Fringed Chambray Napkins
In the sewing room, raw fabric edges usually sound an alarm, and much of my sewing time is spent finding ways to hide unruly edges. I tuck them neatly into hems, enclose them in French seams and keep their messy threads at bay with zigzag stitches. But for these Fringed Chambray Napkins, it is precisely the threads of the raw edge that make them so special!
With a white weft and a colorful warp, the exposed edges of Kiyohara’s Linen Blend Solids reveal a two-color surprise. Created by unraveling individual threads of the fabric, making these napkins feels a bit irrational, like pulling out a lot of hard work. But, lo and behold, in the act of destruction comes a set of beautiful napkins.
These Fringed Chambray Napkins feel both sophisticated and relaxed, making them suitable for a whole range of occasions. Since I plan on using mine for summer barbecues, I chose a combination of festive reds and blues and made a whole stack in a lunchtime size (13 by 13 inches). But with no hems to account for, these napkins are easily sized up to a generous dinner size or down to a diminutive cocktail size, whatever your summer plans!
And because there are no seams to press and only the smallest bit of preparatory machine stitches, these Fringed Chambray Napkins are a great carry-along project for summer road trips. May the only thing that unravels be your napkins edges! -Corinne
Update: New Fabric
JUNE 27, 2016
Our Fringed Napkins are the perfect project to showcase the unique structure of Purl Soho’s Watercolor Linen. Check out the rainbow of colors we reveal with our Fringed Napkins in Watercolor Linen!
Update: New Fabric
JUNE 15, 2015
To see more exposed edges (and a few surprises too!) check out my new set of Fringed Napkins, this time in Purl Soho’s Linen Grid!
Materials
To make nine 13 by 13-inch napkins (in three colors), you’ll need…
- 1/2 yard Kiyohara’s Linen Blend Solid in Rose
- 1/2 yard Kiyohara’s Linen Blend Solid in Blue
- 1/2 yard Kiyohara’s Linen Blend Solid in Navy
- Gutermann’s Cotton Thread in coordinating colors
You’ll also need a pair of small, sharp scissors and a straight pin.
Size
The napkins shown here measure 13 inches by 13 inches, however instructions are included for custom sizing.
Pattern
Cut
From each fabric cut three 13-inch squares. Try to cut as much along the grain as possible. The grain of the fabric will not be 100% straight, so don’t worry too much if you do not stay exactly in line.
Note: When cutting simple rectangular shapes for patterns such as this, straight, clean cuts are key. The best way to make these cuts is with a rotary cutter and a non-slip quilting ruler on a self-healing cutting mat. If you have limited experience using a rotary cutter, I recommend visiting our Rotary Cutting Tutorial.
To make larger or smaller napkins, simply cut the squares to your desired dimensions. All other instructions will remain the same.
Sew
Using the coordinating thread color, sew 3/8 inch in from all four sides of each square. In the photo, above, we used a contrasting thread to clearly show the sewn lines, but your stitches should be nearly invisible.
Pull the Fringe
Working one side at a time, pull out the threads that run parallel to the square’s edge. Pull the threads one by one until you have reached the line of stitching. Use the sharp point of a straight pin to help pick each thread.
If a thread is partially caught in the stitching, carefully pull it until it hits the seam line.
Trim the thread close to the seam line.
Work all the threads at the seam in the same way.
Continue in this fashion around all four sides.
Repeat with the remaining eight napkins, and you’re all done!
Very nice! I have some perfect fabric to do this soon. Thank you for the great idea.
These are a fabulous idea. But it makes me a little nervous that they'll just keep unraveling. Do you need to use any special kind of stitching to keep it from pulling out too once you've unraveled that far?
You could use a short but broad zig zag stitch. I just made a tablecloth from quite rough linen and it worked beautifully.
I love these! I'm assuming that the fabric is washable and that it was preshrunk before you made them? Thanks!
Hi there,
Thank you again for such a lovely posting. Beautiful photography, simple and inspiring ideas for crafting something that is amazing.
Amanda
I have made these before with cotton/linen blend and they're beautiful at first but after washing and drying the fray gets all tangled. Sigh..
Hi Rachel –
I completely understand your nervousness, but the line of stitching works great to hold the threads in place and keep the rest of the napkin from unravelling completely. You may find a few small threads to clip with the first couple of washings, but shouldn't have any trouble beyond that.
Thanks for writing in!
-Corinne
Hi Michelle –
Thank you for writing in! Yes! The fabrics can be machine washed and dried and though the shrinkage is minimal, pre-washing is always good practice.
I hope this helps!
-Corinne
These are so summery and cute! Great take along project, for sure!
Would this fabric work for casual placemats if cut into rectangles?
Hello Diana –
These would make lovely placemats. They are probably a little lightweight to make anything too large, but something on the smaller side would be perfect. In fact, I’ve been thinking about making a set myself!
-Corinne
I was interested in potentially making placemats as well. Any suggestions on size since it is a light material?
Hi Kerri,
Thanks for writing in! I would suggest using our Quilted Placemat pattern to make matching placemats. You would use the cotton duck as the bottom side of the placemat but then use the chambray as the top. You select a coordinating color for the bias tape and I think that the result would be lovely!
Best,
Cassy
So do you recommend pre washing? Or can this be made from pressed fat quarters straight from the store? How about for your apron pattern? Should fabric be washed first ?
Hi Mari-
You should alway pre-wash the fabric if possible! Thank you!
Molly
I am trying to make these with the linen squares, and I find that if you don’t cut and sew the squares perfectly on the grain of the fabric, you can’t unravel the edges evenly (you hit the stitching on one end before the other). Can you suggest a way to remedy this?
Hi Whiteley! I had the same issue when I made a set of these for myself, it was a good lesson in fabric grain! We recommend following Molly’s tips for cutting the fabric on grain. There’s an excellent write up of this here in the Classic Mitered Corner Napkins. We hope this helps! Thanks for writing in and happy sewing!
-Keith
Many thanks – this works beautifully!
Whiteley
Pull a thread (one vertical and one horizontal) before cutting the napkins. It will be a long thread but worth the trouble for hitting the grain before the edging process. 4-H flashback!
These are lovely napkins. A procedure that we used in the ’60s Home Ec (mostly to teach the students how to sew straight, but also to satisfy the teacher’s perfectionism) was to pull a thread at the target “seam allowance” (we used 5/8″, a bit wider than this version). This is more time consuming, but also satisfying pulling that thread (or its neighbor when it invariably broke short) and see the channel opening you would then sew across. to lock the fringe in place. The fringing is also pleasant to do in either case.
Io ottengo lo stesso risultato facendo il punto a giorno lavorando 4-5 fili per volta, e poi alla fine sfilo le trame
I tryed to find the price of this fabric but unable. I added a yard to my basket so I could see the price. However, it said my basket it empty! Hmm Can u tell me the price per yard of this fabric.
Thanks
Judy
Hello Judy,
Thank you for reaching out! Unfortunately this fabric is no longer available, but these Napkins are beautiful in our Watercolor Linen.
Happy Sewing!
Marilla
Hi, I’m a new sewer and wondering about the interior stitch unraveling. I don’t see anywhere there is a reverse stitch created for this interior stitch. It was explained to me reverse stitches keep the beginning & end stitch from unraveling but maybe that’s irrelevant for this edge unraveling project?
Hi Gwendolyn,
Thanks for writing in! Working a reverse stitch at the beginning and end is always a good idea to ensure your stitches don’t unravel!
I hope this helps!
Gianna