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Monday, March 26, 2012

How to Fold a Paper Crane

Why would I show you how to fold an origami crane when there are probably a million sites out there that could do a better job?

Because Saturday night, along with dreaming that I was a member of Kara, I dreamed that I wrote a blog post about how to fold an origami crane. Obviously it's a sign (of something. What, I don't know). But it took a lot more pictures (with my sub-par cell phone camera) to explain than I thought it would. (There is also a video at the end for those who don't understand my written instructions, which I imagine will be most of you.)

1. First, start with a square piece of paper.


2. Fold it in half.

3. Fold it in half again.

4. Keeping that center fold, you're going to open up a "mouth" in the paper and fold it down, forming a square.




5. Repeat on the other side.


6. Next, take one edge of this square (don't pick up the paper beneath it) and fold it so the edge aligns with the center crease.


7. Do this on the other side as well. It will look like a kite.

8. Fold the top corner down.

9. This is probably the most complicated part, mayhaps the video will better explain. Unfold the top corner and the "kite" flaps, and lift up the bottom corner, making, again, another mouth.



9.You're going to wrestle with the mouth a little and fold down its left and right halves, to form a long diamond.


10. Flip the paper over and repeat steps 6 through 9.

11. Now you're going to open the side of the diamond, AKA the place where I am pointing. (This is to make a "flying" crane. The "fat-body" crane [which I think is prettier] will be later in this post.)


12. The big, downward-pointing triangle will be a wing, to put things in perspective. You're going to fold it up.

13. And do the same to the other side, for the other wing.

14. Pick one of the points of paper sticking up and bend its edge to form a head.

15. To make the bird fly, you're going to bow out the back fold of its wings (where my finger is). Stick your finger in there (or a pen if the crane is small) and make it into a little pocket.

This is the finished flying crane.

To make the crane fly, pinch its breast in one hand, and pull the tail with the other. When you pull the tail, the wings go down. When you relax it, the wings go up. Therefore it is flying. (I recommend this crane for the entertaining of children during long hours of church.)

For the "fat-body" crane (the one that is more traditionally Japanese), we're going to rewind to step ten, where we have the long triangle.

11A. Take the outside edge of the diamond (don't pick up the paper behind it) and fold it in so that the edge is lined up with the center crease.


12A. Do this on both sides, then flip the paper over and repeat. It will look like this:

13A. Now, just like in step 11, you're going to open the side of the crane, though this time the piece you're folding up isn't a wing, it's a neck/tail. Do this on both sides.

14A. Bent down one of these points to make the crane's head.

15A. Pinching the base of the crane's wings in both hands, you're going to gently pull the wings apart. This will inflate the body.

The finished crane.


Here's a video of me folding the "fat-body" crane:



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