The Martha Stewart Show

Custom Holiday Napkins

The Martha Stewart Show

Martha demonstrates how to make one-of-a-kind napkins for your Thanksgiving table.

Custom Holiday Napkins

Give your holiday table a one-of-a-kind festive look with colorful custom napkins.

Tools and Materials
2 yards fabric (makes approximately 6 napkins)
Wishbone stencil template
Rotary cutter
Shiny satin or woven fabric
Pins
Needle and thread
Sewing machine
Bias-tape maker
Niagara sizing spray
Iron
Pencil
Scissors
Gold acrylic paint
Grid ruler

Holiday Napkin How-To
1. Using a rotary cutter, cut a 21-by-21-inch square of desired fabric. Cut across fabric at a 45-degree angle (a bias cut), being sure to cut in the direction of the weave of the fabric.

2. To make the napkin trim, use a grid ruler to cut 2-inch strips of your selected shiny satin, enough for 84 inches. With the right sides facing each other; take the edges, place together to form a V shape and pin. Sew a 1/4-inch seam along the pinned edge. Keep connecting strips together until you have one long strip measuring 84 inches.

3. Place the long strip into a bias-tape maker and pull through. Using Niagara sizing spray, press strip with iron to set a hard fold. Fold trim in half, spray with sizing spray, and press with iron to create a nice, stiff fold, which is ready to be sewed onto napkin.

4. Place trim around napkin and pin, making sure trim ends meet at center of napkin and leaving about four inches of trim at center of napkin. Make mitered corners and place into sewing machine. Sewing as close to the inside edge of the binding as you can, sew all the way around the napkin.

5. Using a pencil mark where trims overlap, place right sides together and sew seam across. Cut off excess. Flip napkin back over and finish sewing.

6. Download and print wishbone stencil template. Place stencil at right bottom corner of napkin. Using gold acrylic paint, stencil wishbone onto napkin. Allow napkin to dry for about 10 minutes and repeat one more time. Peel stencil off napkin.

Resources
Fabric can be found at fabric stores. On today's show, Martha used a cotton fabric from Purl Patchwork. A bias-tape maker can be purchased at fabric or notions stores.

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The Martha Stewart Show

Custom Holiday Napkins

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