How to Make an Origami Peony

Peonies are typically white or varying shades of pink or red.

Paper was invented by the Chinese early in the second century, but it was the Japanese who refined and extended the paper-making process and developed and perfected the art of paper folding, now known universally as origami. Traditional Japanese origami designs include boxes, cranes and lotus blossoms. Almost any object can be re-created through a few precise folds, and paper-folding artists continue to add new designs to the origami compendium. Origami peonies are similar in design to traditional lotus blossoms — both flowers have multiple, progressively smaller petal layers. Origami peonies require accurate, repeated folding of the corners to the center, a technique known as blintzing.

Things You'll Need

• 9 3/4-inch square origami paper
• 6-inch square origami paper

Instructions

1. Place the large piece of origami paper on the table with its color side down and one of its corners toward you.

2. Bring the top corner to the bottom corner, folding the paper in half cross-wise. Crease the fold with your finger to make it crisp, and then unfold it.

3. Bring the left corner to the right corner, folding the paper in half cross-wise again. Crease the fold, and then unfold it. These two folds mark the center of the paper.

4. Fold all four corners into the center of the paper.

5. Fold all of the new corners into the center, creasing each fold to make it crisp.

6. Turn the paper over. Fold all four corners into the center of the paper.

7. Lift one of the corners you just folded into the center, and fold it back, taking its point just beyond the edge of the square. Crease it and repeat the fold on the three remaining corners. You should have an eight-point star.

8. Turn the paper over. Fold each of the center points back to their outer corners to open the first layer of petals.

9. Fold the four remaining center points back to open the second layer of petals. Crease each fold.

10. Lift each petal to open up the flower a bit.

11. Repeat Steps 1 through 10 with the small piece of origami paper.

12. Insert the four bottom corners of the smaller blossom under the folded edges of the larger blossom’s center.

Tips & Warnings

• Origami paper comes in two standard sizes: 9 3/4-inch (24-centimeter) square paper and 6-inch (15-centimeter) square paper. Origami paper is ideal because it’s a midweight paper that folds well, but any type of paper will work for this design. To best replicate peonies, use white, pink or red paper for the larger blossom and the same color — or bright yellow — for the smaller blossom.

References

• The Complete Origami Course; Paul Jackson
• Origami Activities; Michael G. LaFosse
• PBS: History of Origami