• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Hymns and Verses
  • ABOUT
  • Decorating
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Autumn
    • Christmas
  • Printable
  • Crafts & DIY
  • Recipes

Home

DIY Napkins and Bird’s Nest Napkin Fold

April 29, 2014 by Hymns and Verses 9 Comments

Making cloth napkins for your home adds an extra bit of style and elegance to any table setting. With a few simple materials and a little bit of know-how, anyone can make their own unique cloth napkins. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your dining room or just want to show off your crafting skills, follow this guide to learn how to make a stylish cloth napkin!

Today I wanted to show you how to make your own napkins!  I know there have been many times when I haven’t been able to find just the right color napkin to go with a particular tablescape, so I decided to try making my own and it’s really pretty easy!  And, I wanted to show you how I created the bird’s nest napkin fold that was shared in my Spring tablescape.  If you missed that post, you can see all the details HERE.

 
Spring Bird House Tablescape featuring Bird's Nest Napkin Fold

Why use boring paper napkins when you can get some of any fabric that you want to use and make your own DIY cloth napkins? This is a great way to make custom napkins that can match any decor theme you have going on. Making your own napkins is a great way to reduce paper waste and a fun way to make easy to wash, reusable napkins. 

Additionally, you can also make your own reusable paper towels to use for everyday use rather than buying endless supplies of paper products. Just make bigger paper towel sheets than these make your own cloth napkins! Clean in the washer and dryer and they’ll be ready to go again. 

How to Make your Own Cloth Napkins

Step 1.

Cut your fabric into a 22″ square.  I like to use a template made from cardboard or mat board and then I trace around it on my pressed fabric.    Once your fabric is cut, use your iron to press a 1/2 inch fold on all four sides of your fabric square.

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 1

Step 2.

Fold an additional 1 inch and press into all four sides of your fabric square.
 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 2

 

 

Step 3.

Now, open each second  (1 inch) fold.

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 3

 

 

Step 4.

Fold each corner forward so the 1 inch creases line up.   Press with iron.  I marked my creases in red pen so they would be easier for you to see.

 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 4

 

 

Step 5.

Unfold the corners you just pressed as shown below.  You will see the crease your iron made.

 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 5

 

 

Step 6.

Now fold your entire fabric square in half (right sides together), so that the two ends of the crease you just made are lying on top of each other –  as shown below.  Again, I marked the crease line with red pen to make it easier for you to see.  Pin on either side of this crease.  Repeat for the remaining three corners.

 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 6

 

 

Step 7.

Sew a straight stitch over this line for each corner of your napkin.  You can use your sewing machine to make this go easier. 

 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 7

 

 

Step 8.

Cut off the fabric corners approximately 1/2 inch beyond the seam.  Then, cut the tiny squared corners at a 45 degree angle as shown below.

 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 8

 

 

Step 9.

Turn the napkin inside out and use a point turner or the point of your scissors to push out the corners.  Make sure the corner seam is open on the inside.  Press the edges along the 1 inch crease all the way around your napkin and pin in place as shown below.

 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 9

 

 

Step 10.

Stitch along your pinned line as close as possible to the edge of the inner fold.  That’s it – you have a professional looking, mitered corner napkin!

You can use these to dress up any dinner table when you make them from beautiful fabrics since they will become reusable cloth napkins. 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold 10

 

 

 
Now for the easy part – the bird’s nest napkin fold!  You can do this with any square napkin.

 

 

Bird’s Nest Napkin Fold

 

Step 1.

Fold your napkin in half on the diagonal.

Bird Nest Napkin Fold

 

Step 2.

Roll the folded napkin as shown.

Bird Nest Napkin Fold

 
 

Step 3.

Take the left end and form a small circle and tuck it underneath the rolled napkin to hold in place.
 

Bird Nest Napkin Fold

 
 

Step 4.

Repeat for the right side and place an egg in the center of your nest.

Bird Nest Napkin Fold

 

What size fabric napkins should I make? 

​One thing I like about this kind of project is that you can use a different sized square to make another sized square cloth napkin. If you like a smaller napkin, you can make that happen with this simple tutorial. 

You can use the size I made here, which was a 22″ square on your choice of fabric. But you can also use other sizes to make DIY cloth napkins. 

Try a 16-inch, 18-inch, or even a 20-inch square and see what size you prefer for your table. 

What fabric should I use to make a napkin?

You can use any cloth that you prefer. Linen is a little nicer, but it is a nice quality fabric that should last many washes in the washing machine after cleaning off many messes faces or spills. 

Cotton fabric is another common option to use when making square napkins for your home. 

You can experiment with different fabrics and see what you prefer. If you’re an avid crafter or enjoy making your own things, you may have a nice fabric stash of leftover fabric squares that you could make an easy napkin with. 

You may find yourself with a variety of fabric pieces to make a hodge podge of beautiful napkins with. Check your local fabric stores to see what they have and what may be on sale before selecting your fabric for your dinner napkins. 

Feel free to iron your napkins on the ironing board once you wash them before you set them out for any special occasion or your upcoming next dinner party. 

Making a friend a set of beautiful linen napkins would be a fun, easy sewing project, especially for beginners who want to make their first set of cloth napkins!

I hope you will give this simple cloth napkin tutorial a try and let me know how it goes!

Save money by ditching the disposable napkins and use this easy sewing tutorial to make your own DIY cute cloth napkins in n time!

Bird's Nest Napkin Fold

 

 

Pin112
Share8
Tweet
120 Shares

More Crafts & DIY

  • How to Change the Color of a Fabric Chair
  • How to Get the Look of Antique Brass on Wood
  • Heart Shaped Tea Bags
  • Easy Bird Seed Wreath Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions

    April 28, 2014 at 7:20 pm

    Two nice, clear tutorials, Doreen! Thank you for sharing both. Pinning the mitered corner napkins to my Sewing board. : )

    P.S. I wanted to email you but didn't see a contact email on your blog. Could you email me? I have a question. kpassarette(at)yahoo(dot)com.

    Reply
  2. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.

    April 28, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    What a darling place setting Doreen!

    Reply
  3. Shabby chic Sandy

    April 29, 2014 at 3:26 am

    That is just the sweetest place setting–I love it!

    Reply
  4. Anonymous

    April 29, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    Wonderful tutorial – on my to do list for today – absolutely gorgeous place setting

    Reply
  5. Joe and Lucy

    April 29, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    This is how I make my napkins and tablecloths. Thank you for reminding me of the pile of fabric that I have designated for that purpose! 🙂 Lucy

    Reply
  6. Cynthia

    April 29, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    T his is t he cutest thing I've seen. What a creative idea, love it, pinned!!!

    Cynthia

    Reply
  7. [email protected] Charm

    April 30, 2014 at 3:05 am

    Doreen,
    These are super cute! Love the idea you had here and thank you for sharing at my party. It's always nice to have you party with us at NTT.

    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Easy Cornucopia Napkin Fold - Hymns and Verses says:
    September 29, 2018 at 3:02 pm

    […] Birds Nest Napkin Fold […]

    Reply
  2. Make a Bird Nest Charger for your Spring Table - Hymns and Verses says:
    April 8, 2019 at 11:00 pm

    […] And, how to make the bird nest napkin fold HERE. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

LET’S CONNECT

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Welcome to Hymns & Verses, your source for inspiration for your home and life.  Whether it be decorating tips, recipes, or daily life you will find something to brighten your day here.

READ MORE .  .  .  

Archives

Footer

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure

Hymns and Verses/Doreen Cagno is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases . See Disclosure Statement.

copyright

All images and text on this site are property of Hymns and Verses.  Please contact [email protected] for all photo requests.  Please do not take my images without first obtaining written permission from me.  All free printables offered are for personal use only.  Pinning is always welcome and appreciated.  Copyright 2012 – 2020

as seen in

Copyright © 2023 · captivating theme by Restored 316

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT