Fat Quarter Earth Day Cloth Napkins Tutorial

In celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day this month, we have put together a super easy tutorial on how to make cloth napkins. This beginner friendly pattern will help you create reusable napkins in no time. Who said that you can’t create cute tableware while you reduce, reuse, and recycle? So, head over to your fabric stash and grab two fat quarter fabrics and we will show you step-by-step how to make quick - and pretty - napkins.

Save a Tree and Sew a Reusable Cloth Napkin Pattern

Here is a link to the PDF Tutorial: Fat Quarter Earth Day Napkins

Step 1: Gather Materials and Supplies

This pattern will create one 15 ½” x 15 ½” reusable napkin. You will need two fat quarters for the napkin. So, if you would like to create more than one, just add on fat quarter fabrics to grow your supply. Here is a list of everything you will need: 

Tutorial Makes: One 15 ½” x 15 ½” Reusable Napkin 

Fabric Requirements: 2 Fat Quarter Fabrics 

Supplies: Iron, Fabric Shears, Rotary Cutter, Mat, Ruler, Pins, Sewing Machine, Erasable Pen, Clover Hot Ruler (optional)

Step 2: Cut Fabric

Exterior Fabric: 18” x 18”

Interior Fabric: 15 ½” x 15 ½”

Once you have the fabrics cut to size, take the Exterior Fabric, and choose any corner. Mark 1.5” away from the corner up one side of the fabric and then do the same thing along the other side of the fabric from the corner. See picture below:

Now, draw a diagonal line across the corner that intersects both 1.5” markings. See picture below:

Trim corner using the drawn line as a guide. See picture below:

Repeat this process for the remaining three corners. See picture below:

Note: This step is important to reduce bulk as we fold and finish off the corners in future steps.

Step 3: Press Exterior Fabric

In this step, you will be ironing the exterior fabric to create a self-contained binding. With the Wrong Side of the Fabric facing up on your pressing table, take one edge and fold the Right Side of the Fabric over by a ½ inch.

This is where the Clover Hot Ruler comes in handy. You fold the fabric over onto the hot ruler. Line the edge up with the ½” marking and then press directly onto the ruler. It really allows for fast and accurate ironing. Press the side to hold in place. See picture below:

Repeat this step for the remaining three sides.

Once all the edges are pressed over by ½ inch, repeat by folding the fabric over again by ½ inch. Press to hold in place. You are creating a double fold. See picture below:

Repeat this double fold pressing step for the remaining three sides.

Step 4: Create Faux Mitered Corner

Once all four sides of the Exterior Fabric are ironed, unfold one of the corners. See picture below:

At the pointed edge, fold the fabric so it creates a triangle. See picture below:

Then, fold the side up and back into place. Press to hold in place. See picture below:

Repeat for the remaining three corners.

Step 5: Attach Interior Fabric

You are almost finished! Just a little pinning and a quick sew next.

Take the Interior Fabric – Right Side Up - and place it inside the folded edges of the Exterior Fabric. You will want to make sure to center the Interior fabric on top of the Exterior Fabric. See picture below:

Pin to hold in place. We pinned each corner and along the folded edges. See picture below:

Take your fabric over to your sewing machine. With a 1/8” seam allowance, sew along the inside edge of the folded exterior fabric. Sew along all four edges. Remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of the seam. See Picture Below:

And that is it! You are finished! Here is a closer look at the finished sewn seam:

For our project, we used fabric from the Universal Love fabric collection from Cloud 9 Fabrics. This collection is about awakening to and connecting with opportunities, surrounding ourselves with messages that empower and support us, so we can empower and support each other. We have selected our four favorite fabrics from this collection. This joyful fabric combination will create beautiful handmade quilts, bags, garments, home décor and whatever you can dream up.

Cloud 9 Fabrics uses only 100% certified organic cotton in the manufacturing of their base cloths and eco-responsible low impact dyes for printing and dying. They work closely with mills that are committed to ethical and responsible conduct. This includes respecting the rights of all individuals, a devotion to sustained social compliance, and an accountability to the environment. We love the fabrics from Cloud 9! You can find everything we carry from them here: Cloud 9 Fabrics.

We created this tutorial to be shared. Sewing is a passion for us, and we love to create projects for our sewing community. Please pass this tutorial on to your sewing friends. If there are any projects you need help with or would like to see a tutorial for, please let us know. It is a joy to work with our fellow sewists and create handmade fabric pieces. If you make these napkins, please tag us on Instagram @little.fabric.shop so we can see your work and we can share your creativity to inspire other makers. Happy Sewing!