Table Napkin Folding

 Napkin Folding

• A folded napkin is placed on the table for the guest's use to contribute to the presentation of the cover and the whole dining environment. The way in which the napkin is presented depends on the type of establishment and the type of service.

• It is an advantage if napkin folds are kept simple, as less handling is involved. However, some establishments require more elaborate folds for aesthetic reasons.

The following show the most common napkin folding styles and how to make them.

1. Pyramid Napkin Fold

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face down in front of you. Fold the napkin in half diagonally.
•  Rotate the napkin so the open end faces away from you.
• Fold the right end up to meet the far corner, ensuring the edge of this new fold lays on the centerline as shown.
• Repeat the last step with the left side, folding the left tip up to the far corner, creating a diamond shape with a seam sunning down the center.
• Turn the napkin over keeping the open end facing away from you.
• Fold the napkin in half by bringing the farthest point of the diamond up and back to the nearest point.
• Turn the napkin over again this time keep the open end facing towards you.
• Fold the napkin along the center to seam to create a neat, sturdy pyramid. If your napkin won't stand neatly, apply a little starch.

2. Bishop's Hat

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
• Fold the dinner napkin in half so that the open end is facing you.
• Fold the far-right corner diagonally towards you, resting the point in the center of the side closest to you.
• Fold the near-left corner diagonally away from you, resting it so that it lays right next to the previous fold.
• Flip the napkin over and orient it so it points to the far-left and to the near-right.
• Fold the bottom half of the napkin up and away from you, laying it so the far edges run on top of one other.
• Reach underneath the napkin and pull out the flap on the right, making the near side come to two points as seen in the picture.
• Gently roll the left half of the left triangle over and tuck its end underneath the right triangle.
• Flip the napkin over with points pointing away from you.
• Gently roll the right half of the right triangle and tuck its end underneath the left triangle.
• Open up the hat and press the material inside so that it becomes circular.

3. Bird of Paradise

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
• Fold the dinner napkin in half.
• Fold the napkin in quarters.
• Fold the napkin in half diagonally, creating a triangle.
• Orient the triangle so the open tip is facing away from you.
• Fold the right corner diagonally towards you laying it down along the centerline of the triangle, making a new tip pointing towards you. Ironing the napkin can make this important fold a whole lot easier. 
• Do the same with the left corner, fold it diagonally toward you and press it down next to the previous fold. 
• Fold the two wings that you just made in folds in number 6 and 7 under so that you have your original triangle shape back. Once again in iron can make a world of difference. 
• Fold the triangle in half by bringing the center seam towards you and allowing the ends to fall. 
• This bird’s almost ready to fly but give it some feathers. While holding the base firmly to keep your folds together, pull up the four ‘flaps’ created by the napkin’s corner.

4. Rosebud Napkin

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face down in front of you. 
•  Fold the napkin in half diagonally. 
•  Orient the napkin so the open-end points away from you. 
• Fold the far-right corner up diagonally so that the point rests on top of the far corner. The edge of this new flap should lay right on the center line. 
• Repeat step four on the other side, bringing the left-most corner up to meet the far corner, creating a diamond shape. 
•  Flip the napkin over while keeping the open end pointing away from you. 
• Fold the bottom of the napkin up about ¾ of the way as shown and press the fold down well. 
• Flip the napkin over. 
• Curl both sides up so they meet and tuck one into the other. 
• Let it stand and straighten it out.

5. Crown Napkin

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face-down in front of you. 
• Fold the napkin in half diagonally.
• Orient the napkin so the open ends are pointing away from you. 
• Fold the right-corner up so that the point rests directly on top of the middle-corner. The edge of this new flap should lay on the center line of the napkin. 
• Repeat step four on the other side, bringing the left-most corner up to meet the middle-corner, creating a diamond shape. 
• Flip the napkin over while keeping the open end pointing away from you. 
• Fold the bottom of the napkin up about 2/4 of the way and press this fold down well. 
• Fold the smaller triangle down so the point rests on the near edge of the napkin. Press. 
• Curl the left and right sides of the napkin up so they meet in the middle and tuck one into the other. 
• Let it stand then thug where needed to even up and round out.

6. Standing Fan

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face-down in front of you. 
• Fold the napkin in half and orient the open ends towards you. 
• Fold the napkin like an accordion starting at the narrow end. Leave one end with two to three inches of unfolded napkin to support the standing fan. 
• Fold the napkin in half with the accordion folds on the outside. 
• Grasp the unfolded corners where they meet on the open end and fold them under the accordion folds. 
• Open it and let it stand.

7. Lotus

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face-down in front of you.
• Fold the two right corners of the napkin in so the tips rest at the center.
• Fold the remaining two corners of the napkin in so the tips meet with the last two at the center. 
• Begin folding the outer corners in so they meet at the center. 
• Once all of the tips are folded you are left with a square about ¼ the size of the unfolded napkin. 
• Flip it over. 
• Fold the corners in so they meet at the center and place something sturdy at the center or hold it with your fingers.
• While maintaining downward pressure at the center of the napkin, reach underneath each corner and pull out the flaps to create petals.
• Remove the center weight and your rose should look as shown in the picture. 
• You can reach under the center of each side and pull out a second set of petals to fancy it up some more. Place something at the center and you’re done!

8. The Sail

Procedures:

• Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
• Fold the napkin in half and orient the open end.
• Fold the far-right corner diagonally to the center of the side that is closest to you. The edge of this flap should run down the center of the napkin.
• Repeat the last step with the other side, folding the far-left corner diagonally to rest right alongside the previous fold.
•  Fold the napkin along the crease and make it stand on its short end.

Lesson: Access and view this link: BTVTEd2-FSM (google.com)

You may watch this video:

7 BASIC NAPKIN FOLDING - YouTube

10 Basic Table Napkin Fold by: Highestia G. Caparas - YouTube