How to Make Christmas Trees From Napkins

For a quick and easy way to add a festive touch to your table setting, try making Christmas trees from napkins. This creative technique will transform any square cloth napkin into a tiered tree, perfect for holiday dinners!

Start by folding a napkin in half lengthwise and again to make a square. Then, lay the napkin out flat and smooth it out so that the edges are crisp. Once you’ve folded the napkin in half again, fold one open corner over to the opposite side of the napkin, and then continue folding and tucking layers in until all corners have been tucked into the upper fold.

Next, take the bottom edge of one of the open corners and fold it over to the other corner, creating a triangle. Repeat with the other open corners, staggering them a little bit apart and smoothing them out between each fold. When all corners have been tucked in, you’ll have a tree-shaped napkin!

Once you’ve created a tree-shaped napkin, you can embellish it with whatever you like. You can tie skinny ribbons into little bows, sew paper cut-out stars or ornaments onto it, or even clip cinnamon sticks to the bottom.

You can also use this idea to create a fancy napkin for other events, such as Easter or Halloween. Just remember to topstitch close to the edges and along the fold lines for extra security.

This creative fold works best with a nicely ironed, stiff cotton napkin that will hold its shape while being folded. You’ll want to choose a napkin that’s at least 15 inches by 15 inches (about 40 by 40 centimeters).

To create the Christmas tree pattern, first draw a half circle with a 9″ radius on each of two pieces of fabric. Place them right sides together, and pin the two edges of each piece of fabric together. On the long straight edge of each piece of fabric, pin to mark a 3″ opening that you’ll need to turn your napkin after sewing it.

After pinning the two pieces of fabric together, sew around the half circle using a 1/4″ seam allowance. You’ll also need to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching to secure it. When finished, leave a 3″ opening in the bottom of your Christmas tree napkin so you can turn it right side out and then press it.

Once you’ve finished sewing, topstitch close to the edges of the napkin, and along the folded lines, to make a strong hem and prevent the two fabrics from shifting when you wash it. You can then sew a few short stitches to keep the topstitching in place as you turn your Christmas tree napkin.

Alternatively, you can press your napkin after sewing to the bottom, then turn it over and sew a zigzag line down the center of each side for extra security. If you do this, your Christmas tree napkin will be a little larger, and the fold lines may need to be slightly different.