We fold paper napkins for the holiday table

Exquisite and stylish table setting is an indispensable attribute of any feast or celebration. One of the key moments in creating an atmosphere of celebration is the decoration of the table with napkins. With their help, you can not only effectively decorate the table and dishes, but also set the color scheme and the mood of the event. In order to lay down simple shapes, special equipment and special skills are not required. In addition, in addition to the aesthetic properties of napkins, they have a purely utilitarian practical application.

For serving, two types of napkins are used: paper and cloth.

1. Fabric products designed for individual use, they are laid out near or on top of each guest's plate, so that it is convenient for him at the beginning of the meal to unfold and put the napkin on his knees.
2. Paper models should be arranged so that guests sitting nearby can easily reach them if necessary.

The main advantage of paper napkins is their availability and richness of colors and textures, which allows them to serve the table in any situation. Napkins can be simply decomposed into napkin holders, improvised with shapes and twisted with simple cute shapes, or you can lay out something enchanting at all. The choice depends only on personal skills, wishes and preferences.

Properly serving napkins to the table is an art that needs to take into account a number of points. The color, shape and overall creative design should be consistent with the theme and style of the event, in harmony with the tablecloth and the tableware on the table. Also important moment is the simplicity of addition.

Turn paper napkins into beautiful and unusual shapes is not as difficult as it seems. Of course, as in any other business, in order to achieve mastery, it is recommended to go in stages - from a simple version to a difficult one. But the charm of origami allows even with a minimum of effort to create genuine masterpieces. Even children can fold simple decorationsThis process develops fine motor skills, increases intelligence and allows you to turn the hassle before the arrival of guests into a real family holiday.

To make decorations from napkins, it is best to use ready-made instructions. - diagrams describing the stages of work and various folding methods. Often, newbies are lost, not knowing how to read such schemes, but in reality everything is quite simple: the dashed lines indicate the bends, the straight lines the cuts, and the arrows indicate the direction of the bend of the paper. A semicircular arrow symbolizes a fold in the indicated direction, a zigzag symbol means addition type z, known as “accordion”, and an arrow scrolling in the middle of a ring indicates that it is necessary to turn the product over.

There are two basic ways to decorate a table with paper napkins: put an individual figure for each guest on each plate or put a few pieces in a napkin holder.

Napkin holders come in different shapes, but the main among them is the classic semicircle. However, a scattering of napkins can be laid in any handmade dishes: glasses, glasses, small vases or even a simple plate.

• The most common and widely known figure is single or double fan. To create it, each napkin should be bent in half, receiving a triangle, and, applying the resulting triangles to each other with a shift of the outer corner by about one centimeter, to form a fan. A single fan folds from the central triangle to the edges, and a double fan is formed in two rows directed towards each other. It looks interesting and a way of folding "accordion". The napkin is assembled into an accordion in steps of one or two centimeters, bent in half and inserted into a napkin holder.

• You can simply put a napkin in a glass using method of folding into a straw. In this case, the napkin folds in half, is placed with the base down and gently rolled up, starting from the right corner. For convenience, it is recommended to first wrap the napkin around your fingers. In the resulting tube, the upper third is bent, after which the product is placed in a glass.
• An interesting and unusual way to arrange paper napkins in a napkin holder is "bird". At the square napkin, the opposing corners are bent a few centimeters, after which the part is bent in half with the curved corners inward, and a trapezium is formed. From several nested and slightly extended trapeziums, the bird's tail is formed. The head is made of a napkin rolled up into a tube, the tip of which is slightly bent to the side. Such a model would be particularly advantageous to look, if you use napkins of different colors for the tail.

• If you use the usual wide cup as a napkin holder, you can make an original and bright "Bilateral waterfall". In this case, the napkins are unfolded so that a rectangle is obtained from the original square, which, depending on the size of the dishes, can be folded along one or two times. The rectangles are stacked on top of each other, leveled and bent in the middle. The middle is recessed in the cup, after which it remains only to straighten the hanging sheets. Origami figures, set on a plate, can be divided into two types. The figures directly include the figures - flowers, animals, leaves, while the other type combines napkins-pockets in which you can wrap or put cutlery, live flowers or branches.

• Napkins are very popular among children and young people. in the form of rabbits. The napkin folds twice in half, with the edges pointing upwards, with the result that a long, narrow strip emerges. The edges of the strip grab and at the same time bend down so that an angle forms at the upper middle point of the strip. The next step, one after another, the lower edges are bent to the center, and then folded in half, forming the ears. Then the central upper triangle bends back, and one of the ears tucks into the pocket of the other, after which it remains only to turn and smooth the rabbit.

• Another interesting way is folding fan. The napkin unfolds and folds in half so that the front side is outside. Further approximately three quarters of the length is made not very large harmonica. With the next step, origami is bent in half, the tail not folded in accordion is bent inward, and the figure is set to the surface.

• To make the envelope, it is desirable to take larger and thicker napkins. The napkin is placed in a rhombus so that the corner with single layers looks to the right, then bends in half twice and unbends back to the rhombus. After that, the uppermost layer of the napkin is taken on the right and bent in half three times so that as a result it passes through the middle line of the figure. The next layer is bent in the same way two times, reaching the middle line, after which the figure turns inside out and turns to the square. The sides of the square are bent to the middle, the figure is turned over the other side for the last time, and an envelope with two pockets is formed.

Experts of table decor believe that the color scheme and method of folding napkins should correspond to the subject of the event. And if for a friendly party or a feast in a narrow circle it is enough just to place paper napkins in a napkin holder or a glass, then the table should be laid for a festive event and reception of guests should be made by more refined figures.

An important point is the color solution:

1. For a children's holiday or a youth party, bright monophonic napkins or products decorated with an interesting gradient, a cheerful print or pattern will be a good option.
2. Family celebration will be decorated with discreet pastel and beige tones.
3. At the official event, it is preferable to choose plain-colored models or napkins with a minimal strict print.

Do not lose relevance and thematic colors. On the New Year, the red-green and claret-gold gamut look like a win-win, the traditional spring colors are shades of pink, light green and blue, and autumn is associated with purple, sunny yellow and ocher. For a romantic dinner it is better to stay in the classic white, red and pink tones. However, atypical combinations can be a highlight of the evening, the main thing is not to overdo it with experiments.

You should practice in advance and twist a few napkins the day before, in order to remember the folding methods and the peculiarities of creating the form. In the extreme case, if it was not possible to practice, the planned form does not work or there is simply no time left, the simplest possible method is laying the napkins in a pile on a plate.

For greater aesthetics, each subsequent product can be laid with a slight shift., to result in a multi-pointed asterisk.

Despite the fact that there are a number of traditional schemes and options that are commonly used for table setting, if desired, and with proper preparation, paper napkins can be folded into almost any figure from the huge origami arsenal. Of course, you will have to invest a lot of time and effort, because such work can only be done by a person who already has experience in creating origami.

For example, a whole lotus can be folded out of light yellow and green napkins. This design option looks bright and atypical. Due to the high cost of material and hard work, such a figure hardly makes sense to put each guest on a plate. This form implies a purely decorative, rather than practical use. We decorate the table with several lotuses, which will guarantee an unforgettable evening.

A more modest, but no less difficult from a technical point of view, is the production of a complex rose, for example, Kawasaki roses. Under the flower encloses a few green leaves, collected by a simple method of zigzag zalom.Depending on the situation, the rose itself may be of different colors, but it is better to give preference to natural colors: white, cream, pink, red.

Other natural origami options will also look original.

Combination of paper leaves, for example, a mini-bouquet, fastened in the middle with a ring or a ribbon, also look safe. Its lower half is compressed, forming a cylinder - the trunk, and carved leaves are fluffed up above. The combination of three corrugated sheets fastened in the lower quarter with an elastic band with a decorative ornament is also quite effective in execution, however, it is quite spectacular. The special charm of this composition will give interesting combinations of colors.

Even the idea of ​​serving napkins in a napkin holder can be approached very creatively - not even the cup itself, but its pen, can be used as a napkin holder. The napkin stuck into the hole is not only easily inserted and drawn, but also gives the feast the holiday atmosphere due to the contrasting color and unusual shape.

You will learn more about how to fold paper napkins for the holiday table in the following video.