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Small Hoop Project Guide: Napkin Rings
Autumn is in the air and with it come the holidays and the excitement of creating an inviting home for family and friends. In the fall, burlap is always part of my decor and the table is usually front and center. Loaded with family favorite meals, homemade treats, and picture-perfect decor (at least, it is to me), I love the homemade, cozy feel that only the holidays seem to bring.
Have you seen the new embellishment kits from Designs by JuJu? Here are a few:
Autumn Alphabet Embellishment Kit
Halloween Alphabet Embellishment Kit
Christmas Alphabet Embellishment Kit 1
I am obsessed with how cute these are. In this tutorial I am going to show how you can use them to create adorable napkin rings. Best of all, they can be made in a 4” x 4” hoop.
Before we begin, I want to talk a little about the embellishment designs. These designs come in multiple sizes, ranging from 2.5” up to 6”. For the napkin rings I used the 2.5” size. There are embroidery only and applique options. Both will work well for making napkin rings. For this tutorial I am going to do applique. If you decide to do embroidery only, the preparation steps will be the same with the exception of an added piece of burlap. I will explain this later.
When doing applique you can use scrap cotton fabric or felt. Both will give you an adorable finish. These designs are meant to have a raw edge. They are finished with a bean stitch to prevent the cotton from fraying too much. You can also apply fray check to the edges. Using felt will give you a clean, frayless edge.
Supplies
Check out the DBJJ team’s favorite supplies in the Designs By JuJu Amazon Store
- Burlap, cut into 3” x 7” strips (Your desired number of napkin rings will determine how much burlap is needed. If buying by the yard, I would say ¼ yard will be plenty.)
- Cotton fabric scraps or felt in various colors
- Self-adhesive tear-away embroidery stabilizer
- 4” x 4” embroidery hoop
- Embroidery thread
- Craft scissors (Do not use your fabric scissors—the burlap can dull them.)
- Curved applique scissors
- Sewing machine
- 80/10 all-purpose embroidery and sewing needle
- Darning needle
- Thread to match burlap
- Sewing gauge or ruler
- Optional: Dritz Fray Check Liquid
- DBJJ designs
Applique with cotton allows you to use cute prints. Remember the bean stitch will outline your design, so for the final stitch use a color you want to showcase.
An advantage of using felt is a clean edge, which you may find easier to trim.
All these methods are fun and easy to do. Mix and match or choose just one style. Whichever you decide to do, I know you are going to fall in love with these little designs.
Preparation
To begin, you will need to cut your burlap into strips 7” long and 3” wide. Because burlap frays so easily, before we embroider we will stitch all around the edges.
If you are making an embroidery-only design, cut a 2.5” x 2.5” piece of burlap and center it on the back before doing the stitching. This will give you an added stabilizer for the embroidery stitches. If doing applique, this step is not required because you will not need the extra bulk. This is the step I mentioned earlier and is the only difference between preparing the burlap for embroidery only and applique.
Using a small stitch of 1.5 mm or 2 mm, apply a running stitch around all four sides near the edges. This will prevent it from continuing to unravel. I found using a small stitch works best.
Fold the long edges of the burlap over ¼” and stitch again close to the raw edge. If adding the extra 2.5” x 2.5” piece to the back, be sure the edges are tucked under the folded long edge before stitching.
Use a light color thread that blends into the burlap. This will give you a nice, finished look. The burlap is now ready to hoop.
Stitching the Designs
Cut a piece of sticky-back stabilizer large enough for a 4” x 4” hoop. Do not peel back the paper yet. First, hoop the stabilizer, then score from corner to corner with the tip of your scissors, creating an X. I drew an X on mine to illustrate. Be careful not to cut through the adhesive part of the stabilizer.
Peel back the top paper to reveal the adhesive. Take the hoop to your machine.
Open up the embellishment folder you are going to use. I am using the Autumn designs to begin with. Here you will find multiple sizes ranging from 2.5” to 6”. For the napkin rings I am using the 2.5” size. My machine is a Brother 8500; your screen may look different.
Open up the correct size and choose which design you want to use. You can choose embroidery only or applique.
Once you’ve loaded your design, use the buttons on your machine to find the center of the design.
With your hoop in the machine, use the needle down button to mark the center onto your stabilizer. Since you are floating the burlap this will help you get it centered and straight. Remove the hoop and place on a flat surface.
Fold the burlap strip in half lengthwise and finger press to mark the center. Lay it on top of the hoop. You will be floating the burlap on the hoop. Do not secure it down yet. Take the hoop back to the machine. Here you will make sure the burlap is centered and the design fits.
Using the placement box on your machine, find the top of your design. I put my needle down to ensure my design does not extend past the top.
I then did the same for the bottom. If the smallest design is still too large, use the size button to reduce it just enough to fit.
For illustration purposes only, I am showing thread marking the center. Do not actually stitch this. As you can see, my design will fit nicely and is centered. Finger press the burlap down to help prevent it from moving. You will want to keep your fingers on it as you remove it from the machine. Place on a flat surface.
Smooth the burlap flat and pin the sides to the stabilizer. Make sure the pins are well out of the way of the design area.
You are now ready to stitch out your design. Each applique is finished with a bean stitch, so make sure to use a thread color that you want to be seen. For example I wanted my flower to have a dark outline. I wanted my leaves and flower center to have the same color thread as my felt.
Once you have your design loaded and the burlap secured to the hoop, run the first step. This will be a tack-down stitch for your felt or fabric.
Lay your felt or fabric over the design, making sure to cover the area completely, leaving enough room to trim. Run the next step.
Remove the hoop from the machine. Lay on a flat surface. Do not remove the burlap from the hoop. Trim around the design with applique scissors.
Return the hoop to the machine and continue to run the next steps according to the instructions included with your design purchase.
Remember to change the thread to a color that you want to show before stitching the final bean stitch. If you don't want the outline to show and want it to blend in with the color of your fabric, change the thread before this step.
Always remove and trim after each step before continuing.
Once the last step is completed and trimmed, remove the burlap and stabilizer from the hoop.
Gently tear away the stabilizer from the burlap, being careful not to pull the stitches.
With small scissors, snip any threads. Remove the remaining stabilizer.
Finishing
To form the napkin ring, fold over the short ends of the burlap strip to the inside ½”. Finger press down or pin to hold the edge in place.
Take to the sewing machine and stitch along the raw edge, not the fold, using a 1.5mm to 2mm stitch length. Smaller stitches are better. This will prevent the burlap from fraying. Do this on both short ends.
Line up the left side edge with the stitching on the right side. I marked my stitch line in red to illustrate.
Pin or clip to hold in place.
Using thread to match the burlap and a darning needle, knot both ends of the thread together. This will give you a strong hand stitch. I find a darning needle works best to sew through the thickness.
Starting at one end, do a tight whipstitch across the entire length.
Be sure to include the ends. Secure a good knot and your napkin ring is complete.
Follow the steps listed above for both fabric and felt. If doing embroidery only, remember to add the patch of burlap to the strip before stitching out the design. You may even want to add the design to a napkin for a matching set. For the napkins I used the 3” design. You can find my tutorial on napkins at Embroidered Thanksgiving Napkins - Designs by JuJu.
It’s never too early to start on your Christmas decor. These adorable designs will bring whimsy to your holiday table.
This shows how cute the embroidery-only designs are. The two napkin rings on the left have a slight variation: I left the bottom edge raw. If this is a look you want, sew the first stitch line along the bottom but do not tuck it under for the second stitch line. I would recommend adding fray check to this style.
Please share your projects on the Designs by JuJu Embroidery Blessings Group Facebook page, or anywhere on social media using the hashtag #designsbyjuju. We’d love to see what you create!
