Napkin Folding

10 Ways to Fold a Napkin

I love cloth napkins almost as much as I love napkin rings! In fact I love them so much that when it comes to using them at a dinner or luncheon at home, I end up hiding them away and use paper napkins instead! However, there are some things that cloth napkins can do that its paper counterpart can't. And one of them is a well presented, beautiful fold at the center of your plate. Besides, on a formal dining, it is usually best to use cloth napkins than paper ones.

Cloth napkins, just like paper napkins, come in various sizes. And they come in all sorts of colors, prints, and some are even monogrammed. 

Napkins can play a very important role in an elegantly set dining table. Roll them, fold them, slide in a cute ring or tie a ribbon around them. There are so many things that you can do, some like to impress their guests with a more elaborated display such as the peacock or swan folds, while others may opt for a more simple, traditional fold, or with nothing but a ring through a rolled-up napkin. I personally prefer simple elegance, nothing too flashy and yet pretty enough to make a statement, and to lighten up the dining table. Here I'll share with you some of my favorite ways of how to fold napkins.

1. Napkin Ring Roll
2. Knot
3. Cone
4. Pocket
5. Surprise Package
6. Ascot
7. Offset
8. Fan-dango
9. Fan
10. Butterfly

1. Ring Roll

Being someone who designs and create napkin rings as a hobby, this fold (or roll) is naturally my very favorite as it is the best way to show off my creations. 

(a) Fold a large square napkin into quarters.

(b) With the loose edges at the bottom, start rolling the napkin from bottom up (this way your rolled-up napkin will not show the loose edges)

(c) Secure your rolled-up napkin with a ring.

2. Knot

(a) Fold a large napkin into half diagonally.

(b) Start rolling the napkin starting from the folded corners.

(c) Tie a knot at the center of the rolled-up napkin.

3. Cone

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters.

(b) With the loose corners on top, bring down the first layer to almost half way down.

(c) Repeat with second layer leaving about 1 inch between the two points.

(d) Turn the napkin over. Fold in the sides.

(e) Turn in over once again. Slide in cutleries into the pocket if you wish or leave it as it is. You may also choose to leave a little 'something' on the napkin as deco. I like to leave a wine glass marker so that my guests can have a little bit of fun putting it on their own glasses). 

4. Pocket

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters. 

(b) With the loose corners on top, fold down the top layer so that it meets the point at the bottom.

(c) Turn it over. With the two tips from earlier positioned at the bottom-right corner, fold in the left side first then the right . You may choose to secure the right folded side into the tiny "triangle pocket" you see on the left. 

(d) Turn it over and slide in your cutleries. 

5. Surprise Package

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters.

(b) With the loose corners on top, fold the napkin from left to right (or right to left) into accordion pleats.  

(c) Slide a napkin ring to the center of the napkin and bunch it out at the top and bottom.

6. Ascot

(a) Fold a napkin into quarters. Make sure that the points of the loose corners are aligned well, iron if you have to.

(b) With the loose corners at the bottom, fold down the top corner.

(c) Turn the napkin over. Fold in the left and right corner at an angle, i.e. the top edge of left and right side must be lower than the center. 

(d) Turn it over. If you are happy with the way it turns out, press down to crease the edges. This is a the perfect fold to show off your monogrammed napkins. 

7. Simple Bouquet

(a) Fold a large napkin as shown in picture. Make sure that the 4 'triangles' you see at the top are equal in size.

(b) Pinch the 'middle point' of the napkin and slide in a ring to the center of the napkin. 

8. Fan-dango

(a) Fold a napkin into half.

(b) Make an accordion pleat along the narrow length of the napkin.

(c) Slide a napkin ring to the center of the napkin, or alternatively, you can tie a ribbon at the middle. Fan out the sides. 

9. Fan

(a) Fold a napkin into half.

(b) Make an accordion pleat along the narrow length of the napkin.

(c) Instead of sliding a napkin ring to the center (or tying a ribbon here), leave the ring (or ribbon) at the edge of one side. 

There are various ways to display the fan fold. Here are some ideas.

 

10. Butterfly

(a) Fold a large napkin into half, diagonally.

(b) With the folded side at the bottom, fold in the right and left sides so the meet in the center. Make sure all the tips/points are aligned together.

(c) Fold the bottom point up to within an 1 - 1.5 inch of the top point. 

(d) Then fold the tip down so that it touches the lower edge of the napkin.

(e) Turn it over. Fold in the left and right side of the napkin. Secure one corner into the little triangle pocket of the other. 

(f) Turn it over again. Open the bottom side of the napkin so that it can stand up-right. 

(g) Pull down the left and right 'wings'.

That is all for now. I hope you've enjoyed the tutorial on napkin folding and that it has given some ideas for this festive season!

Why make your own Napkin Rings

Why Make Your Own Napkin Rings?

I can think of a million reasons! Okay maybe not a million, but definitely a few very good reasons why you should.

Napkin rings are a simple yet wonderful way to dress up your table, they add that extra glam and sparkle to an otherwise boring table. They can give that touch of romance to a wedding dinner and cheers to your Christmas lunches.




Making your own gives you the freedom to choose the color and design to suit the theme of the occasion. Be it a formal dinner to impress the boss, a wedding, a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, all you need is the right material and some imagination! The easiest way is to use beads and wires. Or it can be as easy as putting the beads you like on an elastic thread. Bead or craft stores carry all sorts of beautiful beads and trinkets or charms you can use to make your own napkin rings. You can even make them from recycled materials such as cardboard tubes and ribbons. There are many tutorials that you can find on the internet that shows you how to make them.

Making your own napkin rings is much cheaper than buying them from the stores and they make a great souvenir or party favor which your guests can take home with them after a memorable event.







And most importantly to me, making my own napkin rings is a lot of fun! I even have a good time shopping for the materials. There's so many designs that you can do with beads, ribbons and wires, it is all up to your creativity and imagination. Try it, and have fun dressing up your table!

Chelsea ~ Beaded Napkin Ring

Crystal Beads Napkin Rings

This is part of the 3 designs I made for a special dinner at the Irish Embassy. Simple yet delicate. A great choice for a classy dinner. 

Materials used: Combination of glass and crystal beads and plastic gold beads 

Product Name: Tiara

Price: USD 5.00 each

Quantity

4 units $20.00 6 units $29.50 8 units $38.50 10 units $47.00 12 units $52.00

Aida ~ Beaded Napkin Ring

A House-Warming Gift

I'm preparing another set of elegant napkin rings as a gift! This time it's for a friend of mine who moved into her new cozy little apartment more than 6 months ago, I guess it's about time I gave her a little house-warming gift. She wanted something green, and being someone with exquisite taste, designing something that she would like wasn't easy. So I've decided to use one of my favorite designs, combine glass and crystals beads, with two shades of green and some gold. The result is delightful! I hope she likes it.

Materials used: Combination of glass and crystal beads and plastic gold beads  

Buy it on Etsy here

Katelynn ~ Beaded Napkin Ring

Crystal Beads Napkin Rings

A popular design that exudes class and elegance. Charm your guests with these stunning napkin rings. The sparkle from the glass and crystal beads will definitely enchant your table setting. 

Materials used: Combination of glass and crystal beads, with plastic silver beads and sparkling diamante  

Mishka ~ Wedding Napkin Ring

Garden Wedding Napkin Ring

I'm having a lot of fun with flowers and I still can't get the garden wedding out of my head! I found these while shopping for some pretty ribbons today and this is what I've come up with..another garden wedding napkin ring!
 Very elegant napkin rings, these will surely be the talk of the wedding ;) I'll have more soon.. I hope :)

He is half part of a blessed man, left to be finished by such as she;
And she a fair divided excellence, whose fullness a perfection lies in him.

~ William Shakespeare

Materials used: Fabric flower, wooden napkin ring

Product Name: Mishka

Price: USD 4.50 each

Quantity

4 units $18.00 6 units $26.50 8 units $35.00 10 units $43.50 12 units $52.00

Cheap wedding napkin rings

How to Make Cheap Wedding Napkin Rings

Since I still have not gotten over the whole wedding theme, I've figured what would be a better way to conclude it than having a tutorial on how to make your very own wedding napkin rings. 

We will be using some very cheap and readily available materials and anyone can do as you wont be needing any special tools.

Things you will need:

- ruler

- scissors

- pencil for marking

- cutter

- double-sided tape

- wide satin ribbon

- pretty ribbons

- embellishment for decorations 

- cardboard tube (such as from kitchen towel)

Steps:

1.  Measure the cardboard tube using a ruler and mark it at several points using a pencil. 3-4cm is a good measurement for a napkin ring, but it is really up to your preference.

2. Use a  ruler to connect the points by drawing a straight line through them and slowly cut out the tube following the marked line with a sharp cutter knife.

3. Cut the wide satin ribbon to a suitable length that will cover the whole of the cut-out tube. To make it easier, wrap the ribbon around the tube to measure. 

4. Line the outer tube with double-sided tape (do not peel off yet). Also line the inside of the tube but make sure to only put double-sided tape at the part where it will be covered by the ribbon. See pic.

*To make sure we have a nice and smooth napkin ring, make sure there are no trapped air bubble between the tape and the tube.

5. Place the ribbon on a flat surface. Peel off double-sided tape on the outer tube. Place tube on ribbon and gently roll it on the ribbon. 

*Satin ribbons are very delicate, to avoid it from being ruined,  never pull it sideways.

6. Peel off tape on the inside of the tube. Using your fingers, gently fold down the ribbons to the inside of the tube. 

7. Your basic napkin ring is ready. Now it's time to decorate it! You can use any fancy ribbons or embellishment for this purpose.

8. In this example, Ive combined two types of ribbons, by using a double sided tape, I taped them together and then onto the ring.

...and a simple yet elegant wedding napkin ring is created! 

Try it with various type of ribbons and designs, you can do all sorts of napkin rings for any occasion!