are planning on making a 25’’x25” napkin, measure and cut it at 26”x26.”  Every napkin is made in the same manner regardless of size.

Materials:

• Enough linen for your napkin(s)

• Sewing machine

• Scissors

• Pins

Press one of the sides of your piece of linen a ¼ inch up and then fold it over again on top of itself a ¼.  This will hide the raw edge of the linen.  Pin this double fold into place.

Top stitch the fold down.

Repeat these steps to hem the opposite side of your linen and make sure to fold the hem towards the same side as the first fold.

Repeat the same process to hem the two remaining sides.  Fold towards the same side for these as well.  You can cut the tip of the corners for these sides to reduce the bulk.  Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of this seam.

There you have it! Your very own handmade linen napkin!  Repeat these steps to make as many napkins as you want.  Try different sizes to make towels and other useful items too!

* This idea can be applied to so many different crafts.  I hope you found it useful!  Feel free to visit our Facebook page too.  Thanks!