Napkin Folding

The first 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 made in both small and large lengths.  The sudarium, Latin for "handkerchief" was a pocket-size fabric earned to blot the brow during meals taken in the warm Mediterranean climate.  The mappa was a larger cloth spread over the edge of the couch as 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."

Napkin

Napkins are used at the dining table. They add a touch of elegance to the table and protect our clothing when placed on the lap. They are made out of cloth or paper. It is a square of linen people place on their laps, when they're having a meal, in case food falls from the fork and drops on to their clothing. They are often just rolled up and placed in a napkin ring, or put in the wine glass, where they form a fan shape. However, you can fold them in certain ways to make them look like birds, flowers and other objects. 

Napkin Folding

3 Kinds of Napkin Folding

This classy napkin folding technique is simple, fast, and can be made easily with most napkins. If the napkin being used is thin and flops easily then iron it with light starch prior to folding and it will turn out perfectly!

The Pyramid Napkin Fold

1. Lay the napkin face

down in front of you.

2. Fold the napkin in half diagonally.

3. Rotate the napkin so the open end faces away from you.

 

4. Fold the right end up to meet the far corner, ensuring the edge of this new fold lays on the centerline as shown.

Steps:

5. Repeat the last step with the left side, folding the left tip up to the far corner, creating a diamond shape with a seam running down the center.

6. Turn the napkin over, keeping the open end

facing away from you.

7. Fold the napkin in half by bringing the farthest point of the diamond up and back to the nearest point.

8. Turn the napkin over again, this time keeping the open end facing towards you.

9. Fold the napkin along the center seam and you have a neat, sturdy pyramid. If your napkin won't stand neatly then you may need a little starch.

This is a classic and classy napkin folding technique that requires a stiff napkin. If you don't have any dinner napkins made of stiff linen then a light starching should fix you right up.

The Bird Of Paradise Napkin Fold

1. Lay the napkin face down infront of you.

2. Fold the napkin in half.

3. Fold the napkin in quarters.

4. Fold the napkin in half diagonally, creating a triangle.

Steps:

5. Orient the triangle so the open tip is facing away from you.

6. Fold the right corner diagonally towards you - laying it down along the centerline of the triangle, making a new tip pointing towards you

7. Do the same with the left corner, fold it diagonally toward you and press it down next to the previous fold.

8. Fold the two "wings" that you just made in folds 6 and 7 under so that you have your original triangle shape back.

9. Fold the triangle in half by bringing the center seam towards you and allowing the ends to fall.

10. This bird's almost ready to fly, but first you must give it some feathers. While holding the base firmly to keep your folds together, pull up the four 'flaps' created by the napkin's corners.

 The Diamond Napkin

Fold

1. Lay the napkin face-down in front of you.

2. Fold the napkin in half and orient the open end toward you.

3. Fold the napkin into quarters.

4. Fold the top-most layer of the napkin in half diagonally - up and to the left.

5. Fold the next layer of napkin diagonally up and to the left, stopping slightly before the last fold to create an even, staggered effect.

6. Repeat by folding up the next layer of napkin to a point just before the last one.

7. And one last time with one last layer. Keep them as uniform as you can.

8. Now fold both sides of the napkin under and in to create an even, staggered diamond effect on the napkin. Press it down as flat as possible.

End of the LessonGod Bless