How to Make Origami Cranes
Paper cranes are one of the best-known origami projects. According to a Japanese legend made popular by the story of Sadako Sasaki in World War II, anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes will be granted a wish. However, if you’re new to origami, you may want to start with just one. To make the paper crane, you can use square origami paper, or cut a square from a plain sheet of paper.
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Instructions
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Make Origami Cranes
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1
Place the square of paper on your work surface. If you’re working with origami paper that is colored on one side, start with the white side facing up.
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2
Fold the paper in half from top to bottom, then unfold it. Fold the paper in half from side to side, then unfold it.
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3
Flip the paper over, and rotate it so that it looks like a diamond. Fold the paper in half from top to bottom, then unfold it. Fold the paper in half from side to side, then unfold it.
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4
Flip the paper over. Bring the side and top points of the diamond down to meet the bottom point, so that the sides fold inward and the paper looks like a small diamond.
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5
Fold the top layer of each side of the diamond in to meet the center crease. Flip the paper over and fold it the same way on the other side. Fold the top the of the diamond down, then unfold all the folds in this step.
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6
Bring the bottom point of the diamond up. Press the flaps that appear down, forming a tall, skinny diamond. Flip the paper over and do the same on the other side.
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7
Rotate the paper, if needed, so that the part of the diamond that’s separated in the middle is at the bottom. These will be the origami crane’s head and tail.
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8
Fold the top layer of each side of the lower part of the diamond in to meet the center crease. Flip the paper over and fold it the same way on the other side.
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9
Fold the top layer of paper on the right side over to the left. Flip the paper over and do the same on the other side.
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10
Fold the neck and tail (bottom points on the front and back) up. Fold over the end of the neck to make the crane’s head.
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11
Pull the head forward and the tail backward, and the wings to each side. Adjust the position of the head, tail and wings as desired.
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Tips & Warnings
You may need to blow air into the hole in the underside of the crane’s body to get it to fluff out more.
