How to Fold Napkins (or There's a Website for Everything)

Jay Johnson -- There is a website for everything. I've heard that maxim from many people, but now I believe it's true.

At Easter, I videotaped designer Irwin Weiner in his Pennsylvania home, setting the dining room table for an Easter weekend party. He had purchased a 1950s yellow and white tablecloth and matching cloth napkins online and wanted to do a special napkin folding.

I was fascinated and captured him on video. He goes through all the simple folding steps to create a flower (or Easter lily, to fit the occasion). But the technique also created something that was very basket-like, so you could fill the folded napkins with little party favors, nuts, candies, or other creative ingredients.

So I got curious about seeing if I could find a website that showed how to fold napkins into other arrangements. Low and behold, there's Napkin Folding Guide.com. It has photographs of step-by-step folding techniques to turn ordinary napkins into perfect place setting accessories.

The site even sells napkin folding books and shows you how to fold flags, fitted sheets, T-shirts, pocket squares, and even a handkerchief mouse.

Yes, I can now say that there IS a website for practically anything under the sun. And here are other napkin folding guides on the web: Custom Linen Service (click on the different pictures of folded napkins and you'll get a pop-up window showing the folding instructions), Robbie's Kitchen (an excellent site filled with great cooking and kitchen tips), Delish,  and Milliken Table Linens (actually one of my favorites as they offer both written instructions and how-to videos).

And here's our own Irwin Weiner ASID in one of our most popular videos ever, showing you how to fold his favorite "flower power" napkins!