Easy 5-Minute DIY Cloth Napkins (From Upcycled Bedsheets)

Ditch the disposables for these easy, speedy, five-minute DIY cloth napkins. Use store-bought fabric or upcycle cotton fabric like bedsheets.

Nothing elevates a meal from ordinary to fancy, like cloth napkins.

And if you’re in the habit of using disposable napkins (or paper towels), then cloth napkins, especially ones made from upcycled material like an old bedsheet, are a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative.

This is a great project for leftover bits of fabric or to upcycle old bedsheets. I don’t know about you, but in our house, the bottom sheet wears thin and rips long before the top sheet even comes close to wearing. Homemade cloth napkins are just one idea for repurposing the top sheet.

What You’ll Need For Sewing Cloth Napkins

The best fabrics for cloth napkins are 100% cotton, like quilting cotton (lots of fun fat quarter designs), linen (linen napkins are very luxe), or cotton-linen blend. In the pictures, I’m using Prima homespun, which is lovely and soft.

And as mentioned above, this project is also perfect for leftover cotton from other craft projects, upcycled bed sheets, old tablecloths, or old cotton shirts.

You will need:

Tools you’ll need:

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Making Cloth Napkins

These napkins are super speedy to make – they take about five minutes each. The corners are simple square corners, with no mucking around with mitred corners.

Mitred corners are nice, but I prefer to save those for a quilt or something I’m not wiping greasy lips on. Just saying.

Step 1 – Measure and Cut

Start by measuring and cutting your fabric. If your fabric isn’t square, you may need to square it off first so you don’t end up with wonky napkins.

If your fabric has selvage, fold the fabric and line the selvage up, smoothing out the fabric. Then, use a ruler, set square or the grid on your cutting mat to trim the raw edges to make them square.

If there is no selvage, you can use the ‘snip and rip’ method. Make a small snip close to the edge of the fabric, and then, holding each side firmly, tear along the length. Your tear should follow the grain of the fabric, giving you a straight edge. Then, follow the steps above to square off the fabric.

Once square, you can cut your napkins into whatever size you like, but I’ve included some standard sizes below as a guide.

Don’t forget to add some hem allowance for folding down your hem – about 1 – 2cm or a 1/4 – 1/2 inch.

Step 2 – Folding the Hem

Then, with a tape measure or ruler (I’m using the Clover 5-in-1 Sliding Gauge – Amazon link), measure and fold over the raw edge on the wrong side of the fabric. Do this for each side of the napkin.

Iron to help the fold stay in place, then fold over the same amount of fabric again to create the hem. Iron and pin the hem flat.

(You can eyeball the hem if you prefer.)

Step 3 – Sewing the Napkin

Finally, sew around the edge of the napkin, close to the fold as shown.

To sew the corner, sew almost to the end, keep the needle down in the fabric, lift the presser foot, then pivot the fabric around 90° before lowering the presser foot and continuing to sew.

Once you’ve made it all the way around, back stitch or tack stitch to secure, and trim all threads to neaten.

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Yield: 1

Easy 5-Minute DIY Cloth Napkin Tutorial

Print

Cloth napkins are easy to make, more sustainable than disposable napkins, and turn an ordinary meal into an elegant affair. You can even upcyle old cotton bedsheets, saving money and reducing landfill.

Active Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $0-$5

Materials

• 100% cotton or cotton linen blend fabric
• matching cotton thread

Tools

• Tape measure
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Scissors
• Iron
• Dressmaker pins
• Sewing machine*
• Bobbin in matching thread

Instructions

1. Pre-wash and iron fabric if necessary.
2. Measure fabric to the desired size napkin^, adding 1-2 cm (half an inch) on each side for seam allowance.
3. Cut fabric.
4. Fold one side down half a centimetre (1/4 inch) and iron, then fold another half centimetre (1/4 inch) over. Iron and pin into place.
5. Do the same for all four sides.
6. Starting in one corner, sew around the hem of the napkin, just in from the fold. To pivot around the corner, keep the needle down, lift up the foot and turn 90°. Lower the foot and continue to sew around the edge.
7. When you come back to the start, backstitch or tack to secure, then trim all threads.

Notes

* You can hand sew these if you don't have a sewing machine. Use hem stitch or back stitch. They will take longer to hand sew.

^Napkin Sizes: You can cut napkins any size you like, but standard sizes include:

Cocktail Napkins: 33cm x 33cm (13 x 13")

Lunch Napkins: 36cm - 40cm square (14" - 16" square)

Dinner Napkins: 43cm - 50cm square (17" - 20" square)

Formal Napkins: 53cm - 66cm square (21'' - 26" square)

Did you make this project?

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