Napkins Can Make You Smile or The Joy of Decorative Napkin Folding

Our Mother Cabrini Guild will host an afternoon tea for the ladies and girls of our parish on Sunday. If Ike doesn't come calling, we plan to decorate the church hall on Saturday. The Guild has a great decorating team for all our events, and I have been looking for a way to contribute. After a little research, I decided that developing some napkin-folding skills would complement the other ladies' accomplishments. Last night Emma and I sat down together at the kitchen table to try a new napkin folding book that I ordered called Decorative Napkin Folding for Beginners. Shortly after we started, Herb lost his glasses somewhere in the gameroom, so while I helped him look, Emma worked diligently. Below are individual shots and descriptions of the results. She took all the pictures.



This posy pocket could go formal with a rose bud and baby's breath. Here Emma made use of materials at hand: crape myrtle blossoms.


The place card holder here features a Marian holy card that we have saved from a friend's graduation. It could also hold a clue for a treasure hunt, a saint quote, or a Bible verse.


This design is actually supposed to be Boat with Sails. It gets the sail effect by separating the layers. We decided to form it into a Mary grotto by squishing the hull into the cup and not separating the layers. A Mary cut-out would work nicely. We had stickers handy, though, so Emma used one to try out the effect.

This is Lady Windermere's Fan. I think it would look like a bird if you stood a colored boiled egg up in the little hollow. For crispier folds that would do away with the hollow, wash the napkins in starch, then iron. Actually, all of these designs would benefit from a good starching.

The book showed this silverware holder outfitted with plastic utensils. It would be a fun way to rev up a casual place setting for a barbecue or picnic.

. "Cockscomb" features a ruffle down the front. It's understated, yet elegant.

This one, though called "The Nest", reminds me of a little person sitting on the floor with both legs stretched out.

Here's a boat design for a lakeside meal or fish dinner.

After Emma finished the napkins, Herb found his glasses. . .



in the attic.