Decorative folding

Table setting during a German wedding party showing a simple example of decorative napkin folding.

Peacock and peahen towel animals in a resort suite. Items like the flower petals and eye stickers here can be used to accentuate a design.

Decorative folding is an artistic type of folding similar to origami but applied to fabrics instead of paper. Some types of objects that can be folded are napkins, towels, and handkerchiefs.

Folding can be done as a hobby or an art but is most commonly encountered as a decoration in luxury hotels (towels) or fancy restaurants (napkins).^[1] Napkin folding has a centuries-old history^[2] and dates back to the times of Louis XIV of France.^[3]

As opposed to paper origami, folding fabrics generally requires less precision; "molding" is introduced as part of the artistic process adding an element similar to modeling in clay.^[4]

See also

• Furoshiki
• Knot tying
• Hotel toilet paper folding
• Towel animal

Notes and references

1. Kuhn, Doris (2005). Napkin Folding for Every Occasion. New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 9781402728020. It is no accident that fine restaurants have long preserved the art of napkin folding as an important element of presentation.
2. Hetzer, Linda (2001). The Simple Art of Napkin Folding: 94 Fancy Folds for Every Tabletop Occasion. Robert Penny (1st William Morrow pbk. ed.). New York, N.Y.: William Morrow. p. 7. ISBN 9780060934897. Retrieved 26 February 2013. More than three centuries ago, napkin folding was developed into an art, ...
3. Kuhn, Doris (2005). Napkin Folding for Every Occasion. New York: Sterling Publishing. pp. 9–10. ISBN 9781402728020.
4. Jenkins, Alison (2005). The Lost Art of Towel Origami. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel. ISBN 0-7407-5563-3. Unlike paper origami, the lost art of towel origami leans heavily towards a range of 'molding' techniques combined with simple, basic folding methods.

Further reading

• Oppenheimer, Lillian; Epstein, Natalie (1979). Decorative Napkin Folding for Beginners. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0486237974.
• Kuhn, Doris (2005). Napkin Folding for Every Occasion. New York: Sterling Publishing. ISBN 9781402728020.
• Jenkins, Alison (2005). The Lost Art of Towel Origami. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel. ISBN 0-7407-5563-3.
• Campbell, Deanna (2007). Towel Origami: Discover the Wonderful World of Towel Folding. Lewes, England: Ivy Press. ISBN 9781905695164.