The Decorative Stitch Trick That Turns Plain Napkins Into Heirlooms

Eleanor Vance · 2026-09-10

During National Sewing Month, we like to give a little extra love to the machine that brings all our creative endeavors to life. This year, we're diving into the often-overlooked library of decorative stitches available on our sewing machines and giving some napkins an heirloom-worthy finish. Summer isn't quite over yet in our neck of the woods, and the Summer Solstice Wovens collection by Pieces to Treasure for Moda Fabrics captures all the joy of a summer picnic in one great collection. The woven texture of this fabric gives our napkins a delicate and airy feel that perfectly complements the sturdy decorative stitches we used for the border. Here's what you'll need to make your own set of decorative stitch napkins: - Woven fabric (we used a Summer Solstice Woven Fat Quarter Bundle) - Contrasting thread (we used 50wt Aurifil in Yellow and Midnight) - Totally Stable Iron-on Tear-Away Stabilizer by Sulky - A pen or pencil - Sweet Snips 6" Fabric Scissors ### Step 1: Prepare Your Fabric Decide what size napkin you want to make. We wanted ours to look like little hankies, so we cut our fabric to roughly 12" x 12" for a finished size of 11" x 11". You can make your napkins any size you want! Just make sure to roughly cut your fabric 1" larger than your desired finished napkin size so you have room to trim down. Next, cut four 1.5" strips of stabilizer that are roughly the same length as your fabric. With the textured side touching the fabric, iron on the stabilizer to the perimeter of your fabric. Then, using a pen or pencil and a ruler, mark the desired finished size of your napkin onto the stabilizer. ### Step 2: Dive into Your Decorative Stitches Choose one of your prepared fabric pieces to use as your tester! Every decorative stitch is different, and by playing with the width and length settings on your machine, you can control the scale and density of each stitch. As you dive into your machine's decorative stitches, be sure to write the stitch number and setting that you used next to it on the stabilizer so you don't forget! > "The best way to learn your machine's decorative stitches is to play. Don't be afraid to experiment—that's where the magic happens." ### Step 3: Stitch and Cut Your Napkins Now that you have a collection of stitches to choose from and you know the perfect settings for each, it's time to start on the real deal! If you haven't already, load a bobbin with your colored thread so that both sides of the stitch match. We found it easiest to cut away the excess fabric when we tore away the outer stabilizer and left the inner stabilizer. A good podcast or a weekend movie night and a pair of sharp fabric scissors will make quick work of trimming. ### Share Your Creations We can't wait to see all of the great stitches your machines have as you make your own decorative stitch napkins! If you decide to make your own, be sure to share them with us on Facebook and Instagram and tag @fatquartershop so we can see and share your work! Happy Sewing!