7 Easy Ways To Fold Napkins

Beautifully folded napkins welcome your guests to the table and add a finishing touch to its setting. Today we will be covering step-by-step instructions for basic napkin folding so you can impress your guests at Thanksgiving, Christmas or other events.

1. Fan shaped/Goblet fan

This style is also known as Lady Windemere’s fan. You can use these steps for cloth or paper napkin folding:

• Fold the napkin in half and start pleating. You need to make ‘accordion pleats’ (1/2 inch) at the bottom.
• Again fold the napkin in half with the pleats on the outside.
• Now take the upper right corner of the napkin and bring it diagonally down to folded base of the pleats. Turn under the edge.
• Place on table, release pleats and form a fan.
• You can make a goblet fan in the same way; simply place the fan in a wine goblet.

2. Pyramid

The pyramid napkin folding step by step is an easy way to fold napkins for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

• Fold napkin in half, diagonally.
• Next, fold the corners to meet top point.
• Turn napkin over and fold in half.
• Pick up at the center and stand the napkin on the base on the table.

3. Funny fish fold

This is a great way to fold napkins for birthdays or fun fish dinner with friends. You can either follow the steps in the image above, or use the method below. Both yield similar results.

• Spread the napkin in diamond shape on a clean surface, face down.
• Fold it in half, bringing bottom corner to top corner. You now have a triangle.
• Now fold the bottom edge of the triangle forming a strip about 1 ½ inches wide.
• Turn the napkin over, flipping top point to bottom.
• Now fold the right and left sides of the napkin from the center of the upper edge diagonally down to meet at imaginary center line.
• The creased narrow strips now rest as a double band lengthwise above the center of the napkin.
• Now fold the two pointed tips of the band outwards-the fish is now ready.
• Arrange the completed flat fish on a plate. You can place a bead for the eye as a creative touch.

4. Simple arrow/winged arrow

This is an easy way to fold cloth napkins. Do not use this for paper folding as pre-folded edge in this design’s middle fold is supposed to appear smooth and flawless. Here are the napkin folding step by step instructions:

• Begin with open napkin (square shaped).
• Fold in the middle, bringing top fold to the napkin’s edge at the bottom.
• Now fold the upper corners on both sides diagonally to meet at the center of the lower edge to form a triangle.
• Now take the corners that you just folded and fold them outwards diagonally to lie on the left and right edges of the triangle of the napkin.
• Push the entire napkin together starting from both edges bringing inner creases to meet an imaginary centerline. The smooth middle part should bend up into a narrow fold.
• Give the center middle fold a rounded shape by slightly puling the napkin apart and carefully reaching into it from behind and rounding it up again.
• Close the bottom of the napkin again and place the finished winged arrow on the table or plate.

5. Hat shaped

This is also known as Cardinal’s Hat. This is an easy paper napkin folding technique you will love:

• Fold the cloth or paper napkin in half diagonally.
• Now fold the corners to meet at top point
• Turn napkin over with the points at the top.
• Fold the lower corner and bottom 2/3 rd way up.
• Fold back onto itself.
• Bring corners together, tucking one into other.
• Open the base of the fold and stand upright.

6. The Rose

• Fold all four corners to the center
• Now fold new corners to the center as well.
• Turn napkin over and fold all four corners to the center
• Holding the center firmly, reach under each corner and pull up flaps to form the petals.
• Reach between petals and pull flaps from underneath.

7. The Nest

• Open napkin to full size.
• Fold along the center to form a rectangle.
• Next, fold in half again bringing bottom to top edge.
• Find center of the napkin and by folding in half and unfolding again.
• Lay the top right and top left edges of the napkin along the center line.
• Roll up the lower edges to the mid point of the rectangle. The vertex of the triangle will be above this midpoint.
• Bring the two rolls in front and stand up the napkins on the rolls with the vertex standing high up.
• Place flowers, fruits or bun in the nest to keep it standing.

Try these 7 basic napkin folding techniques and impress your guests at your next event.