Flutterby, Flutterby, Fly Away Home

There are several ways to fold an origami butterfly, and each pattern emphasizes a different aspect of the creature.  The simple butterfly (top) displays the wing-pattern clearly while providing just enough detail to make it recognizable.  The second butterfly looks more like a moth because of it's prominent abdomen, and it tries to incorporate more rounded wings.  The fan butterfly is probably the easiest to make and looks the sweetest.  The third butterfly shows how, as the patterns get more intricate, the butterflies begin to look more realistic, through the curved bottom wings.  The last butterfly uses the two-tone of the paper to create wing patterns that look similar to real butterflies, making it the most realistic butterfly origami pattern yet. 

Money, Money, Money

Money makes a great gift, but giving the bills in an envelope can seem boring and impersonal.  Money origami can transform those plain dollar bills into a variety of fun creations.  There is the classic money-shirt for Father's Day, the sweet money-heart for Valentine's Day, the intricate money-koi for Birthdays, or the money-bouquet that is suitable for any occasion.  So next time you find yourself giving money to a loved one, try making it personalized.  They'll appreciate the present even more!

Anywhere, Anytime

You can do origami just about anywhere: while waiting in line, while watching TV, or while on long car rides.  For difficult projects, folding while standing can be tricky.  But for simple, repetitive projects like the units of the Modular Swan, folding them while standing is easy.  The best pass-time folding projects are ones that are repetitive, almost boring, when using your full attention, but just detailed enough to keep your hands consistently busy.  Try folding something next time you are waiting in line, it will make the time go by faster!

Easter Time!

Easter is just around the corner and to celebrate, I am sharing some of my favorite Easter-time origami projects!  Origami Easter projects are the best gifts to give because they are homemade, they show you put effort into them, and they are inexpensive.  The modular basket of eggs and the modular baskets demonstrate how we can reuse the units from the Modular Swan to build other shapes.  The basket with the handle is my personal favorite, especially in miniature with small chocolate eggs.  And no Easter brunch would be complete without a bunny decoration.  Don't forget to use bright-colored paper!

Intricate Lotus Flower

The layered petals of the origami Lotus Flower make it look intricate and fragile, but the pattern itself is quite simple.  A word of warning: the material used to fold this piece will make or break the outcome.  If you start with too small paper, it will become too thick to fold around halfway through the pattern.  I recommend starting with a 1'x1' piece to make a flower like the size pictured above, but the bigger the better!  Also, avoid using thin or weak paper as it will tear when you turn the petals inside out.  The petal-turning step creates the curved petals that make the piece so beautiful, but puts a lot of strain on the paper.  For especially durable results, try using material or thick card paper. 

Grow Your Skill

Origami is widely enjoyed because of it's progressive levels of difficulty.  For beginners, there are simple designs like the Jumping Frog (pictured left).  It is a favorite among school children because it actually jumps if you use stiff paper.  For the advanced folder, there are intricate patterns like the Dragon (shown above), a challenging undertaking that should not be entered into lightly.  And for any skill level in between, there are numerous patterns and projects to enjoy!  

Extreme Modularization

In modular origami, the project's beauty is revealed when the individual pieces are combined.  The unit's pattern is usually quite simple, allowing the folder to make many of them quickly, but the amount of units needed can vary from project to project.  Some projects require just a few units, while others require hundreds or even thousands.  The Modular Swan, for example, uses over 400 units!  These swans can vary from simple white, as seen in the left image, to complex rainbow patterns, as seen in the right image.  And you don't have to make just swans; these units can make dragons, peacocks, roosters -- the possibilities are endless!  It's like Lego for origami.

Growing Pains

Sometimes there are origami projects that just don't want to come together.  For me, it was the Five Intersecting Tetraheda project.  For something that looks so simple, it sure is difficult to combine properly.  I would get 3 in place, but the fourth and fifth tetrahedra were impossible, and eventually I lost my patience-- I put it down and haven't touched it since.  The morale of the story:  if at first you don't succeed, leave it until you are no longer mad at it.  I'm still waiting...

Five Intersecting Tetrahedra Instructions

Follow the Curve

I think a rounded-edge is the hardest part of an origami piece.  By nature, folds are straight and sharp, so to create the effect of a smooth, round curve requires some extra work.  Looking at the origami piece above, you can see how I created the rounded tops of the heart by combining many little folds.  To make the edge look smoother, I would add more folds so that the straight fold-edges become smaller and smaller; as the straight folds become smaller, the illusion of a curve becomes clearer.  This effect is especially useful in animal origami, as very few animals have straight features. 

It's a Small World After All

 

I find miniature origami both fascinating and challenging, but as the origami becomes smaller, it becomes increasingly harder to fold accurately and securely.  Paper can only be folded 7 or 8 times at the most, which restricts the number of folds that an origami pattern can make.  Also, the piece can become too small if you don't start with the right size of paper.  I've run into this problem many times, and it is always disappointing to have to start again with a bigger piece of paper.  But if you can overcome the obstacles, the final product is worth it!

Odds and Ends

Most people think that origami can only be created using paper.  While the traditional origami used paper, modern origami pieces can use many different types of materials.  For example, the above picture shows origami stars made from long plastic straws.  The art of cloth-folding creates pieces that make carrying objects like bottles or books easier.  The folder could also wet their paper to create origami that looks more like sculptures than paper.  If in doubt, try folding using that material -- you might just discover a new origami medium!