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Covering tables with tablecloths. Techniques for folding linen napkins. Serving paper napkins in the form of a candle. Napkin "Autumn carved leaf"

Nowadays, everyday life and convenience play an integral part of a person's life. A feast with family or friends cannot be complete without such an attribute as napkins. Why do we need napkins on the table? Decorating with napkins carries not only a decorative function, but also hygienic aspects. After all, for a good housewife, every little thing is important!

Decorating the table with napkins gives the table an atmosphere of coziness and hospitality and completes the look of the festive table.

Accessories in the form of napkins can be of different shapes and sizes; different color palette and all kinds of patterns / patterns and, accordingly, different materials.

Why are they good linen napkins? Firstly, linen is a natural material that looks very stylish. It will decorate your table, give your meal a homely atmosphere. Secondly, linen items are durable and not easily washed off. They do not need to be soaked or washed several times to wash away dirt. In addition, linen withstands washing very well and does not fade. Thirdly, linen perfectly absorbs moisture and is pleasant to the touch.

Linen napkins by all indications are perfect for setting your table. Beautiful, high quality, natural!

In our online store you can find: napkins on the table, beautiful napkins, party napkins, linen napkin sets.

Having made purchase in the Atasi online store Youget a 5% discount on your 2nd and subsequent purchase. Why you should give preference to us: ✓ - all products only first grade; ✓ - only natural materials(linen, cotton); ✓ - durability ; ✓ - pleasant fabric to the touch; ✓ -payment on deliverygoods; ✓ - one of the most low prices in Moscow; ✓ - production of RB (Orsha) and RF


Linen napkins can serve not only as a decoration for a festive table, but also simply for decorating a table, or a TV bedside table! Show your imagination and a whole lot of options for their use will open before you!

The details are of the utmost importance. On the festive table, a napkin, essential from the aesthetics and extremely necessary from a practical point of view, is a napkin. NameWoman will talk about its history, about the various options and features of modern napkins and what requirements should be presented to them at official and special occasions; you will also learn how to properly use napkins at a common table.

Napkin by Leonardo da Vinci

In ancient times, the cleanliness of hands while eating was either not taken care of at all, or they used original products that have little in common with modern napkins. In the latter case, while at the table, people most often simply washed their fingers in special bowls filled with fragrant liquids with flower petals and citrus slices or peels. But in Egypt, instead of napkins (and cutlery), special aish baladi cakes were still used and do not lose their relevance.

Leonardo da Vinci is considered one of the alleged inventors of the prototype of the modern napkin. In his time, the norms of etiquette allowed throwing bones under the table and wiping their hands on their own clothes or a tablecloth right during a meal. Leonardo da Vinci was a great esthete, in order to make the feasts in his house more tidy, he made sure that there was a special individual clean piece of cloth near the plate of each guest for drying his mouth and hands.

The thick fabric napkin was officially patented in 1887. Briton John Dickinson is immortalized as an inventor in history. Well, the first paper napkins appeared on the tables after the First World War.

Features of various napkins

- If we talk about the best restaurant textiles, then these are modern napkins containing equal proportions of cotton and polyester. Special impregnation helps them stay clean for a long time, do not get too wet and keep their shape well.

It is very interesting that when the dishes, tablecloths, as well as the dishes you have chosen match, linen, a little rough-looking eco-napkins, look on the table.

For special occasions, taking care of maintaining the shape of woven napkins, they are starchy.

When folding cloth napkins, so that the result of the work looks as neat and aesthetically pleasing as possible, the folds that require clarity are ironed with an iron.

The standard size of the table napkin is 45 x 45 cm.For a big celebration with multiple changes of dishes, it is recommended to use products with a side of 56-66 cm.

Nowadays, unusual options for the shapes of napkins are becoming extremely popular - rectangular, oval and round, as well as fancy products with openwork edges.

Now on sale you can find special paper napkins that look and feel very much like fabric.

Quality paper napkin material - 100% cellulose.

- A new fashion trend and, perhaps, the most hygienic napkin option is oshibori. For many, the first acquaintance with such products took place during a trip to Japan or in a sushi restaurant. Osibori are small wet towels. It is served rolled or folded on a special stand, usually before the start of a meal. In winter this towel is pre-warmed and cooled in summer, this tradition gives hands a special feeling of cleanliness and freshness. The classic oshibori is a soft cotton terry towel (it is believed that in good restaurants it can be used up to 25 times after washing and re-preparation), however, nowadays, disposable paper oshibori are also often found, which are served individually sealed.

Napkin etiquette

Single-ply paper is acceptable if placed in napkin holders and napkin holders or special common glasses. Only two-layer or three-layer napkins are placed near or on individual plates. And only such products are used when folding napkins for table decor.

On official holidays, business lunches, etc. status events with a rich table use only cloth napkins. Napkin rings are not used at formal events.

Initially, napkin rings were not used for decoration at all. They were a way to mark your napkin so that you could use it repeatedly during meals and after changing dishes.

- According to the rules of etiquette at the official feast, the napkins must match the tablecloth. An informal lunch allows for contrasting combinations.

At a formal event, when setting the table, napkins should not lie next to an empty plate - they are located in the middle of an individual bedding (doyle) or on a serving plate.

In the event that the first course was served before the guests sat down at the table, the napkin can be placed to the left of the plate and to the left of the forks.

If you are folding monogrammed napkins, then it should be in a prominent place in the resulting figure. The monogram should be turned towards the person to whom the napkin is intended.

If you serve dishes that are eaten with your hands, and these dishes are very dirty, then it is highly advisable to offer guests a shallow vase of warm water for hands.

How to use a napkin at the table

When sitting at the table, unfold a cloth napkin and place it on your lap, folded in half.

Soiled fingers wipe on the edge of a cloth napkin (accordingly, it will be top and not in contact with your clothes if the napkin is already on your lap). If you are very dirty, then you need to put yourself in order in the toilet room.

Extremely indecent actions with napkins at the table:

Wipe your appliances with a napkin. This gesture is extremely offensive because you question the cleanliness of the hostess or the restaurant staff. In the latter case, if something is wrong with the devices, ask them to replace them.

Blow your nose into a napkin. You shouldn't blow your nose at the table at all. If the need arises, excuse yourself and leave the table in the washroom.

If you drop a woven cloth on the floor, it should no longer be used for proper etiquette. Pick it up and ask to replace it.

Do not wipe your mouth with a napkin, but only get wet. If the lips are painted, then using a woven napkin for table setting is highly undesirable in this case. Use a disposable tissue paper, then roll or gently crumple it into a ball. Such lumps are usually placed on the side under the edge of the plate. When changing dishes and when they clear the table without waiting for the waiter or hostess of the celebration, put these lumps on your plate along with the cutlery.

Leaving the table after a meal, woven napkins are left on the table to the right of the plate.

After using the oshibori, it is rolled up as it was served and placed back on the stand.

Maria Nikitina

Linen napkins in our online store can be purchased separately from the tablecloth. For some linen tablecloths presented in our online store, you can pick up linen napkins in this section.

Linen napkins vary in size and type of weave. There are jacquard and one-colored linen napkins. Napkins with jacquard weave have a beautiful pattern, they are denser than plain dyed. Smooth linen napkins can be monochromatic in different colors, or have a printed (printed) pattern.

Doilies with hemstitch look very beautiful - narrow openwork embroidery along the edge of a linen napkin.

Our online store offers a large assortment of various linen napkins, if you did not find what you were looking for, ask for a wide range of linen napkins in our warehouse. You can buy napkins of various sizes and textures from us.

In our online store you can buy napkins for a restaurant, buy napkins in bulk, as well as purchase them at retail.

Napkins on the table? Choose linen!

In the catalog of the IsoLna.ru store you will find table napkins of various shapes and colors. When choosing a serving type of napkin, first of all, consider the specifics of the event. A universal tool for decorating a festive table is snow-white linen textiles. The secret of its popularity lies in the premium quality and unique texture of the fabric.

  • Napkins for plates made of vintage gray linen look stylish and expensive in any setting. These textiles can be complemented with discreet embroidery or lace.
  • Bright linen will help to provide the event with a special mood. Our catalog contains a huge selection of beautiful table napkins in rich wine, cheerful yellow and energetic purple, deep blue, green, chocolate, coral and other interesting shades.
  • For admirers of restrained beauty, we are ready to offer square napkins in pastel shades - milk, cream, nude, mint, peach, coffee.

Serving napkins - in a cage, stripes and polka dots

Lovers of the classics will be able to buy napkins on the table in a small and large cage, with a Vichy print. Textiles decorated with floral prints will bring a fresh spring mood into the house. We have not forgotten about those who prefer striped prints and polka dots. We sell napkins in bulk for cafes and restaurants, canteens, canteens, recreation centers, preschool institutions. We have napkins for appliances, decorated with placers of bright colors and more delicate options, with discreet floral patterns.

Wholesale napkins - buy linen napkins at manufacturer's price

For catering agencies, hotels, recreation centers, cafes, restaurants, we have prepared a collection of sets of napkins of various shades, made from softened linen, which is very popular today. We will help you choose textiles in a corporate color that will subtly emphasize the level of the establishment and ensure the perfect serving.

Linen napkins can be purchased separately or complete with a tablecloth. IsoLna.ru shop works directly with leading Russian and Belarusian flax-processing plants and offers to buy napkins in bulk at the best prices in Moscow.

The center of any meal is a tastefully laid table. When a hostess has a question about table textiles, tablecloths and table napkins come to mind. Why do we need cloth napkins? How to deal with them during the feast?

What is a textile napkin

They are divided into two types, based on the purpose. Placemat napkins are those that are laid on the table individually for each guest and on which the serving is organized. But the most common is the second option for table napkins, which need to be laid on your knees and your hands wiped off. It is about them that we will talk. Moreover, you will learn three ways of folding textile napkins: the simplest, but effective and meeting the main requirements of etiquette.

Where did the napkin come from on the tables?


During the Middle Ages, such an attribute of a feast as napkins had not yet been invented, and in order to wipe their hands from fat, people used the tablecloth itself. Only distinguished guests were served a bowl of water and lemon, which has disinfecting properties, to rinse their fingers in it.
Napkins came into widespread use only in the 16th century. At first, napkins were placed on the shoulder, on the arm, or were used as a bib, which was attached to the vest with silver hooks or tied at the back of the neck. Gradually the napkins "moved" to my knees. In the 17th century, when women's skirts became more magnificent, the size of napkins increased to 90-115 cm. With the advent of new cutlery, the size of the napkin also changed. So, as soon as the use of a fork came into practice (and this happened only in the middle of the 18th century), the participants in the meal became more accurate and the napkins decreased in size.

Modern textile napkins: materials and sizes, style and color

According to the canons of classic table etiquette, for a banquet, dinner party or dinner, table textiles should be sewn from natural white linen. But modern table etiquette allows you to deviate from this rule, in addition, now there is a huge variety of mixed fabrics for table linen: beautiful, expressive, and most importantly, more practical to use (for example, Teflon-coated fabrics that are not afraid of fat, wine and coffee ). For an informal meal, white table textiles can easily be replaced with beige or another neutral shade. And if you want to create a certain mood at the table or maintain the style of the interior, then etiquette allows colored or even combined tablecloths and napkins: the fabric can be in a cage or strip, with a floral or any other interesting print. Choose according to your taste! A very convenient and win-win option is the use of companion fabrics, when one of the table linen elements (tablecloth or napkins) uses a fabric with a multi-colored pattern, and the other one uses a single-color fabric repeating one of the print colors; or two prints are combined (for example, flowers and stripes) with the choice of the same color palette.


The dimensions of a modern table napkin are approximately 40 × 40 cm (from 36 to 46 cm), a tea napkin is smaller in size - approximately 30 × 30 cm (from 25 to 35 cm).

In the modern world, textile napkins are an indispensable attribute of table setting, so every housewife should take care of their availability.

Why do we need textile napkins if there are paper


For the first time, they learned about paper napkins in 1867, when their first batch was released at a paper mill in England. The guests really liked this serving attribute, and since then their production on an industrial scale has begun. Paper napkins have a number of advantages: they perfectly absorb moisture, and most importantly, there is no need for washing, which, of course, every housewife will appreciate.
But can they completely and completely replace textiles?



Linen napkins are an obligatory attribute of any feast, their main goal is the comfort of guests and the safety of their costumes. Nevertheless, paper napkins must be present on the table in sufficient quantities.

The main task of a textile napkin is to protect the guest's outfit; it should be laid on your knees. Also, a linen napkin is used when the fingers are a little dirty. What to do if your hands are very dirty, and what to use during a runny nose? Paper napkins will save you, it is for these purposes that they are created.

How to use textile napkins


All the guests, including the hosts, took their places - the meal began. The hostess is the first to start the feast - she unfolds her napkin, then the guests follow her example.

  • take a textile napkin from the table and unfold it;
  • fold it in half and lay it on your knees with the fold towards you;
  • during a feast, wipe your slightly soiled fingers with the upper edge of the napkin, while not removing it from your knees;
  • leave a napkin on the chair in case you need to go out;
  • if you get up from the table already at the end of lunch, then put a napkin to the left of the plate. There is no need to fold it again: grasp the middle of the napkin so that all the folds come together and place it on the table. When the hostess does the same with her napkin, consider that dinner is over.

Three ways to fold napkins

Arriving at a restaurant, we often see napkins twisted in the form of a Crown, French lily, Bishop's Miter or other unusual shape. The art of folding napkins came to us from the 17th century. At the French court, there were special people who folded napkins for the royal table and did it simply masterly, but it was forbidden to use such a napkin for its intended purpose, as it was considered a violation of the rules of etiquette. During the Victorian era, the views on the rules of behavior at the table changed somewhat - people began to think more about hygiene. Imagine how many times you will have to touch the napkin during the folding process, and, moreover, what a wrinkled look it will have, having been in the form of a Fan or Artichoke! It is unlikely that any of the guests would want to wipe their hands or lips with such a napkin.


Complex folding options faded into the background, they were replaced with simpler ones. Modern etiquette adheres to the same rules for folding napkins: a minimum of touching and a minimum of folds.

They are absolutely universal:

  • they meet the requirements of modern table etiquette: a minimum of touches and folds;
  • very simple: any housewife will easily master them and will spend no more than five minutes on serving, which means that a woman will have additional time to rest - this is priceless;
  • effective and suitable for different serving styles.

When choosing a way to fold napkins, you need to take into account the reason for the meal itself. For an official feast, napkins with lace or the option of fanning are certainly not suitable. But to create a warm spring mood - what you need.

"Petals"

By the way, you will have to use the “Petals” method of folding napkins - an ideal option for an informal cozy atmosphere, perfectly combined with the floral print of textiles and floral decor on the table.


1. Unfold the napkin and lay it on the table with the wrong side up.


2. Take the upper left corner and pull it to the opposite corner, folding the napkin in half, forming a triangle.



3. Pull the upper corner of the resulting triangle to the left corner, but do not connect them to each other.



4. Repeat the action: fold the right edge to the left without closing the corners of the napkin.



5. The napkin is ready! We put it on a substitution plate with the petals to the right, put a snack plate on top. We supplement the serving with cutlery and glasses.



Napkin rings


Nowadays, napkin rings are used as a decorative element of serving. But there were times when rings served a different function: they guaranteed ownership of a dirty napkin.

Historical background: since table linen was rarely washed, textile napkins were used many times. The rings served as an identification mark so that the guest could be sure that he received his own dirty napkin.

Rings are made from different materials: silver, wood, fabric, etc. But even in the absence of serving rings, you can easily improvise, for example, replace them with a ribbon.

There are many ways to put a napkin in a ring: you can collect a napkin in unusual folds, fold it in a fan or simply twist it into a tube, choose whichever one suits your taste! Let's take a look at the simplest option:

1. Unfold the napkin and lay it out on the table seamy side down.


2. Take the napkin with your hand in the middle and shake it to form loose folds.


3. Place the middle of the napkin in the ring and straighten the folds. Ready!


It is convenient to put the napkin in the ring directly on the plate. Firstly, it will save space on the table and free up space for dishes. And secondly, the napkin on the plate, as it were, hints to the guest that he will not be able to start the meal until he spreads the napkin on his lap.


Cutlery envelope "Stripes"

A napkin envelope is a great option for formal dinners in a simple style. Although, if you dilute the serving with delicate decor or flowers, this method of folding napkins will be appropriate at an informal dinner with close people.


1. Place the folded napkin in quarters on the table so that the four free corners are at the top right.


2. Take the top free corner and fold it diagonally inward as shown in the photo. Align the fold.


It is very convenient to put cutlery into the formed "pockets", thereby saving space on the table. You can also put a note, flowers, gift, or even a small bun in there.


A beautifully folded napkin will decorate your table. The napkin can be shaped in a variety of ways, from simple traditional to more sophisticated. Note that starched napkins are much easier to fold. But always remember that textile napkins are an indispensable serving element; you cannot do without it, giving preference to paper napkins.


Do not neglect the rules of etiquette. Show respect for your guests by worrying about their appearance, then they will appreciate your concern and in return will thank you for the warm welcome!

Napkins are one of the important serving elements. It is they who allow you to maintain cleanliness and tidiness at the table. A well-chosen and interestingly folded napkin will always decorate your festive table.

Two types of napkins are used - linen and paper.
Linen napkins, as a rule, come complete with a tablecloth, in harmony with it in color, pattern and texture. Napkins can be the same color as the tablecloth (the tone may be slightly different), or contrasting. If the table is covered with a double tablecloth, then the napkins should be the same color as the main tablecloth.

This type of wipes is designed primarily to protect clothing from crumbs and splashes.
The size of the napkins also plays an important role. Napkins 35 * 35 cm and smaller are used for breakfast, tea and coffee tables, 40 * 40 cm and larger - for lunch and dinner. The most popular and used size is 50 * 50 cm.
Linen or cotton is most often used as a material. Very practical napkins made of fabrics with the addition of synthetic materials - they are less deformed, easy to iron and almost do not shrink during washing. You can buy lace napkins, or sew fringe, lace trim, and other decorations on to regular napkins. The main thing is that it is in harmony with the decor of your dining room, the color and texture of the dishes, the conceived design of the reception of guests.

When setting the table, napkins are usually folded into different shapes (we will talk about this in detail in the next part). To do this, they must be starch so that the shape that they have given to the napkin keeps well. This should be done immediately before use in order to avoid the formation of creases during storage.

The location of the napkin on the table can be different. Usually the napkin is placed on the snack plate, but if lunch or dinner starts with soup, then the napkin is placed to the left of the appliance. Napkins laid in special rings made of metal, porcelain, ceramics or other material suitable for table decoration look good.

At the beginning of the meal, the napkin must be unfolded, folded in half and placed on your knees with the fold toward you. You don't need to put your napkin aside or tuck it behind your collar. The hostess is the first to take the napkin at the table, if she is absent - the owner. When leaving the table, a napkin must be put, without folding, to the left of the plate.

Along with linen napkins, paper napkins should also be present on the table. They are designed for wiping fingers and lips. When serving, these napkins are cut into triangles. They are served in special holders or glasses.
Keep in mind that wiping your lips with a napkin is necessary not only during meals, but also every time you drink to avoid lipstick marks and lip prints on the glass. The paper towel should only be used once. After the end of the meal, dirty napkins are placed on a plate along with the cutlery.