Table Napkin Folding

Table Napkin
• A table napkin is a small piece of table linen that
is used to wipe the mouth and to cover the lap in
order to protect clothing
• The word comes from Middle English, borrowing
the French nappe—a cloth covering for a table
and adding –kin as a suffix.
• For an especially polished table, cloth napkins
can be folded into appealing shapes to add to
the décor of your table.
 Napkins

A brief history…
the first table napkin was a lump of dough the Spartans called
apomagdalie, a mixture cut into small pieces and rolled and
kneaded at the table, a custom that led to using sliced bread to
wipe the hands. In Roman antiquity, napkins known as sudaria
and mappae were introduced. The sudarium, Latin for
“handkerchief” was a pocket-size fabric carried to blot the brow
during meals taken in the warm Mediterranean climate. The
mappa was a larger cloth spread spread over the edge of the
couch as a protection from food taken in a reclining position. The
fabric was also used to blot the lips. Although each guest supplied
his own mappa, on departure mappae were filled with delicacies
leftover from the feast, a custom that continues today in restaurant
“doggy bags”.
• Today, discriminating hosts and hostesses have
a wide variety of napkin products from which to
select. For formal dining, there is the cloth
napkin, the paper napkin being reserved for
more informal settings.
• Cloth napkins come in several sizes, each size
tailored to a specific use. A beverage napkin,
used when serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres,
like most cloth napkins, is square, about five
inches to each side. A luncheon napkin is a
couple of inches larger, and a dinner napkin
larger still. The theory, evidently, is that the more
food and drink that is served, the more potential
there is for spillage, so the bigger the napkin
must be to catch it.
 4. Turn the napkin over,
3. Fold the right
keeping the open end
end up to meet
facing away from you
the far corner
1. Lay the napkin face
down in front of you.

2. Fold the napkin in half diagonally 5. Fold the napkin in half by 6. Fold the napkin along
bringing the farthest point of the the center seam and
diamond up and back to the you have a neat, sturdy
nearest point. pyramid.
 2. Fold the top edge 3. Bring the left and
and the bottom edge right sides into the
into the center. centre.

1. Fold the four corners

into the centre.

4. Find each of the loose

corners at the centre and
gently bring them out to
the side to form four
points.

5. Fold the bottom left point

to the left side and the top
right point to the right.
1.Fold napkin in half and in 3.Fold left and right
2.Then fold in half diagonally
half again. sides down along
with points on the top and
center line, turning
facing up.
their extended
points under.

4.Fold in half on long dimension 5.Pull up points and arrange

with edges facing out. on a fabric surface.
 1. Fold the napkin in 2. Roll the top-most layer 3. Roll the next layer
half and orient the of napkin diagonally down down until it meets the
open end toward you to the center and press it first and press that one
and fold the napkin flat. as well. Repeat the last

The Silverware into quarters. step once more.

Pouch

6. Fold the left side 7. Flip it over and insert

5. Fold the right side
4. Turn the napkin over. back about 1/3 of the back also about 1/2 the fork, spoon and
of the way and knife
way and press it down.
press.
 1. Fold all 4 corners of open
napkin to center. 2. Fold new corners to center.

4. Holding center firmly reach under each

3. Turn napkin over and
corner and pull up flaps to form petals.
fold all 4 corners to center
Reach between petals and pull flaps from
underneath
1. Fold the napkin in half 2. Fold up base at least
diagonally. 1”. Press this fold down
well or it will interfere
with the next step.

3. Turn napkin over 4. Tuck the end of the roll into

and roll from bottom to the base on the backside and
top. stand it up.
 1. Fold napkin in half and 2. Fold the napkin like an
start with the first pleat accordion starting at either
narrow end. Leave one end with
2-3 inches of unfolded napkin to
support the standing fan.

4. Grasp the unfolded corners 5. Place on table and

3. Fold up in half with pleating where they meet on the open release pleats to form
on the outside. end and fold them in diagonally, fan.
tucking them under the
accordion folds.
 2. Roll the napkin from the
1. Fold the napkin in half diagonally. long side to the point as
tightly as you can. A tighter
roll will create a stiffer
candle in the end product.

4. Stick it in your napkin

3. Fold the candle roll in half.
ring or in a water goblet and
stand it up on the table
1. Bring the top and bottom edges of
2. Place your finger at
the napkin to meet in the middle.
the center bottom, and
Now bring the bottom edge almost up
fold both sides up to
to the top, leaving about 1⁄2 inch meet in the middle.
(one3 cm) exposed.

3. Turn the napkin over, keeping the point toward you.

Fold in each of the four top corners to form the top of the heart.
Pressing the final folds helps keep the shape.
Flip the napkin over.
 1. Fold the napkin in half 2. Fold the far corner of the napkin
diagonally and orient the diagonally towards you and to the right
napkin so the long side is on so that the crease falls an inch or two
the left short of the right-most corner and the
newly formed point at the bottom is a
few inches to the right of the left one.

3. Fold the right-most point towards you, pivoting at the same place the last fold pivoted. Use
the finished napkin to drape the dinner place.
1. Fold your napkin in quarters, placing the free (or loose) points at the upper left:

2. Fold the upper left

corner of the top layer
down to the lower
right corner:
3. Fold under the top right and bottom left corners:
 1. Fold the napkin in half 2. Pull the far right and
and orient the open end far left corner of the
towards you. napkin at the center.

3. Fold the right-flap out 4. Repeat the previous step

diagonally so that it's outer edge on the other side, folding
runs even with the far edge of the the left-flap out diagonally
napkin. to meet the far edge of the
napkin.

5. Slide the left and the right

sides together, allowing the
napkin to bend at the farthest
point. This will cause the flat,
center part to bow.
1. Fold napkin in half 2. Fold corners 3. Turn napkin over with
diagonally. to meet at top points to the top, fold
point. lower corner 2/3 way up.
Fold back onto itself

4. Bring corners
5. Open base of fold and
together tucking one stand upright.
into the other.
1. Fold the napkin in half
diagonally. Orient the 2. Fold the bottom point up so the tip
napkin so the open end overlaps the far edge by about an
points toward you. inch.

3. Accordion fold the 4. Firmly grasp the base

entire napkin from left to and insert it into a glass or
right. a napkin ring.
 1. Fold napkin in half. 2. Pleat from bottom to top.

3. Turn napkin back 1/3 of 4. Spread out pleats at top.

the way on right (folded)
end and place into goblet.
 1. Fold the napkin into thirds.

3.Roll the two flaps tightly until

2. Fold the left half of the strip
they meet the fold, then
up diagonally.
carefully flip the napkin again,
Align the edge with the center
keeping the rolls in place.
crease.
Fold the right-hand side down
Repeat with the right half of the
toward the bottom point, so the
napkin.
roll lines up with the central
Flip the napkin over.
vertical fold.
Fold the left-hand side down to
the bottom point so the two
rolls line up alongside one
another.
1. Fold napkin in half 2. Fold corners to 3. Turn napkin over and
diagonally. meet at top point. fold bottom 2/3 way up.

4. Turn napkin around

and bring corners 5. Turn napkin around
together, tucking one and stand on base.
into the other.
1. Bring the top and bottom edges in
to meet in the center. 2. Fold both of the outer points
Fold each corner point in toward the to the center, creating a
centerline. square.

4. Turn the napkin over.

Lift the free center flaps up slightly so that
3. Turn the napkin over they are not flush with the rest of the
and fold all the corners napkin.
toward the center. Slip your flatware service or an elegant
flower under the flaps.
1. Fold napkin in 3. Fold bottom
half diagonally. 2. Fold corners to top. 4. Fold point back
point up to 1" onto itself.
below top.

5. Fold each of points at 7. Open base of

6. Turn napkin over
top down and tuck under fold and stand
and tuck left and right
edge of folded-up bottom sides into each other. upright.
and fold down one layer
of top point and tuck
under base fold
 Special Thanks to:
•
• Napkinfoldinguide.com
• C
• Margie’s Moments
• D
• Simply Cara