DIY Ticking Fabric Napkin with Cutlery Pocket

Do y’all remember the patriotic napkins I made over the summer? I absolutely loved those napkins and wanted some similar for Christmas. So……..

So here is a quick and easy DIY Ticking Fabric Napkin with Cutlery Pocket tutorial. These are perfect for the Christmas Holiday Season, but can be easily adapted for any season.

If you don’t sew, no worries because I’ve included a no sew tutorial as well.

Easy DIY Ticking Fabric Napkins

First, I use ticking fabric for the napkin itself because the stripe is woven into the fabric, not printed. These are 100% cotton and are easy to care for. So begin by cutting your napkins from the ticking fabric measuring 18 x 18 inches.

Note: These will shrink after washing. If you prefer a larger napkin, please take that into account.

Also Note: These are cute without the pocket and so easy to make. Just cut, wash & press!

You will also want to cut your trim pieces for the pockets with the stripe running horizontal at 5 inches by 2 inches vertical. Wash and dry all the ticking fabrics. This is what they will look like when removed. Lol

Pull or cut all the excess strings from the fabric and you will be left with frayed edges.

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Press the Ticking Fabric

Because the fabric will now be rolling around the edges and be very wrinkled , it is necessary to press the ticking fabric until everything is flat and smooth. I like to use a Cricut for pressing but any hot iron will work.

Constrasting Fabric Cutlery Pocket

For this step, I choose a red and white buffalo print fabric for the cutlery pocket. Begin by cutting the contrasting fabric 7 x 5 inches. Then using a straight pin begin to make a fringe around the edges by pulling the strings. Once you finish, your pocket should be approx. 6 x 4 inches not including the fringe.

Sewing Method to attach pocket

You will want to attach the trim piece to the contrasting fabric pocket before you attach the pocket to the napkin. Using your sewing machine set on a close stitch zig zag and attach the trim piece to the pocket approx. 1/2 inch from the pocket top. Stitch around the entire edge of the trim piece inside of the frayed edges.

Then stitch the pocket to the lower right hand corner of the napkin, leaving the top open to allow for the cutlery. Be sure that the stripes on the napkin are vertical and the stripe on the trim piece is horizontal.

No Sew Method for DIY Ticking Fabric Napkins

If you don’t have a sewing machine or prefer a no sew method, using fabric glue will work great on this project.

Begin by attaching the trim piece to the pocket by applying a light bead of fabric glue along the back side of the fabric just inside the edge of the fringe.

Once the trim is attached approx. 1/2 inch from the top of the pocket, you can turn over the pocket and apply another bead of glue to all edges except for the top edge.

Attach pocket to the lower right hand corner of the napkin with the opening at the top. Follow instructions on the fabric glue for drying time. Once it is dry, you have you DIY Ticking Napkin with Cutlery Pocket finished.

Comparison of Both Methods

As you can see, there is very little difference in the appearance of the two methods. Both should be very durable. However, with continued washing, the napkin and the pocket edge may fray more. I prefer a rustic worn look and if there are more strings that need to be removed, I just give the napkin another hair cut.

If you prefer a less rustic appearance, you can finish the edges of both the napkin and pocket by turning under the raw edges and stitching with either the sewing machine or no-sew method.

The Finished Ticking Napkin with cutlery Pocket

These are going to be perfect and so cute on the table for Christmas! You can see some examples below of The DIY Ticking Fabric Napkins styled a couple of simple ways.

If you like using ticking fabric in your home décor, you may enjoy seeing this chair cushion in the deconstructed chair. Also, you can find simple distressed ticking pillows and ruffled distressed ticking pillows in my shop.