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Giant Origami Quilt: Measuring Tool

Instructions for an origami quilt.

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Maja Pasarić
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243 views5 pages

Giant Origami Quilt: Measuring Tool

Instructions for an origami quilt.

Uploaded by

Maja Pasarić
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

Giant Origami Quilt

Page 1 of 5

Giant Origami Quilt


by C. Kenneth Fan
With these two origami units, you can make very large origami quilts. During the summer of 2006,
girls of Science Club for Girls designed and folded a butterfly quilt measuring approximately nine
feet by six feet and displayed it at Boston Childrens Museum. If you make one, please send me a
picture! You can email pictures to [email protected].
Although this design can work for a variety of paper sizes, these instructions are drawn assuming
that 5 7/8 paper is used for the hubs and 9 paper is used for the triangles. The key is that the
larger square must be at least 10% but not much more than 60% larger than the smaller. The number
of sheets you will need depends on your overall quilt design. For the hubs, it is strongly
recommended that you use double-sided origami paper with foil on one side.
Lets start! First, you need to make a measuring tool so that the flaps on the triangles will fit snugly
into the pockets of the hub.

Measuring Tool

1. Use the smaller size paper that you


will use to make the hubs. Begin
colored side down. Fold in half but
pinch only near the left edge. Unfold.

2. Fold the corner to the crease you


just made. The crease runs through
the lower right corner. Make a pinch
only near the left edge.

3. Fold along a horizontal crease so


that the lower left corner reaches a
point a bit above where the pinch
made in step 2 meets the left edge.

4. Fold and unfold in half.

5. Fold the top and bottom edges to


the middle.

6. Fold in half.

Finished Measuring Tool


Copyright 2007 by C. Kenneth Fan

Giant Origami Quilt

Page 2 of 5

Origami Quilt Hub Instructions

1. Begin colored side down. Fold in


half but pinch only near the left edge.
Unfold.

2. Fold the corner to the crease you


just made. The crease runs through
the lower right corner. Make a pinch
only near the left edge.

3. Fold along a horizontal crease so


that the lower left corner meets the
point where the crease you just made
meets the left edge.

4. Pinch the midpoints of the upper


and lower sides.

5. Make the indicated creases. Each


crease passes through a corner and
one of the pinches made in step 4.

6. Fold the lower edge up to the


intersections made by the creases in
step 5.

7. Fold and unfold the top edge also


to the intersections made by the
creases in step 5.

8. Fold the upper left and right


corners to the crease made in step 7
along a crease that passes through the
upper corners of the topmost layer.
The corners should go right to the
indicated intersections.

9. Unfold the fold made in step 6.

Copyright 2007 by C. Kenneth Fan

Giant Origami Quilt

Page 3 of 5

Origami Quilt Hub Continued

10. Now fold the lower left and


right corners to the indicated
intersections. This step is
symmetric to step 8.

13. Finished hexagonal hub with


six triangular flaps standing up.
Store the hub this way. If you
wish, fold each triangular flap to
the side. Do not worry if the hub
does not lie completely flat.

11. (Not all arrows are shown to avoid


clutter.) Carefully observe which
creases are mountain folds and which are
valley folds. Then, collapse the
midpoints of all six sides to the center.
You might find this step easier to do in
stages, one side at a time.

12. This is step 11 in progress.

Finished Origami Quilt Hub, enlarged.

The Science Club for Girls quilt displayed at Boston Childrens Museum.
Copyright 2007 by C. Kenneth Fan

Giant Origami Quilt

Page 4 of 5

Origami Quilt Triangle Instructions

1. Use the larger squares for the


triangles. Place white side up and
place the Measuring Tool along the
upper edge to locate a horizontal
crease and fold as shown.

2. Pinch to mark the midpoint of the


upper edge.

3. Fold the upper right corner to the


pinch just made to make a vertical
pinch located roughly where
indicated.

4. Fold and unfold the upper left


corner to the pinch you just made
along a crease that passes through the
midpoint of the upper side.
Depending on the size of paper you
use, the crease may pass above or
below the lower left corner.

5. Fold and unfold the upper right


corner to the crease you just made
along another crease that passes
through the midpoint of the upper
side.

6. If the creases made in steps 4 and 5


meet the left and right sides
somewhat above the lower edge (for
example, by more than half the width
of the Measuring Tool), fold up the
bottom edge up so that the creases do
reach to the very bottom of the
rectangle. (This wont be necessary
for 5 7/8 and 9 paper sizes.)

7. Unfold.

8. Fold and unfold the upper right


corner to the left crease along a crease
that passes through the point where
the left crease meets the upper side.

9. This step is mirror symmetric to


step 8.

Copyright 2007 by C. Kenneth Fan

Giant Origami Quilt

Page 5 of 5

10. Refold along the creases made in


steps 4, 5, 8, and 9 in the order
indicated.

11. If the lower tips extend beyond the


bottom edge of the paper, fold and
tuck the tips under so that the bottom
edges are all flush. (This wont be
necessary for 5 7/8 and 9 paper
sizes.)

13. Fold the bottom edge over what


used to be the bottom edge.

14. Make the five indicated valley


folds and unfold.

12. Place the Measuring Tool along


the bottom edge and fold over along a
horizontal crease. (Some people find
it helpful to mark these creases just
before step 10.)

Finished Quilt Triangle.

Insert the flaps as indicated to connect the hubs and triangles. There are two types of triangle flaps:
short ones and long ones. The long flaps make a much more secure connection. Make sure every
level of the quilt has some long flap connections to ensure the overall strength of the quilt.

Copyright 2007 by C. Kenneth Fan

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