Making your own linen napkins is way easier (and cheaper) than you’d think! I’m about to blow your mind with how easy it is to make these no sew napkins!
Every holiday, I’m the first one buying decorative cocktail napkins. The thing is, I hate throwing them away, and I really hate the way the stiff paper of printed napkins feels on my skin. I made these for a recent party and have used them a couple of times since, and I’m now a DIY napkin convert. They’re a great way to elevate your event. Everyone was asking me where I got them! I even went and got fabric to make more for Easter!
As with all good rehab projects, I started with a need that turned into an idea, then I headed to the fabric shop (okay, bad projects start that way, too, just stay with me here.) I knew I was looking for a red, pink, or purple, but was willing to go with the flow based on what was available. I found this gorgeous pink color and ended up making 8 HUGE napkins for $17!

The only tools you need for this project are the linen and fabric scissors. Believe me, fabric scissors are necessary. They make a huge difference in being able to get straight lines and smooth cuts.
Here are the steps to get you on your way to making your own frayed edge linen napkins:
- Wash and dry your fabric to preshrink it. If you want to skip the prewash, I’m sure you’d be okay just cutting the napkins larger than you normally would to allow for some shrinkage.
- Decide how many napkins you want/ can get from your piece of cloth. I did this by folding my fabric and estimating how big I’d want each napkin to be. I do everything based on look, so I’m sure if you wanted to measure, you could get really specific and make lines on your fabric with a fabric pen, but why make it harder than it needs to be?
- Cut your fabric! I used the folds to guide how I cut the fabric. It’s easier for me to cut when I’m holding both sides of the fabric and can get the scissors flying smoothly!
Before you get to make a mess! - Then you’re ready for the fun! Pulling out the fabric at the edges to create the pretty frayed look. It can be messy, but that’s half the fun, right? I pulled the fabric around the edges while I watched an episode of Fixer Upper.
Pulling out the edges. You want to work from the piece on the outermost edge first. Otherwise, the strings can get tangled. - Enjoy your new napkins! Yep, that is it! Wash, cut, pull, done!
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