Cloth Napkins- What's With That?

The comments on my last post revealed two things.

The first is that a LOT of people have been tidying their fabric stashes.....

could this be a pre-cursor to, and a subliminal desire for SPRING CLEANING?

The other was an interesting round up on the cloth napkins and their place at table nowadays.

I think finger bowls are very rare  but it was nice to know what is de rigueur in front of the waiter.

 So cloth napkins.....

are we seeing the demise?

I know that less and less people are using tablecloths to save on laundering and ironing, after all tables are made quite durable these days no longer need as much protection from heat and moisture. It is much easier to wipe down after meals. I myself opt for placemats and napkins.

Do you remember these that I made for friends

and the tutorial here for mitring corners.

I love to make coordinating napery and setting the table for guests is a joy for me.

Some of the comments said

"... hardly anyone ever uses them. They stay folded and unused..."

and

"We use cloth napkins, and it's funny to see the varying reactions from guests. Some think we're 'oh so elegant,' while others think it's part of our 'hippy lifestyle."

I have noticed a similar thing too. Many times they remain unfolded and people seem proud to have saved me the trouble of having to wash them. I've started to wonder if it is just me and that I am so uncoordinated that I can't manage food to my mouth without occasionally needing to blot (and no thank you, it's not because I am shovelling). 
I know from friends in America that napkins are very commonly used at table and not just for entertaining but they seem to be quite at home with paper now.

I remember napery sets as a girl for the glory box. They were so smartly boxed with clear lids.

At school they were one of the first sewing projects we worked on...well pulled thread work anyway.
I keep my napkins in a couple of drawers close to the dining table and I have another drawer in the buffet for afternoon tea napery.

Brights in one drawer and neutrals in the other.

So what do you think is responsible for the slow demise of the serviette?

Is it that even good restaurants these days only offer paper to save on expense?

Or is it that we don't dine at table the way we used to, with cloths etc,?

Is it because we have become so informal. Are we opting for trays in front of TVs?