Today, I’m illustrating how to make a bee shape napkin fold in six quick and easy steps.

In anticipation of World Bee Day, I recently hosted the Bee-utiful Table Setting blog hop.

Included in the eight casual to elegant tablescapes was my, French Inspired, Royal Bee Theme Table & Napkin Fold. As explained in earlier posts, the ancient fleur-de-lis symbol is believed to represent a bee.

I first incorporated the bee shape napkin fold into the Back to School Table. Why? Bee-cause students are “busy as a bee” lol!

Although the lovely napkin fold can bee used to impress guests and enhance tables year-round, it’s particularly suited for spring or summer entertaining. Let me show you how easy it is to do. Grab any square napkin and ring to follow along.

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6-Step Bee Shape Napkin Fold

You should already have everything you need on hand to create a bee shape napkin — fabric napkins and rings or pieces of ribbon. That’s it!

However, choose a fabric napkin that is mostly square. And remember that the larger the piece of fabric, the bigger the final bee shape napkin fold will be.

1. Lay out napkin flat & fold in half
2. Take the corners & fold down to the center
3. Bring the lower corners to the top center, forming a diamond
4. Fold the top points out to form wings
5. Slip napkin into ring or tie with ribbon
6. Adjust folds, round edges if desired

For the tutorial, I used a large 20 by 20 inch napkin. Later in the post I’ll show you the bee shape napkin fold using smaller 18 and 16 inch sizes.

Step 1: Spread Out Napkin, Fold in Half

Begin by laying the napkin out on a flat surface. Note that it might be necessary to first iron the fabric to remove creases or wriggles.

Next, simple fold the napkin in half. If the fabric is only printed on one side, the printed side of the napkin should be facing towards you.

Step 2: Fold Corners to the Center to Form Triangle

Now take the right-hand top corner and fold it down into the middle bottom of the napkin.

Repeat on the left side. 

The folded napkin should now be in the shape of an isosceles triangle. Easy right?

Step 3: Fold Napkin into Diamond Shape

Next, take the bottom right-hand corner and fold it up to the top center point of the triangle.

Repeat on the left side. After folding both corners up into the middle, your napkin should be in the shape of a diamond.

Don’t fret if there’s some open space in the center. Pretty straight-forward? Now, you’re half-way to creating a bee shape napkin fold.

Step 4: Fold Points to Form Wings

Fold the top two points of the fabric out to form the wings of the bee.

Only take the top layer of fabric, and fold about halfway down between the top and side points of the diamond.

Step 5: Slip on Ring or Tie with Ribbon

Now, slip the bottom point of the fabric into a napkin ring — up to where the wings open outward. That will form the lower body of the bee.

Or, tie a bow with ribbon to hold the bee shape napkin fold in place.

Step 6: Adjust Folds, Round Points

Finally, adjust and shape folds. I usually spread the top center fold slightly apart.

If you’d like more rounded wings, simply bend the fabric slightly under as shown above.

Try Different Sizes & Fabrics

Here’s what the finished bee shape napkin looked like on the busy-as-a-bee, Back to School Table. It was also made with a large 20 by 20-inch napkin, but in a black and white buffalo print.

Instead of a napkin ring, I tied cute gift cards around the tail of the fabric. The cards did double-duty as place cards.

And, here it is on the French Inspired, Royal Bee Theme Table, using a smaller 16-inch square napkin. 

Now, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the bee shape napkin fold using 20 versus 16-inch napkins, along with a fleur-de-lis symbol. 

Finally, here’s the bee shape napkin fold using a soft, silky fabric, with the print only on one side.

Did you give the bee shape napkin fold a try? Like most things, it may take practicing a few times to get the hang of it. Check out 16 other Napkin Folds for All Seasons, Holidays & Occasions for ideas to creatively style table settings.

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