DIY Napkins with Mitered Corners

I know this is a little late...
a couple seasons behind,
but they do say, "Better late than never."

Back in May-June, I went on Girls' Trip 2012.
We stopped in Lyons, Colorado to look in a quilt shop.
They had tons and tons and tons of fat quarters on clearance.
So here I was, didn't even own a sewing machine, and I bought 8 fat quarters.
Now what the heck was I going to do with them?

Well, in August I decided to go ahead and buy Sally.
I was pretty excited to teach myself how to sew again.
I found this tutorial on Pinterest.
I thought it looked easy enough to try.
Besides, we had already invited my family to come up for Thanksgiving.
It gave me something to work on for that event.
So I'm going to share with you how to make these awesome napkins! :)

What you need:

• Fabric (I used fat quarters and cut them to 18" x 18")
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Iron/ironing board
• Pins
• Scissors
• Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler (not necessary, but HIGHLY recommended) 

What you do:

First, make sure you wash and dry your fabric before you start.  This allows you to shrink it before you start on your project.

Next, iron the fabric.  Mine came out of the dryer very wrinkly.  

Then I cut my fat quarters to measure 18" x 18".  (You don't have to have a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler but I would highly suggest one.  It makes it SO much easier.)  

You can also make them as large or as little as you want them.  Make sure to add 2 inches to the size of what you want your finished product to be (for example, for 20" napkins, you'll want to cut your squares to be 22" x 22").

Next, fold each side of the napkin 1 inch and press.  You will want to fold the right side towards the right side (so that the wrong side is facing out...as seen in the picture).

Next, fold the corners in to where the creases meet.  Press.

Fold the crease that you just created, in half.  Make sure they line up together (right sides facing each other).  I used a pin to keep it lined up for my first couple.  After I got the hang of it, I didn't need the pins anymore.

Stitch along that crease that you just made.  Make sure to leave 1/4" opening along the raw edge of the fabric.  Also, backstitch at the beginning and end (this is to reinforce the seam).  Trim the edge at the angle, leaving 1/4".  Trim the excess thread.

Next, press open that seam that you just sewed.  Press the 1/4" open along the edges of the napkin.  (The seam in the picture below should be pressed open...too bad I took a picture of my goof up instead of what it really should look like). :)

 Turn the napkin right side out.  You will want to use something to make the corners pointed out (I used the end of my seam ripper).

Press the edges and pin in place. 

Sew around the napkin to hem it in place.

TA-DA!!! You're finished!! :) 

Now you have gorgeous napkins to use for whatever holiday or event you'd like! 

These were my first sewing project since 2nd grade...so they're really not too difficult at all!

To see my napkins "in use," see our Thanksgiving post.

Happy Sewing!!