1 Download and print the template. Cut four pieces of fabric, 50cm square. Measure 50cm along the visible weave of the linen and mark the size by snipping at the edge. Next to the snip, pick out the first thread of linen. Keep hold of this thread and cut next to it along the fabric grain, using the loose thread as a guide. If you cut all of the fabric in this way, each piece will be perfectly square.

2 Cross-stitch the first napkin starting from the centre of the snowflake design. To find the centre, take the fabric and fold it into square quarters and lightly press. Unfold and choose one quarter to cross-stitch onto. Repeat to find the centre point of that quarter.

3 Hold the fabric with your thumb and forefinger, then use your little finger to anchor it and keep your hand relaxed. Begin with a knotless waste knot: pass a needle from front to back, leaving the tail of the thread up and out of the way. Work it into the stitches on the back when the thread is finished. Pass the original tail through the needle and weave it through to the back in the same way.

4 This make has four threads for each ‘square’ – you can alter this as long as the size remains consistent. The design is transferred onto the fabric by counting the squares on the chart and matching them to the threads of the fabric.