Unlock Your Machine's Hidden Decorative Stitches for Stunning Napkins

Emily Johnson · 2026-09-10

During National Sewing Month, we're giving some extra love to the machine that brings our creative ideas to life. This year, we're diving into the often-overlooked library of decorative stitches on our sewing machines and giving plain napkins an heirloom-worthy finish. Trust me, once you see how easy it is, you'll want to stitch up a whole set. ### What You'll Need Before we start, gather these supplies: - Woven fabric (we used a Summer Solstice Woven Fat Quarter Bundle, but any woven works) - Contrasting thread (50wt Aurifil in Yellow and Midnight gave us a nice pop) - Totally Stable Iron-on Tear-Away Stabilizer by Sulky - A pen or pencil - Sweet Snips 6" Fabric Scissors (or any sharp scissors) 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. The woven texture gives our napkins a delicate, airy feel that perfectly complements the sturdy decorative stitches we used for the border. ### How to Make Decorative Stitch Napkins #### Step 1: Prepare Your Fabric First, decide what size napkin you want. 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 yours any size you like—just cut your fabric about 1" larger than your desired finished size so you have room to trim. 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 the stabilizer onto 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. This will be your stitching guide. #### Step 2: Dive into Your Decorative Stitches Choose one of your prepared fabric pieces to use as a 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 experiment, write the stitch number and settings 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 try something new—you might discover a favorite!" #### Step 3: Stitch and Cut Your Napkins Now that you have a collection of stitches and know the perfect settings for each, it's time to work on the real napkins. If you haven't already, load a bobbin with your colored thread so both sides of the stitch match. We found it easiest to cut away the excess fabric after tearing away the outer stabilizer and leaving 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 the beautiful stitches your machine can do! If you make your own decorative stitch napkins, share them on Facebook and Instagram and tag @fatquartershop so we can see and share your work. Happy Sewing! Stay connected to Fat Quarter Shop!