INSTRUCTIONS AND SYMBOLS featured in the book

One of the unique qualities of this book is that is has no written instruction to create any particular design. As long as you follow the rules listed below and featured on the flip open chart in the front and back cover of the book you can make all the folds without following complicated, written instructions.

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Folding instructions: Fold on dotted lines, following the arrow direction in the sequence indicated.

Link sequence: Most fold sequences are identical in the first few stages of their creation then branching out to create a different napkin fold. At this point a link may direct you to another page. This was necessary to prevent overloading the pages for the more elaborate designs.

Drawings: Some drawings have been deliberately enhanced to facilitate each stage of the folding process — consequently, drawings are not to scale. Furthermore, in order to further facilitate the understanding of each fold, an enhanced three dimensional technique has been applied to many drawings throughout the book.

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Profile guide: In some designs it is necessary to display a profile section alongside the fold as a useful visual guide of that particular action, but seen from a different perspective. This profile guide is part of the enhanced three dimensional technique used throughout the book.

Square test: Take a napkin. Fold it diagonally to form a triangle. The two centre points should meet, or at least try to meet. The wider the gap between these two points, the less of a square napkin you have (see page 10). You should be aware that the enhanced three dimensional technique applied to some drawings could mislead you or give you a false impression of the true square napkin. All napkins used in this book are square.

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Centre Line: Dashed lines outside the drawing are to assist the folding action by marking the centre position of the napkin. Note that this is only a guide — not to be confused with a folding action.

Left Handed: All napkin drawings, especially the ones requiring one side to tuck-in to the other, are drawn to the author's own right-handed aspect. If you are left-handed the process can be reversed to produce the same intended result. Where this is the case, more patience and practice is advisable.

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Circled arrow: An arrow with a circle on its tail indicates that only the top layer should be folded. A number inside the circle indicates the number of layers to be folded at the same time. It is always advisable to refer to the next drawing for the correct result of that fold.

Referral: If in doubt whether the folding action you are about to perform is the correct one always refer to the next drawing in sequence, as well as the picture of the finished fold, to confirm that this is the intended and correct action. If you have any problems, please contact the book's “Helpline”.

The Fork: If you need an extra hand, especially on folds requiring pleating, use the tines of an ordinary fork as a tool to retain the pleat you have just done, while you work on the rest of the fold.

The author suggests that you print this page as an extra instruction alongside the one printed in the book.

Don’t give up in despair, with patience and perseverance everything is possible.