Dare to Make It: Holiday

How to Make Felt Napkin Rings for Your Holiday Table

kayte terry, contributor

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Add a touch of the handmade to your holiday table by making your own napkin rings.

Kayte Terry

You can stitch up a bunch of these cute rings in just an afternoon.

Kayte Terry

Draw a simple line with chalk, and embroider over the line with embroidery floss.

Kayte Terry

Add a touch of the handmade to your holiday table by making your own napkin rings.

Photo: Kayte Terry

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Store-bought napkin rings aren't that special and they can get expensive, especially if you're hosting a crowd this holiday. Stitch up a pile of these cute napkin rings on a weekend afternoon or on a cold November night. They add a touch of the handmade to any table!

What you'll need for eight napkin rings:

• Wool felt in four colors
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting mat
• Quilting ruler
• Straight pins
• Embroidery floss in a color that contrasts with your felt
• Embroidery needle
• Thread and sharps needle
• Assortment of buttons

1. With a rotary cutter and mat, cut eight 2 x 8-inch strips of felt each in two of the felt colors.

2. Lay out one color felt strip and the other color on top. Make sure all corners match and pin together.

Blanket-stitch around the edges of the napkin ring.

3. Blanket-stitch around all four edges of the felt strips. To blanket-stitch, knot embroidery thread and bring the needle to the front close to the edge of the felt, catching just the bottom layer of felt in the needle. Bring the needle back down 1/4 inch diagonally through both layers and catch the thread so that it loops under the needle. Pull tightly and repeat, bringing the needle back down 1/4 inch diagonally through the felt. Here's a good tutorial for you.

Draw a simple line with chalk, and embroider over the line with embroidery floss. This isn't an exact science, so make the design just the way you want.

4. With tailor's chalk, draw a simple meandering line on the top of the strip for the napkin ring. Cut five or six simple leaf shapes from green felt. I used two different colors. Pin the leaves in place off the chalkline.

5. Thread a needle with three strands of embroidery floss and sew a running stitch over the chalkline and into each of the leaves. Brush away the chalkline.

6. With a sharp pair of scissors, cut a buttonhole about 1/2 inch from the edge and centered on the napkin ring.

Sew a button to the center of the napkin ring about 1/2 inch in from the edge.

7. Sew a button 1/2 inch from the other edge and centered on the napkin ring.

8. Repeat for the eight other napkin rings. If desired, use different colors of felt and embroidery floss and different buttons for each ring.

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Comments (4)

fergi writes: This project is very simple and creative i will definately try
Posted: 10:45 am on January 7th

crafty_gal writes: Thanks for the tip Kayte!
Posted: 9:17 am on November 7th

kaytet writes: hey crafty gal-
here are a few places to get wool felt:
http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/woolfeltcentral.html
and http://www.magiccabin.com/magiccabin/product.do?section_id=0&bc=1004&pgc=185&cmvalue=MCD|0|Normal%20Search%20Result|P1

i think they both have great felt! you can use craft store felt too but it's not as durable.
another solution is to make your own felt by throwing wool sweaters in the wash on hot and then in the dryer.

hope that helps!
Posted: 1:14 am on November 7th

crafty_gal writes: where can you buy wool felt? I haven't been able to find it at the craft chain stores.
Posted: 5:11 pm on November 6th

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