FABULOUS FOLDS

Life in my family centers around both the kitchen and dining table. It is where we eat, entertain, create, laugh, cry, do homework and sometimes steal a kiss. Hope it never ends. It is no surprise that I love a pretty table. And nothing finer than a cloth napkin paired with good friends, family and food. Season to season, event to event and just as often, on a whim, my table landscape changes. And if you are over to eat, it will be a very special table decorated just for you. With the mega holidays just on the horizon, I am sharing a few of my favorite ways to dress up a table. Simple. Pretty. Memorable.

It all starts with a napkin.

Don’t be intimidated with a cloth napkin. They set the stage. Today they come in so many fabrics that they are so easy to care for. From table to washer to dryer to table. Some need a little touch of the iron, like linen. But there is beauty in a tumbled dry, no iron, slightly crumpled, linen napkin too. Poly/cotton is a nice choice if you don’t want to iron. And some caterer’s napkins always look fantastic, even right out of the box. 

This is what you will need-

20” Cloth Napkin

Spray Starch (Optional)

Iron (Optional)

And that is pretty much it.

If you choose, lightly mist your napkin with starch. It helps to make a crisp fold and make ironing so much easier.

The Bow

Lay the napkin flat on a surface.

Fold diagonally as shown.

Fold corner tip to center fold.

Fold a 2” width to the center fold.

Fold again until the entire napkin is folded.

Take the right length of the napkin and fold to the left, about a third of the length.

Fold the left length of the napkin and fold to the right. The tip should reach the end of the fold.

Take a napkin ring and run the napkin through the folded napkin.

Slide the napkin ring to the center of the folded napkin.

Pull the left “tail” of the napkin out from the fold.

Pull the right “tail” of the napkin out from the fold.

Fluff.

The French Fan

Lay the napkin out flat.

Fold in half, as shown.

Make a small 1/1/2” fold the length of the napkin at the folded end.

Flip napkin over while holding the fold or “pleat” and fold.

Flip and fold the entire with of the napkin, back and forth.

Finger press the length of the folds in place.

Fold the napkin to the center.

Run the folded end through the handle of a tea cup.

Pull the napkin through the handle about halfway.

Set the tea cup on its side on the plate. Flip the fold to the back of the tea cup.

Open pleats.

The Knot Vase

Fold the napkin diagonally.

Make sure the right side (hem in) of the napkin is facing out. .

Fold 2” edge of the napkin up as shown.

Repeat folding 2” up the napkin until all the napkin is folded.

Lay your vase, in the center of the napkin.

Tie once.

Tie twice.

Press tails.

The Christmas Tree

Fold napkin in half as shown.

At one end, fold the bottom edges up until they meet.

Press.

Flip.

Repeat fold the bottom edges up until they meet. It should look like this. Press.

Fold both the bottom and top tip to the center until the tips touch. Press.

Fold in half. Press.

Pinch the lower right corner- just top fold. Fold over to the left and the top edge of the napkin will fall into a triangle. Press.

Pinch the lower left corner- just the top fold. Fold over to the right and the top edge of the napkin will fall into a triangle. Press.

Gently stand your napkin up.

You will need to secure by tying the top of the tree with ribbon. I used this star ornament that has a ribbon attached to the back with glue.

Tie star on top.

Here are a few of a few recent favorites..

Happy Happy and Merry Merry.