Sewn Mitered Corners
A mitered corner is an elegant finishing touch, a crisp fold that tucks a hemmed corner in an engineering feat of beauty. There are lots of ways to create a mitered corner, but this video illustrates our favorite technique. It’s easy, straightforward, and very tidy! Prefer to take it step-by-step? Skip ahead to our photo tutorial below.
Mitered Corners: Step-By-Step
Fold and press all edges ½ inch towards the wrong side of the fabric. This is the First Fold.
Fold and press the edges ½ inch towards the wrong side again. This is the Second Fold.
Unfold the Second Fold at one corner.
Fold the corner so that its two legs measure 1 inch. The ½-inch seam allowance on the inside of the corner will meet up with raw edge of the First Fold.
Unfold the corner and trace the crease with the fabric marker.
Fold the corner into a point, right sides together, making sure that the ends of the drawn lines meet. Pin the corner into place.
Sew the two sides together along the marked line, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam. Clip the tip of the corner off, leaving a scant 1/8-inch seam allowance.
Repeat for the other 3 corners.
Re-fold the Second Fold, inverting the corners into their neat mitered position as you do. Push the tips of corners out so they are pointy. Press and pin down the Second Fold.
Edgestitch this fold around all four sides, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam. You don’t need to sew the miters themselves. They’ll stay in place!
Use this great technique to create a beautiful set of napkins with our Classic Mitered Napkins project.
Update 2024: You can explore our current collection of beautiful fabrics and supplies on our page of Sewing Tools + Notions!
This is a great and straightforward video! I do have a question for you: do you have any tips about how to iron the seam allowances around the edges of the napkin? I find this very fiddly and I always seem to end up scorching my fingers, and on stretchy or silky fabrics (Liberty or linen) I often seem to end up with a “wavy” edge. Should I mark the ironing lines on the fabric? Use a piece of thin cardboard serve as a guide for folding the fabric over? Thanks so much for all you do!
Hi Dianne-
Both of your suggestions are good ones that I have used! We also sell a handy tool that I use sometimes for this, a Sewing Gauge:
https://www.purlsoho.com/tools/measuring-tools/sewing-gauge.html
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
You could also take a piece of tailoring chalk or a disappearing fabric marker and mark 1″ from the raw edge. When you fold up, the seam allowance will be 1/2″. You might need to make marks only at the edges and in the middle, instead of chalking a whole line.
I stitch a straight line at 1/2 inch which creates a sort of perforated line in the fabric. Then it’s really easy to fold up and press without having to measure. I’d only do this on the first fold as you can see the stitching line at the edge, but you can use it as a guide for your second fold.
Thanks for this wonderful tutorial! Are you edge-stitching by hand?
Hi Cecilia,
Thank you so much for your kind words! All of the edges on our Classic Mitered Corner Napkins were sewn on a machine. Although, if you do not have a machine, you can certainly sew these by hand!
Happy sewing!
Cassy
I am brand new at sewing by machine. My question goes to “edge stitching”. How far from the “edge” do I sew the hem as the final step (for 16″ dinner table napkins that I am making)? Thank you. Joyce
Hi Joyce,
Great question! Edge stitching is sewing as close as you possibly can to the folded edge of a hem without going over the edge – in the case of these napkins, if you look at the closeup picture at the end of the mitered corner instructions, you can see that the stitching securing the folded edges is quite close to the edge of the fold.
I hope that helps, and happy stitching!
Julianna
Wonderful!! thank you so match!!!
Que tutorial maravilhoso. Estou começando a fazer guardanapo com canto mitrado como chamamos aqui no Brasil e estava justamente procurando um tutorial assim e acabei encontrando o seu. Parabéns pelo trabalho vou tentar fazer, obrigada.