Napkin Folding Tutorial

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all had a great weekend!  Tonight I'm linking to Metamorphosis Monday with Susan at Between Naps On The Porch.  A few weeks ago I posted a Valentine table on Tablescape Thursdays, using pictures from a table I did last Valentine's Day, 2010.

  A couple of people were interested in seeing how to fold the napkins in a heart shape, so here it is.  This is so amazingly easy and fun to do for a Valentine's dinner or any special dinner where you might want to add a romantic touch (like maybe an anniversary celebration).  I came across this napkin fold purely by accident on the internet last February and thought it would be fun to try.  Then about a month ago, we were in the book store and I spotted this book of classic napkin folds in the bargain book section for, well, a real bargain.  I'll show the book on another post and maybe demonstrate some other folds.  But tonight, I'm doing the heart fold.

My book says "This is an easy shape to make but needs to be folded with precision and requires napkins that will hold creases well, so choose crisp linen -- in pink or red."  Last year I kind of decided to do this table on impulse, so I had to get my napkins at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It's not always easy to find pink in the shade you want, so I went with these because they were the color I needed.  They are a damask pattern, but the content is 52% cotton and 48% polyester, so they are not as crisp as linen or 100% cotton would be.  However, I made them work fairly easily.  So they'd look good for the pictures, I did put two small pins in the back of each napkin, being careful not to tear the fabric.  They've been folded in my dining room chest since last February, so they were a bit creased, and I did not have time to iron them tonight (son home on Spring Break); but if you iron each fold thoroughly, it should hold its shape nicely.  Also, if your napkins are linen or a crisp cotton, you shouldn't have to pin them at all.

The napkin is 17" x 17" square.  First turn it over so that proper pattern side is facing down.

  Next, fold the napkin in half, bringing the top edge down to meet the bottom edge.

  Fold almost in half again, bringing the bottom edge up just short of the top.

  Then, holding the centre point of the bottom edge with the tip of your finger, fold the right-hand side up vertically.

  Next, repeat with the left side, creating a sharp point at the base of the heart.

  At this point I turned the napkin over in order to shape the top of the heart by folding the four top corners underneath. 

 I inserted a pin on each side to hold the top shapes of the heart, and then turned it right side up again and voila -- you have a heart-shaped napkin for a pretty Valentine's table.

Well that's it for my first Met Monday post.  I hope you can use this for your table next Valentine's, or if you have a special occasion sooner.  Also, my Blog has a new look now.  I did a little re-arranging this weekend and added a new header and new background with a more Springy look and feel to it.  Also, I realized people were having to scroll waaaay down to the bottom of my posts to read my profile and find my blog archives, so I moved those to the top.  I'm still new at this and learning as I go.  I hope those of you who spot my blog will now find it more user friendly and easier to navigate through.  Thanks again Susan for hosting Metamorphosis Monday!

Denise