TABLE SKIRTING
AND NAPKIN
FOLDING
MODULE CONTENT
COURSE TITLE: Food and Beverage Service 1 – Restaurant and Bar
Service
MODULE TITLE Table Skirting and Napkin Folding
NOMINAL DURATION: 4 HRS
SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this module you MUST be able to:
1. Identify the different folds of table napkin
2. Identify the different designs of table napkin
TOPIC:
1. Types of Napkin Folding
2. Table Skirting
ASSESSMENT METHOD/S:
Written/Oral test
Practical Demonstration
REFERENCE/S:
Food Service and Bartending / Amelia S. Roldan, Benito T. Edica
Food Service and Bartending, Revised Edition 2008/ Amelia S. Roldan,
Benito T. Edica
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
Polytechnic Page 2 of 9
Education Date Revised:
College
Food and Beverage July 2020
Service 1 Document No. Developed by:
Revision # 02
FBS 313 40-FBS 313 Mel-Oliver S. Balagtas
Information Sheet FBS313-5.1
Napkin Folding and Table Skirting
After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:
1. Identify the different folds of table napkin
2. Identify the different designs of table napkin
Introduction
Napkin folding is a type of decorative folding done with a napkin. It can be
done as art or as a hobby. Napkin folding is most commonly encountered as a
table decoration in fancy restaurants. Typically, and for best results, a clean,
pressed, and starched square cloth (linen or cotton) napkin is used. There are
variations in napkin folding in which a rectangular napkin, a napkin ring, a
glass, or multiple napkins may be used.
Types of Napkin Folds
Bishop's Hat
Buffet fold (rectangular pocket)
Candle
Diagonal pocket
Dress Shirt
Envelope
Fan
Fleur-de-lis
Iris
Lotus (water lily)
Rose
The Pyramid Napkin Fold
This classy napkin folding technique is simple, fast, and can be made easily
with most napkins. If the napkin being used is thin and flops easily then iron it
with light starch prior to folding and it will turn out perfectly.
1. Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
2. Fold the napkin in half diagonally.
3. Rotate the napkin so the open end faces away from you.
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
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Education Date Revised:
College
Food and Beverage July 2020
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4. Fold the right end up to meet the far corner, ensuring the edge
of this new fold lays on the centerline as shown.
5. Repeat the last step with the left side, folding the left tip up to
the far corner, creating a diamond shape with a seam
running down the center.
6. Turn the napkin over, keeping the open end facing away from
you.
7. Fold the napkin in half by bringing the farthest point of the
diamond up and back to the nearest point.
8. Turn the napkin over again, this time keeping the open end
facing towards you.
9. Fold the napkin along the center seam and you have a neat,
sturdy pyramid. If your napkin won't stand neatly then you
may need a little starch.
The Bishop's Hat Napkin Fold
This is a classic dinner napkin fold, but it can be difficult to line up the corners
in the cap..
1. Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
2. Fold the dinner napkin in half so that the open end is towards
you.
3. Fold the far-right corner diagonally towards you, resting the
point in the center of the side closest to you.
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
Polytechnic Page 4 of 9
Education Date Revised:
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Food and Beverage July 2020
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4. Fold the near-left corner diagonally away from you, resting it so
that it lays right next to the previous fold.
5. Flip the napkin over and orient it so it points to the far-left and
to the near-right.
6. Fold the bottom half of the napkin up and away from you, laying
it so the far edges run on top of one other.
7. Reach underneath of the napkin and pull out the flap on the
right, making the near-side come to two points as seen in the
picture.
8. Gently roll the left half of the left triangle over and tuck its
end underneath the right triangle.
9. Flip the napkin over, points pointing away from you.
10. Fold the right-triangle to the left, tucking its end into the
another triangle
11. Open up the hat and press the material inside down to fill it
out so that it becomes circular, this may take a little fidgeting.
There you go, now all you need is a little bishop to wear it.
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
Polytechnic Page 5 of 9
Education Date Revised:
College
Food and Beverage July 2020
Service 1 Document No. Developed by:
Revision # 02
FBS 313 40-FBS 313 Mel-Oliver S. Balagtas
The Standing Fan Napkin Fold
Elegant and decorative, this is a classic napkin folding technique. As usual,
and iron helps but is not necessary.
1. Lay the napkin face-down in front of you.
2. Fold the napkin in half and orient the open end towards
you.
3. Fold the napkin like an accordion starting at either narrow
end. Leave one end with 2-3 inches of unfolded napkin to
support the standing fan.
4. Fold the napkin in half with the accordion folds on the
outside.
5. Grasp the unfolded corners where they meet on the open
end and fold them in diagonally, tucking them under the
accordion folds.
6. Open it and stand it up. A beautiful fan for a beautiful
dinner.
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
Polytechnic Page 6 of 9
Education Date Revised:
College
Food and Beverage July 2020
Service 1 Document No. Developed by:
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FBS 313 40-FBS 313 Mel-Oliver S. Balagtas
The Candle Napkin Fold
1. Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
2. Fold the napkin in half diagonally.
3. Orient the napkin so the open ends point away from you.
4. Fold the long side up just about an inch. Press this fold
down well or it will interfere with the next step.
5. Starting at either end, tightly roll the napkin into a cylinder.
Take care to roll it straight so it will stand solidly.
6. Tuck the end of the roll into the base on the backside and
stand it up. Put those matches down, it's not a real candle.
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
Polytechnic Page 7 of 9
Education Date Revised:
College
Food and Beverage July 2020
Service 1 Document No. Developed by:
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FBS 313 40-FBS 313 Mel-Oliver S. Balagtas
The Bird Of Paradise Napkin Fold
This is a classic and classy napkin folding technique that requires a stiff
napkin. If you don't have any dinner napkins made of stiff linen then a light
starching should fix you right up.
1. Lay the napkin face down in front of you.
2. Fold the napkin in half.
3. Fold the napkin in quarters.
4. Fold the napkin in half diagonally, creating a triangle.
5. Orient the triangle so the open tip is facing away from you.
6. Fold the right corner diagonally towards you - laying it down
along the centerline of the triangle, making a new tip pointing
towards you. An iron can make this important fold a whole lot
easier.
7. Do the same with the left corner, fold it diagonally toward you
and press it down next to the previous fold. Now you have a
diamond, you're rich! Yay!.
8. Fold the two "wings" that you just made in folds 6 and 7
under so that you have your original triangle shape back. Once
again an iron can make a world of difference.
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
Polytechnic Page 8 of 9
Education Date Revised:
College
Food and Beverage July 2020
Service 1 Document No. Developed by:
Revision # 02
FBS 313 40-FBS 313 Mel-Oliver S. Balagtas
9. Fold the triangle in half by bringing the center seam towards
you and allowing the ends to fall.
10. This bird's almost ready to fly, but first you must give it
some feathers. While holding the base firmly to keep your folds
together, pull up the four 'flaps' created by the napkin's corners.
“Table skirting” is defined as draping a table with a table cloth in order to
give the table a formal and elegant look. Table skirts are often used at
wedding receptions and press conferences
Skirted tables look stylish and elegant. A table, when covered with a floor-
length table skirt, adds to the personality and appeal of a room. Shirred pleats
are the most frequently used table skirting style. This pleat style gives the table
skirt a gathered appearance. Table skirts with box pleats are used for elegant
occasions. This style features crisp, well-defined pleats. The shirred pleats and
box pleats on a table skirt are automatically pleated by a machine. A table skirt
with shirred pleats is apt for the welcome desk of a business. Table skirts with
box pleats are the preferred choice for high-end fundraisers.
A table skirt is floor length and covers the table completely. A square or round
table covered with a table skirt makes an attractive bedside table. A skirted
dining table adds a luxurious look to the dining room. The table skirt on the
dining table risks getting stained. Placing a piece of glass on the dining table
protects the table skirt from stains. A bold-colored table skirt looks impressive
on a hallway table.
Without much exception, a table skirt in any setting is a fabric or paper drape
which covers the front and sides of a table from the surface down nearly to the
floor. Occasionally, a skirt covers also the back of the table. A table skirt
commonly does not cover the tabletop which must be draped first with a
tablecloth. The skirt is attached to the tablecloth by some temporary means
such as Velcro, snaps or basting. The purpose of the skirt is to shield all the
legs under the table from view. A table skirt creates an uninterrupted visual
impression as well as provides complete modesty for those people seated at the
table.
Bachelor of Technical- Date Developed:
Bulacan
Vocational Teacher July 2020
Polytechnic Page 9 of 9
Education Date Revised:
College
Food and Beverage July 2020
Service 1 Document No. Developed by:
Revision # 02
FBS 313 40-FBS 313 Mel-Oliver S. Balagtas