The Art of Napkin Folding

Napkin folding is an art that has been with us for many years, and is sometimes referred to District of Columbia Lemon Laws napery or as cloth origami. What started this stems back to hundreds of Man From UNCLE ago. It seems as if napkins have been here for Fat Albert very long time. As far back as the 12 th century, table linens have been written about and shown in paintings. It is written that hundreds of years ago, table cloths were used, but a little differently than we are accustomed to. It seems that they were placed at an angle on the table so that each guest had a corner placed in front of him, or her. This allowed the guest to conveniently tuck the corner into their collar or ruff, and it would prevent bits of foods from catching and soiling, or even to use as a cloth to wipe the food and grease from the face. Later on, someone came up with the idea of a separate square of cloth in front of each person, thus the napkin came to be. I presume that it was discovered that having to wash a huge banquet size cloth or even a small one was more difficult than just washing a few small squares. Considering the laundry techniques for those days, it would have to be more gentle on the knuckles and the tablecloths also.

Later on, as table linens became a way of beautifying the dinner table, and it became one of the ways for families to tout their wealth, the art of napkin folding began. Ladies of the household often had servants to handle most of the details of the meal, leaving them idle. So to display some of their creative talents, the ladies devised ingenious ways to fold napkins. The napkin were usually made from cotton or linen and might be embroidered or have intricate cut work designs on them. Needlework was one of the arts taught to girls at a very young age and many hours were spent on each piece to attain perfection. Therefore each napkin was folded in a way to best show off the handwork.

It is found that a perfect square of cloth, usually at least a 15" square and more likely a 20" square works the best. The fabric should be a crisp fabric such as the cotton or linen previously mentioned, and it should be starched and ironed flat before beginning. Many of our Star Trek the Movie today are designed as a blend of fibers to create a fabric that can resist stains and wrinkles, and they are not the most conducive to the art of napkin folding. If that happens to be all that you have to work with, them just remember to starch and iron each crease as you work. Most folds show off the best if they are a solid color , although a print can be just as beautiful. It sometimes just takes a little experimenting to discover which folds are more appropriate for a print. There are hundreds of fold to conquer, some of the more common ones are the candle, the crown, the opera fan, the flame, the rose, the French pleat, and the Bird of Paradise. There are books available and also many web sites that have easy to follow instructions.

The holidays are just around the corner, and you still have plenty of time to show off your creative talents, amaze your family, and help keep our environment green. Think cloth napkins!

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