There are many reasons to use cloth napkins both for special occasions and for everyday dining. You save a lot of money with multi-use products, instead of using a new napkin for every meal, snack, or event. Plus, cleaning and reusing cloth napkins is an environmentally-friendly option, and keeping more trash from a landfill is always a good choice.

A fun advantage of using cloth napkins is all of the folding options they provide. Let’s take a look at some creative ideas to use every day on your dining table, at your next dinner party, or even when setting tables for a wedding or other large gathering. Not only might you take away an idea or two, but you can also learn how to fold a cloth napkin.

How to Roll Silverware in a Cloth Napkin

Let’s start with the simplest of napkin and silverware presentation with a silverware roll. Fold your napkin into a square and then a triangle. Place your bundle of silverware on the long end of the triangle. Fold each corner of the long end of the triangle over the silverware, and then roll it up. So simple and yet it’s a beautiful way to use your cloth napkins.

Cloth Napkin Folding with Ring

The easiest way to prepare a cloth napkin for a napkin ring is to simply puff it out. Pick the napkin up by its center, holding it between your fingers above your work surface. Smooth out any stray edges and folds. Then simply slip the ring over the end of the napkin you’re holding and fluff the ends.

A fan fold for a napkin ring is another simple, yet a bit more elegant, option. You should start with a 20x20 cloth napkin, like these polyester napkins from iQ Linens. Lay the napkin flat on your table and begin folding like an accordion until you have a one-inch folded napkin. Fold the accordion in half and slip the narrow end about a third of the way through the napkin and then spread the rest into a fan.

Silverware Pouch Cloth Napkin Fold

WikiHow.com offers “4 Ways to Fold a Cloth Napkin” and leads with this simple folding technique: Making a Silverwear Pouch

Making a silverware pouch out of a napkin is a matter of simple folding. The key to doing this well is a clean flat surface. Matching corners, making crisp folds, and avoiding wrinkles are also crucial for making this presentation of silverware look its best, and starting on a flat surface makes all of that easier. For complete step-by-step directions, visit WikiHow’s article.

Photo by Thomas Picard from FreeImages

Fan Fold Napkin

Add a little flare to your place-settings by trying the class fan fold for your napkin and setting it on top of your plate. The Taste of Home blog tells gives you the steps for this fold and six more in their article “How to Fold a Napkin”.

The key to making a beautiful fan fold is to use a stiff napkin, which can be found in a rainbow of colors from iQ Linens. For a fan fold, you start with a square napkin folded into a rectangle and then start folding in 1-inch accordion pleats.

Wedding Napkin Fold for a Place Card Holder

From the same Taste of Home article, you can learn to turn your napkin into a place card holder for your special event by folding it just so. With some layering, a few precise folds, and a tuck here and there, you have a perfect pocket for a place card that you can leave on your guests’ plates. This might be the perfect wedding napkin folding idea because it makes dual use of a single place setting element, saving room on what will be a crowded table.

Cloth Napkin Folders to Make a Place Card Holder from Taste of Home

Rose Napkin Folds

A classic and classy cloth napkin folding option is to make a rosebud. Though the result lends some sophistication to your set table, the fold itself is quite simple. Start by folding your cloth napkin into a triangle by folding diagonally. The final look requires several turns and corner folds. The Kitchen Joy Blog shows you how to achieve the rosebud napkin fold.

The Kitchen Joy Blog’s Rose Napkin Fold Directions

For a romantic meal, particularly on Valentine’s Day, you might opt for a full-rose fold. This can be a little complicated, so it’s best to watch this video from Jenny W. Chan from her YouTube channel Origami Tree.

Swan Folded Dinner Napkins

The most storied, and one of the most complicated, cloth napkin folds is into the shape of a swan. The Jewel Pie blog provides instructions for “How to fold origami swan using napkins”. In this article blogger Sara Khong uses a paper napkin to make the swan, but the same fold can be achieved using a stiff cloth napkin, ironed to have crisp folds. In fact, applying starch to the cloth napkin before beginning to fold would offer the best result. Starting with the napkin in front of you in a diamond shape, you will only need seven folds to achieve a beautiful result. Your dinner guests will be amazed at the end result!

Origami Napkin Swan by Sara Khong from JewelPie.com blog

Christmas Tree Napkin Fold

Lastly, here is a great idea for your holiday table – a Christmas tree fold for your festive napkins. You’ll need a perfectly square cloth napkin that you can fold in half and then half again. Then you fold each corner in a staggered manner, flip over and fold in the opposite sides to form a tree shape. Flip the points up and tuck under the above fold. Sounds a little complicated, right? Check out this instructional video and step-by step from Inscrutables.com.

Christmas Tree Cloth Napkin Fold from Instructables.com