Simple Cozy DIY Home Project

Fall is in the air. As the cool weather blows in and the leaves begin to turn, we are all looking for ways to make home feel more cozy. Cozy pillows, cozy sweaters, cozy warm drinks. And Social media is full of fall DIY projects to try out. But one DIY project you probably haven’t thought of yet is sewing your own cloth napkins. With the right design on a snugly flannel or soft cotton, you can make your kitchen and dining room the coziest of all this fall! Let me share 3 ways to use cloth napkins for a cozy DIY fall home.

When you’re ready to make some cloth napkins, check out my YouTube Tutorial posted at the bottom of the post. Grab my free guide to remind you of the steps. It comes with a free printable hem guide so you won’t have to DIY one!

1. Add a pop of fall color with table accents

A brilliant orange napkin on a table scape; a bundle earth tone plaid napkins stacked in a basket; a homemade latte served with a slice of cake and handmade cloth napkin to wipe the crumbs away. All of these instances bring visions of warm drinks on a cool day. Why waste money on one time use papers napkins. They either cost a fortune or come in boring, drab colors. Instead pick the perfect fabric for your decor and make napkins that you can reuse for years to come. A cozy fall home is incomplete without cloth napkins to accent the decor.

2. Be eco-friendly as we enjoy the environment of changing seasons

Paper napkins are wasteful! You wipe your mouth, wad the napkins up, and toss it in the trash. Not only does this fill up landfills, but you also have to think about the plastic wrapper they came in, the 2 or 3 additional napkins you’ll use throughout the meal, and potential dangerous chemicals used to bleach the paper. Cloth napkins can be so much more eco friendly. You can use thrifted fabric or sheets to create your cloth napkins. Or you can select the perfect print for your cozy fall DIY home from a fabric store. The thousands of uses you will get from you cloth napkins will save so many paper napkins from the landfill!

3. A cozy Fall Home should feel comfy and fancy!

Think about exactly what makes a home feel cozy. It’s not just the weather or the temperature or the colors. It’s the fact that someone took the time to skillfully arrange decor and furniture and lighting in a way that suits the season. It’s fancy! The coziest home is full of DIY projects. Fall decor is anything but plain or boring. The bright reds, oranges, yellows scattered throughout floral arrangements and wall hangings, the oversized chunky crocheted blankets on the couch. The pumpkin spice everything. It’s fancy!

Well, why not add one more fancy thing to the mix? What’s fancier than a cloth napkin? Go to any high end restaurant and you’re sure to find them setting their tables with silverware and a cloth napkin! Make your very own fall themed cloth napkins to bring a little bit of that fancy right into your home.

Perfect Project for Beginners

Okay, so maybe you desire a cozy DIY home this fall, but you are just a beginner seamstress. No need to worry. I’ll walk you step by step through the process. It’s a simple task and I can give you all the tips and tricks you need to make an adorable set of cloth napkins. Maybe even make an extra set for a friend so they can experience the excitement of fall.

Grab a a hot mug of coffee or tea, a notepad and pen, and start taking notes. You’ll be ready to get sewing in no time!

Materials to Make your own Fall Cloth Napkins

quilting cotton, flannel, or linen fabric (at least 1 yard but more is fine)
coordinating thread
1 piece of cardstock or manila folder
paper scissors
ruler
clips or pins
iron
fabric scissors
sewing machine

The amount of fabric you need will depend on the size you want your final napkins to be. For example, if you want to make 10″ napkins, you can get about 9 of them out of 1 yard of quilting cotton. If you want 14″ napkins, expect to get 4 per yard. Fat quarters also work well for a lot of sizes, and you an buy a pack of coordinating fat quarters that will match!

Create a hem Guide for Crisp edges

The fall air will be crisp, so your napkin hems should be too! My diy hem guide will make this task so simple. All you’ll have to do is fold the edge of the fabric up over the hem guide and iron the fold. It’s like a template, but you can iron right over it. Simply draw parallel lines along one edge of your card stock of folder at 1/4″ increments. You should have 4 lines, at 14/4″, 1/2″, 2/4″ and 1 inch.

Cut and press your fabric

The coziest size in my opinion is about 11 ” because you can fold in up into your hand to hold your mug with, wipe crumbs from an apple pie off your mouth, of just leave the napkin beside your plate without being a bother. It’s the perfect size to carry around the house to a cozy spot with a snack and a book. But you can choose any size you want! For nay 11″ finish napkin, you’ll want to cut a 12″ square for 1/4″ hems or a 13″ square for 1/2 ” hems.

To make a 1/4″ hem, you’ll need to press 1/4″ inch of fabric, then fold it over itself again another 1/4″ so that all the raw edges are tucked cozily inside the hem. To do this, it’s easier to first free a half inch to make a crisp line int he fabric, then press teh 1/4″ mark that will be half of the fabric you just folded over.

Press your fabric with a hot iron. Cut your fabric into squares at your desired size. Use your hem guide to press up the total amount of fabric. For a half inch hem, start by pressing 1 full inch. For a 1/4″ hem, press up 1/2″ first. Then open the fabric back up and slide your hem guide closer to the edge of the fabric. Fold the raw edge over the hem guide again and press at the line to the hem size you desire. Remove the hem guide, and press both fold into place.

To mitre, or not?

Decided whether you want mitered corners. Mitered corners are fancy. Mitered corners are professional. But un-mitered corners are fast. Choose what’s more important to you. When I’m in a hurry and just want a quick set of napkins, I don’t mitre the corners. But if I’m giving them as a gift or selling them, I definitely take the time to mitre all the corners before I sew.

Cozy up to your machine and sew your hems

Once your hems are pressed and corners are mitered, all you have to do is sew the hems down. With a straight stitch set to around 2.8mm, you’ll want to sew close to the inner fold on your hem. Of course, you can also try a decorative stitch, as Lon gas the needle is catching some of the hem fabric along each side of your napkin. Sew all four sides and backstitch at the end. There you go! Cozy DIY cloth napkins that can add a pop of color and change the entire atmosphere of a table scape or kitchen.