DIY Cloth Christmas Napkins

Christmas isn’t just about giving.  Sometimes, it is creating something special to have in our own home for the holidays.  Today, I am excited to share my DIY Cloth Christmas Napkins.  They are perfect to grace your holiday tablescape, or even to give as a hostess gift!

Christmas is my favorite time of year to craft.  I love all the sparkles, glitter, and coziness of creating something special to give as a gift. 

Creating gifts and decor with my Silhouette Cameo makes me feel like a craft rockstar.  I can’t sew, woodcrafting isn’t my thing, and so I’ve come to rely on my cutting machine…..along with some hot glue and spray paint.  That makes me crafty, right?  Once I got the hang of using my machine, and scouring Pinterest for cut files and ideas, you couldn’t stop me!  I am hoping Santa brings me a Cameo 3….but I digress :).  I fell in love with using heat transfer vinyl after my first project with it ~ this DIY Minnie Mouse TShirt I made for my daughter. It really is a great material to work with, and you can create some stunning projects! These napkins don’t involve a lot of layering, so they are perfect for a first time project with heat transfer vinyl.

These DIY Cloth Christmas Napkins encompass everything I love about gift giving.  Simplicity, elegance, and a nice “wow factor”.  These make a great project for someone new to using a cutting machine, and layering vinyl. 

Materials for Creating DIY Cloth Christmas Napkins

• White Cotton Napkins
• Siser Easyweed Heat Transfer Vinyl
• Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl
• Cutting Machine
• Iron or heat press
• Parchment Paper

Steps for Creating Cloth Christmas Napkins

Step 1:  Open up your design software, and choose a fun font for your text.  To keep it simple and festive, I chose the words “JOY” and “NOEL”.  These fit nicely on my napkins, and sum up Christmas perfectly!

Step 2:  Choose the “Text” option and add the words to your design space.  I simply typed a “J”, and then hit enter.  Typed an “O”, enter, and then my “Y”.  We will go back and replace the “O” with a candy peppermint later.

Step 3.  Size your text so it fits within the parameters of your napkin.  Now, choose “Ungroup”, and remove the “O”.  Set it aside, in the gray area of your design space.

Step 4:  Open up an object to replace your “O”s.  I used a peppermint file I had downloaded for free.  You can also use a snowflake, a Christmas ornament, etc.  Insert this and size it so it fits nicely in your text.

Step 5:  Highlight your text, and choose “Group”.  This puts it all together as one word, so you can move it around your screen freely.  Next, choose “Mirror” and flip your text so it looks backward to you on the screen.

Step 6:  Place your smooth heat transfer vinyl, shiny side down, on your cutting mat.  Now, insert it into the machine.  Set your cut settings according to your machine’s recommendations, and click “Cut”.   

Step 7:  On your design screen, ungroup your “NOEL” and remove the “N”, “E”,  and the “L”.  This should leave your peppermint shape {or whatever you chose for the “O” on your cut screen.  Repeat the cutting process in step 6 to cut your shape.

Step 8:  When your cutting is finished, weed out the excess vinyl.  Next, heat up your iron to the cotton setting.

Step 9:  Place your napkin on a hard surface.  Next, lay your “N EL” on your napkin, shiny side up.  The letters should not be backward when you are looking at it.  Cover it with a piece of parchment paper, and press as hard as you can all over the surface to iron it on.  Do not iron it like you do clothes in a back and forth motion-you want to press it.  Give it a few seconds to cool, and peel off the shiny layer of the vinyl.  

Step 10:  Place the peppermint shape, etc., in the place of the “O”.  Repeat step 9 to iron it on. 

How pretty!  And simple, and elegant for your Christmas tablescape, right?  Setting the table with simple yet pretty items is key to having a great holiday gathering. I am sure that once you start creating with heat transfer vinyl, you won’t want to stop!

What will you be creating for your Holiday tablescape?  Share your ideas in the comments, Twitter, or Facebook!

Carrie Hurst

Married to my high school sweetheart, we are raising two pirates and a princess. A lifelong Disney fan, lover of good food, and all things creative, I hope you will join me in sharing joy and making memories everyday.

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