How to make a fan napkin fold
Fan Napkin Fold: try all 15 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor fan napkin with twelve radial panels: a doubled square with folded rim corners, pleated around one pivot and opened into a broad fan. Use a paper napkin that holds a sharp crease.
- You need
- One square paper napkin, a protractor and a napkin ring or glass for support.
- Start
- Start with a square paper napkin, reverse side up and an edge at the top. After folding it in half, mark the middle of its loose bottom edge. Use a protractor there to mark eleven rays, 15 degrees apart, from left to right through the rectangle.
- Tips
- Mark the rays before folding; their angles, rather than their edge lengths, are equal.
- Use a stiff paper napkin. A glass or ring supports the small pivot.
Your model is ready
The radial fan is open. Hold its pointed pivot below the broad pleated rim. Place the pivot in a napkin ring or glass to support it.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–6
- 1
Fold in half
Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The napkin is now a double-layered rectangle, with the fold along its top.
- 2
Round the left rim corner
Fold the upper left corner inward along a diagonal joining the marks about 29 percent across the top edge and 41 percent up the left edge. Keep both layers together.
- 3
Round the right rim corner
Fold the upper right corner inward by the same amount. The fan now has a gently faceted outer rim.
- 4
Fold radial pleat 1
Fold the left corner forward along the first ray, 15 degrees above the bottom edge. Keep the middle of that edge as the pivot.
- 5
Fold radial pleat 2
Fold the growing packet behind along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 6
Fold radial pleat 3
Fold the growing packet forward along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
Steps 7–12
- 7
Fold radial pleat 4
Fold the growing packet behind along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 8
Fold radial pleat 5
Fold the growing packet forward along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 9
Fold radial pleat 6
Fold the growing packet behind along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 10
Fold radial pleat 7
Fold the growing packet forward along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 11
Fold radial pleat 8
Fold the growing packet behind along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 12
Fold radial pleat 9
Fold the growing packet forward along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
Steps 13–15
- 13
Fold radial pleat 10
Fold the growing packet behind along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 14
Fold radial pleat 11
Fold the growing packet forward along the next ray, another 15 degrees around the same pivot. Take both napkin layers together.
- 15
Spread the napkin fan
Keep the lower pivot gathered and gently spread both ends into a broad half-circle. Leave a shallow zigzag in every pleat, with the folded rim corners still closed.
- ✓
Finish
The radial fan is open. Hold its pointed pivot below the broad pleated rim. Place the pivot in a napkin ring or glass to support it.
Fold next
Pleated fan ↗
An Origami Tutor paper fan with twelve radial panels and a rounded rim. One square folds into a doubled leaf, gathers into a narrow packet and opens into a broad half-circle, without cuts or glue.
House ↗
The traditional flat house from Froebel's paper folding, with a long roof and two gate pockets.
Christmas tree napkin ↗
The Christmas tree napkin fold for a holiday table: a square napkin folded in quarters, its loose corners stepped up into four tiers and its sides tucked behind into a tall tree.
Cutlery pocket napkin ↗
An Origami Tutor cutlery pocket with a deep front flap and a clearly open, hemmed mouth. The sides fold behind first, then the lower end folds up into a tall sleeve.