If you often entertain guests at your home, then you probably already know that cloth napkins easily elevate the look of any table setting. But what you may not realize is that it’s surprisingly simple to create your own. Below, we show you how, in five easy steps.

1. Select and purchase a good quality, 100% cotton fabric. You’ll need about four yards for every dozen napkins.

2. Wash, dry, and iron the fabric. 

3. Next, cut the fabric out into separate twelve-inch squares.

4. Use a sewing machine or a simple handstitch to sew a half an inch in from the raw edge. This will prevent your napkins from unintentional further fraying during handling.

5. Now, fringe your napkins by carefully pulling out the strings on the edges. When done, trim the fringe if necessary so that it’s of equal-length all around. Enjoy! After use, wash on the gentle cycle and dry with low heat.

See how easy that was? Now that you’ve successfully created your own cloth napkins, you might even consider sewing and fringing a matching tablecloth, as featured in the image above.

Image credit: Small Things Simple Pleasures Blog