How to Fold a Cloth Napkin: 12 Quick & Easy Ideas

Simple ways to fold a napkin for any occasion

Co-authored by Tami Claytor and Christopher M. Osborne, PhD

Last Updated: October 2, 2024 Fact Checked

The humble napkin is a functional part of any table setting, but elegant napkin folds can make dinner feel more luxurious and classy for your guests. Whether you want to fold a simple rectangle, a standing triangle, a flower, a silverware pocket, or something more grand, we’ve provided a full list of easy napkin folding instructions. So go ahead and choose a unique napkin fold to make your dining experience memorable!

Tips to Fold a Cloth Napkin

Fold the top half of a square napkin down to cover the bottom half—this makes a rectangle.
Fold the left half of the napkin over to cover the right half—this makes a square.
Fold the right half of the napkin over to cover the left half—this creates the simple rectangle napkin fold.

1

The Simple Rectangle

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The rectangle fold is super easy but still looks classy. Try the rectangle fold for a weeknight meal, a picnic, or a low-key dinner party. ^{[1]
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- 1) Fold the top half of a square napkin down to completely cover the bottom half. This makes a rectangle.
- 2) Fold the left half of the napkin over to cover the right half. Now you have a square again.
- 3) Fold the right half of the napkin over to cover the left half. This little rectangle is your finished product!
- 4) Set the napkin on the plate (or to the left of the plate) with the fold facing to the right. If you want to set the napkin on the right side of the plate, turn the napkin so the fold is facing the plate.

2

The Goblet Fan

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The goblet fan is a popular choice for fancy and casual dinners alike. The “goblet” you put the napkin in is traditionally a wine glass, which makes this a great option if you’re short on table space or you want a more minimalist look. ^{[2]
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- 1) Fold the top of a square napkin in half, working from the top side down, to form a long rectangle.
- 2) Pleat the napkin like an accordion, working from left to right. Fold over about 1 in (2.5 cm) of the napkin from the left edge, then fold the next 1 in (2.5 cm) under the napkin, and so on all the way across.
- 3) Slide one end of the napkin into a wine glass and fan it out at the top. Keep the napkin scrunched together and slide it into the top of the glass. Make minor adjustments by hand to make it look like the napkin is flowering out the top of the goblet.

3

The Silverware Roll

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The silverware roll keeps everyone’s utensils ready to use. The silverware roll definitely isn’t the fanciest napkin fold, but it’s probably the most practical! You’ve seen it used at plenty of restaurants, and it’s easy to do at home as well. ^{[3]
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- 1) Fold the top left corner of a square napkin down to the bottom right corner, creating a right triangle.
- 2) Rotate the triangle so that the longest side is at the bottom. Lay the silverware on the center bottom of the napkin, running parallel to the longest side of the triangle.
- 3) Fold in the left and then right corners of the triangle so that they cover the silverware.
- 4) Starting at the bottom, tightly roll up the napkin all the way to the pointed top, neatly securing the silverware inside.

4

The Silverware Pouch

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The silverware pouch has a convenient pocket for utensils. It’s easy to do and very functional, which makes it a nice step up in presentation from the basic silverware roll. ^{[4]
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- 1) Fold the top of a square napkin in half, working from the top side down, to form a long rectangle.
- 2) Fold the right half over top of the left half to create a smaller square.
- 3) Flip the napkin over so the “open” corner (where you can separate the layers of fabric) is at the top left.
- 4) Fold the top layer of fabric down from the left corner to the right corner.
- 5) Flip the napkin over again so the open corner is at the top right.
- 7) Fold 1/3 of the fabric on the right edge over to the middle of the napkin.
- 8) Bring the left 1/3 over the center so the folded sides overlap. You’ll now have a thin, vertically-oriented rectangle.
- 9) Flip the napkin over and insert your silverware into the pouch. The opening of the pouch will be a diagonal slit in the middle of the rectangle.

5

The Flower

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This fold makes a star-shaped flower that lays nicely on a plate. There are a lot of flower folding options, and this is one of the simplest. But it still looks great! ^{[5]
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- 1) Fold in the four corners of a square napkin to the center of the square, creating a diamond shape.
- 2) Fold the four corners of the diamond into the center, creating a smaller square.
- 3) Flip the napkin over and fold the four corners in once again. You’ll end up with—you guessed it—a smaller diamond shape.
- 4) Pull out the bottom fold of each corner of the diamond. Reach under one of the corners and pull the fabric outward. Once you do this to all four sides, your napkin will look like a four-sided, star-shaped flower.

6

The Diamond

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The shape and layering of the diamond look great on a plate. This diamond isn't just a square napkin rotated 45 degrees—instead, it has two shorter sides on top and two elongated sides on the bottom. It also has layered folds that add texture and visual interest. You can make this diamond fold with a soft cotton napkin or even a large paper napkin. ^{[6]
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- 1) Fold the top half of a square napkin down to the bottom to create a rectangle.
- 2) Fold the left half of the rectangle over top of the right half. You’ll now have a smaller square with open layers of material on the bottom and right sides.
- 3) Fold the top layer of material from the bottom right corner up to the top left corner.
- 4) Fold the second layer of material from the bottom right corner up to about 1 in (2.5 cm) below the top left corner. Unlike with the previous fold, don’t go quite all the way up to the top left corner.
- 5) Repeat the same fold two more times with the remaining two layers, each time stopping about 1 in (2.5 cm) short of the last layer. This creates four visible layers of folds.
- 6) Rotate the napkin 45 degrees (1/8 of a turn) clockwise so it looks like a series of mountain peaks.
- 7) Fold the left and right sides under the napkin, creating a point at the bottom.

7

The Bow Tie

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You can use this bow tie fold with or without napkin rings. If you have really colorful napkins, you could easily call this one “the butterfly” instead! ^{[7]
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- 1) Fold over the top and bottom parts of a square napkin so that they meet in the middle. You’ll end up with a rectangle with a horizontal line running across its middle.
- 2) Fold in the left and right sides so they meet in the middle, creating a smaller square.
- 3) Flip the napkin over.
- 4) Use your thumb and first two fingers to pinch together the napkin from the top and bottom. You’ll see the bow tie (or butterfly) shape now!
- 5) Secure the middle with a napkin ring or a strip of fabric. Slip the napkin ring over one side of the napkin and into the middle. Or, wrap a strip of fabric around the pinched-together area and tack it in place with a small dab of hot glue .

8

The Candlestick

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Stand this candlestick napkin upright to add a unique feature. The folded napkin will look like a thick candlestick—but don’t try to light it! ^{[8]
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- 1) Fold the top left corner of a square napkin down to the bottom right corner. Rotate the triangle you just made so that the longest side is at the bottom.
- 2) Fold up the bottom 1 in (2.5 cm) of the long side of the triangle. Run your finger over the fold to smooth it down flat.
- 3) Roll up the napkin into a tight cylinder, starting from the left corner of the triangle. Tuck the last little bit of fabric at the right corner of the triangle into the rolled-up material.
- 4) Stand the napkin upright. If you rolled it tightly and evenly, it’ll stand up straight instead of looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

9

The Sail

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The sail is an easy “standing fold” option, but needs a stiff napkin. You may need to starch your cloth napkins to stiffen them up—but don’t worry, it’s the same easy process as starching a shirt ! ^{[9]
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- 1) Fold a square napkin in half from the top side down. You’ll end up with a rectangle with the long sides at the top and bottom.
- 2) Fold the top right corner down to the center point of the bottom edge of the rectangle. You’ll now have a shape like a square scrunched up against a right triangle.
- 3) Fold the top left corner down in the same fashion. Now you have two scrunched together right triangles forming one bigger triangle!
- 4) Flip the napkin over and fold it in half along its vertical center line. Make this a “loose” fold instead of pressing it down smooth.
- 5) Stand the napkin up on a plate so that it forms an upright 90-degree (right) triangle. The open sides of the triangle will rest on the plate and rise up perpendicular to the plate.

10

The Formal Pyramid

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The pyramid is a classy and traditional standing fold option. You’ll commonly find pyramid folds at steakhouses and high-end restaurants. This is a great fold if you want a nice table arrangement that looks fancy but not overly fussy. ^{[10]
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- 1) Grab the top left corner of a square napkin and fold it down to the bottom right corner. You’ll have a triangle with a 90-degree angle at the bottom right.
- 2) Rotate the napkin so the longest side of the triangle (opposite the right angle) is at the top, running horizontally.
- 3) Fold the right-side corner of the triangle down to meet the bottom corner.
- 4) Bring the left corner down the same way to make a diamond shape. There will be a vertical slit in the middle of the diamond.
- 5) Flip the napkin over and fold the top corner down to meet the bottom corner. You’ll now have a triangle once again!
- 6) Fold the right-side corner over to meet the left side corner. Now you’ll have a small right triangle with the 90-degree angle at the top right.
- 7) Stand the napkin up like a tent and place it on a plate. Set the longest side of the triangle down on the plate and gently fluff out the sides of the triangle to create a slight pyramid shape.

11

The Rose

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The rose fold takes a rolled up napkin to a classy new level. The rose is a bit complicated but definitely manageable to fold, so give it a try! It looks especially great with a red, pink, or pastel-colored napkin. ^{[11]
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- 1) Lay a square napkin in a diamond orientation (corners at top, bottom, left, and right) and fold in the top and bottom corners to the center point of the napkin. The tips of the folded-in corners should touch, not overlap.
- 2) Fold in the top and bottom edges to the horizontal midline of the napkin, right over top of the folded-in corners.
- 3) Fold the top and bottom edges to the napkin’s horizontal midline once again.
- 4) Fold the napkin in half, top over bottom, along the horizontal midline.
- 5) Put your left thumb along the bottom of the napkin, about 3 in (7.6 cm) from the right edge, and fold over the fabric to the right of your thumb upward at a 90-degree angle. Keep your thumb in position.
- 6) Put your right thumb next to your left one, pick up the napkin, and roll it in a tight spiral from right to left. You’ll end up with a tight cylinder with two short “tongues” sticking out from the bottom.
- 7) Flip the rolled-up napkin over and tuck one of the two loose ends (“tongues”) into the folds of the fabric. Flip the napkin back over when you’ve done this.
- 8) Fluff out the other loose end and the inner folds a little to make your rose “bloom” slightly. Center the napkin on a plate and you’re ready to go!

12

The Bishop’s Hat

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The bishop's hat has an eye-catching, refined look. You can often find the bishop’s hat fold in high-end restaurants. It’s a napkin fold that really stands out and your guests are sure to take note! ^{[12]
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- 1) Make a rectangle by folding your square napkin in half from top to bottom.
- 2) Fold the top right corner down to touch the center of the bottom edge.
- 3) Fold the bottom left corner up to touch what was the center of the top edge. The napkin will look like a parallelogram.
- 4) Flip the napkin over so that the long sides of the parallelogram remain at the top and bottom, and the shorter sides remain at the left and right.
- 5) Fold the bottom edge up to meet the top edge. However, leave the bottom layer of fabric in place along the bottom edge—it will point downward in the shape of a small triangle.
- 6) Reach under the right side of the napkin along the bottom edge and unfold the triangular flap. The napkin will now look like two overlapping, downward-pointing triangles.
- 7) Fold the left-side triangle in half. Lift up the top layer of the right-side triangle, fold the left corner of the left-side triangle under it, then lay the top layer of the right-side triangle back in place.
- 8) Flip the napkin over and tuck the right edge into the left flap. Once you flip the napkin over, you’ll see a diagonal slit on the left side—grab the far right edge of the napkin and slip it into this flap. The napkin will look like a flattened crown with two points on top.
- 9) Lift up the “hat,” spread open the bottom, and set it on a plate. Pick up the hat so the points are facing upward, then press inward to give the flattened hat a rounded shape. Now it’s ready for the plate!

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you use a napkin ring?

Tami Claytor
Etiquette Coach
Tami Claytor is an Etiquette Coach, Image Consultant, and the Owner of Always Appropriate Image and Etiquette Consulting in New York, New York. With over 20 years of experience, Tami specializes in teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations. Tami has spent decades studying cultures through her extensive travels across five continents and has created cultural diversity workshops to promote social justice and cross-cultural awareness. She holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University. Tami studied at the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned her Image Consultant Certification.

Tami Claytor

Etiquette Coach

Expert Answer

It all depends on what type of design you want to create. If you're not looking for anything fancy, you can just roll the napkin, slide the ring over it, and place it on a plate. For something a little nicer, you can fold the napkin in half and pass the folded part through the ring so it fans out on one side.

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Do you have to use a square napkin?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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The goblet fan and the silverware pouch should work. The bishop's hat and pyramid will work, but the shape may be a little odd if you have rectangular napkins. Napkins are almost always square by default, so it shouldn't be hard to find some square napkins if you don't have them.

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Do you have to use a fabric napkin or can I just use a paper one?

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Both fabric and paper napkins work. As long as it's the right shape to fold, you should be good!

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There are hundreds of other options available. You can fold a napkin for a napkin ring , fold napkin pockets in various styles, or craft other types of folded napkin flowers if you’re looking for something a little different.

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How to Fold a Cloth Napkin: 12 Quick & Easy Ideas

Tips to Fold a Cloth Napkin

Steps

The Simple Rectangle

The Goblet Fan

The Silverware Roll

The Silverware Pouch

The Flower

The Diamond

The Bow Tie

The Candlestick

The Sail

The Formal Pyramid

The Rose

The Bishop’s Hat

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