Linen Napkins

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Linen Napkins

Dress up your dining table with elegant linen napkins! Follow these instructions to learn how to makeinexpensive embroidered napkins that will last wash after wash. Different colored linens, varyingembroidery motifs, and thread colors make these napkins easy to adapt for holidays, special occasions,and decorating schemes.

Project Needs & Notes

- Linen fabric (each 1/2 yard yields three 16" dinner napkins)- Medium-weight (2.5 ounce) cutaway stabilizer- Temporary spray adhesive (like Gunold KK100)- Ruler or straight edge- Air-erase pen for marking- Paper or tagboard (lightweight cardboard)

For this tutorial, I used the medium size of the Oak Leaf Pair design on orange linen fabric. Browsethrough the many Embroidery Library designs to find something that matches your preference and decor.

Finished Size:Standard sizes of dinner napkins are between 16" x 16" and 18" x 18". Standard sizes for cocktail napkins are between 6" x 6" and 8" x 8".

This project was featured in the following:Gather 'Round the Table Lookbook

Begin by creating a paper patternfor your napkin. Using a paperpattern will ensure that all of thelinen napkins in your set will bethe same shape and size.

Decide how large you want to

Linen Napkins

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make the napkins. Add 1" to the height and width for seamallowances. Draw a square thatsize on the paper or tagboard.Cut out the shape.

In this example, the linen napkinwill be 16" x 16" so I made apaper pattern 17" x 17".

Place the paper pattern on thelinen and trace the shape.

Leave at least 1" of excess fabricaround the square.

Prepare the fabric for embroidery(here we are stitching in thecorner of the napkin).

Spray cutaway stabilizer withtemporary adhesive. Smooth thelinen fabric on top.

In this example, the corner of thelinen is angled so that it pointsdown to one end of the stabilizer.

This will usually be necessarywhen embroidering on a corner, so that the maximum amount offabric will be hooped, and thedesign angled properly.

Linen Napkins

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Draw a line from the corner up tothe opposite corner.

This line will be used for designplacement and hooping.

A template is a printout of thedesign, and it's an excellent toolfor planning where to stitch. Printa template of the design fromyour embroidery software.

If you do not have embroiderysoftware to print templates, tryWilcom's TrueSizer, a freeprogram.

Place the template of the designon the napkin, aligning the centerpoint of the design with the linethat you drew on the fabric. Thatis the vertical axis line.

Mark the center point and thehorizontal axis line, too.

Make sure there is at least 1"between the edges of the designand the outer edges of thesquare.

Hoop the fabric and stabilizertogether, lining up the marks onthe fabric with the marks on thehoop.

Attach the hoop to the machineand move the hoop so the needleis right over the center point.

Embroider the design.

Linen Napkins

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After embroidering, trim theexcess stabilizer away from theback.

Cut out the square shape.

Linen Napkins

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Fold all of the edges over 1/4" tothe wrong side and press with aniron.

Fold all of the edges over again1/4" and press.

Unfold the edges and draw a lineon each corner connecting thefold lines.

Trim each corner along the linesyou just drew.

Here's a closer look at where totrim the corner.

Linen Napkins

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Fold each corner 1/4" to thewrong side along the newly cutedge and press.

Fold the edges over along theexisting pressed folds and pressagain. Doing this will createmitered corners.

Sew a seam along the entireinner edge of the folds on thebackside of the napkin tocomplete.

Linen Napkins

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In this example, the smallest sizeof the Woodland WhiteworkSpray design was embroideredonto tan linen for an elegant look.

Varying the linen colors,embroidery shapes and sizes,and thread type will give eachnapkin a distinct look to matchyour decorating scheme.

In this example, a strip of burlapwas added to the edge, and itbrings a wonderful textured lookto the table.

This table setting also featuresone of the in-the-hoop silverwareholders. To learn how to makethese, click here.

A set of linen napkins willinstantly add an elegant look toyour dining table.

Make for special occasions andholidays, or create a simple setfor everyday use.

Linen Napkins

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This project is featured on theEmbroidery Library Pinterestpage.

Pin it yourself using the "Pin It"button on this page.

Questions or comments? Let us know! Send an email to us; the address is stitch@emblibrary.com.