Make Origami

The art of origami began in Japan after monks brought paper from China in the sixth century. Origami continued to maintain its religious and ceremonial character until the 1600s. As paper began to be mass-produced and as it became more affordable, paper folding became a popular recreational activity throughout Japanese culture. Today, origami is popular throughout the world. If you’d like to make some origami paper art of your own, here are some patterns to try.

Steps

Origami Flowers

Flowers are perhaps the most popular origami subject, and can be used as gifts or for many decorative purposes.

  1. Make a Kusudama Flower. A pretty kusudama flower can be made by folding five or six square pieces of paper.
  2. Make a Kusudama Ball. Make this delightful kusudama ball from 12 kusudama flower. Kusudama balls were traditionally used for incense or potpourri.
  3. Fold-a-Paper-Rose. Fold these pretty paper roses from colorful square pieces of paper. You can combine several of them to make attractive decorations for holiday gifts.
  4. Make an abstract origami lotus flower. For an unusual take on the lotus flower, make the abstract, modern version.
  5. Make-a-Paper-Orchid. You can fold an orchid like this from a single sheet of paper.
  6. Make a paper lily. You can fold a beautiful flower to give to people, or simply keep for yourself.

Origami Animals

Animals are one of the most popular subjects for origami.

  1. Fold-a-Paper-Crane. According to ancient Japanese legend, if you fold 1000 of these cranes, you will have created a senbazuru. A senbazuru is said to bestow luck and fortune onto its recipient and it will grant you any wish you desire.
  2. Create your own Fold-a-Traditional-Origami-Swan. This is a beautiful piece to use as a placeholder for dinner parties, or as a way to decorate homemade gifts.
  3. Create an Make-Origami-Dragons. This is a more intricate design, but once you've mastered the crane, this design only requires a few additional folds.
  4. Make-a-Butterfly-Origami. A butterfly origami is a fun shape for spring and summer gift giving. You can also mount multicolored butterflies on a window, mirror, bulletin board or lampshade.
  5. Make-an-Origami-Flapping-Bird. This design is a variation of the swan and gives the bird flapping wings.
  6. Make-an-Origami-Jumping-Frog to make your own homemade action toy.
  7. How to Fold an Origami Parrot. A parrot is fun and decorative and is great for kids with a lot of imagination.

Decorative Origami

Some origami is created to be purely decorative. These paper trinkets can be hung in a room or attached to a gift as an original addition to traditional packaging. Choose brightly colored paper so that the decoration will stand out from a neutral background.

  1. Make-an-Origami-Paper-Lantern. An origami paper lantern can make a singular decoration on its own. You can also fold multiple paper lanterns in multiple colors and string them together as a party decoration.
  2. Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake. While this is technically a modular piece, its use is more decorative than geometric in nature. Hang these snowflakes or attach them to a window for a unique winter decoration.
  3. Make-an-Origami-Pinwheel. After you fold the pinwheel, push a straight pin through the center and into a pencil or a chopstick. When you blow on the pinwheel, it will spin. You can also place a pinwheel in your garden so that it can catch the wind.
  4. Make-an-Origami-Pocket-Heart. This heart contains a pocket on the top that can be used to hold a letter, a piece of candy or jewelry. Since sticky notes come in a variety of bright and beautiful colors, you can use a sticky note as the basis for your origami heart.
  5. Fold-an-Origami-Envelope. An origami envelope is made from a square piece of paper. The larger the piece of paper you use, the larger your envelope will be.

Dollar Bill Origami

Dollar bill folding became popular in the 1950s and remains popular because the art utilizes a medium that most people have on-hand. Folded money can be left as a tip in a restaurant or given as a wedding gift. Different bills from different countries will have different sizes, so instructions for folding a Canadian dollar, for instance, may vary slightly from instructions for an American dollar.

  1. Make-a-Triangle-out-of-a-Dollar-Bill. When you fold the triangle, choose a crisp dollar bill that is not worn, and choose one that has not been folded often.
  2. Fold-a-Dollar-Into-a-Heart. Fold a $20 bill into a heart shape to give as a gift, or fold a dollar into a heart shape to give to a child for a birthday or other special event.
  3. Fold-a-Dollar-Bill-to-Make-a-Finger-Ring. You don’t have to give your love an expensive ring to demonstrate your affection. This pattern ensures that the number on the bill faces outward on the “gem” portion of the ring.
  4. Make a Dollar Bill Rose. A tool many people have on hand, a dollar bill rose is the perfect, romantic gift for Valentine's Day!

Practical Origami

Origami has many practical purposes. Make popcorn cups out of paper for a party, for instance, or make origami boxes in which to hold jewelry or desktop office supplies.

  1. Fold-a-Paper-Box. When you finish, you can use this paper box to organize any number of small items on a dresser or desktop. You can also use this paper box as a presentation medium for a gift.
  2. Fold-a-Divider-for-an-Origami-Box. This pattern divides the paper box into four equal units. This technique creates the perfect box for organizing beads, scrap booking supplies or jewelry.
  3. Make-an-Origami-Photo-Frame. This photo frame can be made from paper in a variety of colors to add a special touch to a photograph. String multiple photo frames together and hang them as a wall arrangement.
  4. Make-a-Paper-Candy-Holder. This paper cone is perfect for holding wrapped candy or popcorn. Use brightly colored, patterned paper to match your other party decorations.

Modular Origami

Modular origami requires 2 or more pieces of paper, which are then folded into shapes that are called “units” or “modules.” The finished modules are then attached together to form the finished product, which is usually geometric in nature.

  1. Fold-an-Espiral. An espiral is created from 4 pieces of paper and forms a 3-dimensional spiral shape when completed.
  2. Fold-a-Japanese-Brocade. A Japanese brocade consists of six pieces of paper. The pieces of paper are joined into a cube, which is then tweaked to become a ball.
  3. Fold-a-Penultimate-Module. Multiple penultimate modules can be attached together to form complex geometric shapes. This article will teach you how to fold a penultimate module, and the video at the end will teach you to attach the pieces together to form a 30-piece dodecahedron.
  4. Make-a-Sonobe-Unit. The sonobe unit forms the basis for a wide variety of geometric shapes. After you fold the basic unit, you can then complete several variations to make a variety of polyhedrons.

Playful Origami

Kids of all ages can fold origami creations to enhance play or just to have a little fun. These creations range from a paper Samurai helmet to a traditional Ninja throwing star.

  1. Make-a-Paper-Airplane. This is one of the most common origami designs and has many different variations.
  2. Make-an-Origami-Samurai-Helmet. This project is modeled after a two-horned kabuto helmet, which has two horns and is intended to represent the mythical entity of the wearer’s choice.
  3. Make-a-Paper-Army-Tank. While this design is made with white paper, you can use brown, Army green or camouflage origami paper for a more decorative finished piece.
  4. Fold-an-Origami-Star-(Shuriken). A Shuriken star, or Ninja star, can be made from regular 8-1/2” x 11” paper or construction paper. Place the finished star, or multiple finished stars, in your hand and throw them like a Frisbee.

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