Paper Instructions on How to Make an Origami Flower

A four-petal origami flower is easy enough for beginners.

This particular origami flower is called a buttonhole flower. It has four petals and a symmetrical shape. It takes only a few minutes to make and is a good project for children or adults who are just learning origami techniques. It is recommended that the origami paper have color on both sides, but it is possible to make it with paper colored on only one side. Several of these buttonhole flowers bunched together make an attractive centerpiece for a table or decoration for a sideboard.

Things You'll Need

• Origami paper

Instructions

1. Fold the paper left to right and crease the fold. Unfold the paper and fold it again top to bottom. Crease the fold and unfold. Now the paper should have creases in the shape of a symmetrical cross.

2. Fold the top left corner of the paper diagonally to the lower right corner. Crease the fold and unfold. Now fold the top right corner to the lower left corner. Crease the fold and unfold. Now you should have a symmetrical, eight-rayed pattern of creases in the middle of the paper.

3. Position the paper in a square shape before you. Bring the top edge down to the bottom edge along the middle crease while simultaneously tucking in the sides along the other creases. This is called a waterbomb base. Now you should have a triangular model with the sides tucked in to meet in the middle on the inside. There should be two flaps on each side of the triangle.

4. Place the paper so that the open edge is up and the point is down. Fold the triangle in half, left to right, to form a smaller triangle with four flaps in a stack.

5. Fold the top two flaps down to the left at about a 30-degree angle from the left side. This will create a small triangular section at the bottom which will become the stem of the flower. It should be just large enough to allow you to hold the flower in two fingers. Keep the top point as sharp as possible.

6. Turn the shape over and repeat Step 5 for the other two flaps, this time folding to the right. Now the four flaps should line up in a stack again, this time with the stem portion sticking out at the bottom. These four flaps will become the petals of the flower.

7. Grasp the shape by the stem portion and unfold the four petals so that they stay open, bending them a little if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• If you use origami paper with the color only on one side, start with the colored side facing down. The color will not show up on the flower until the last step.

References

• Origami Resource Center: Buttonhole Flower

Resources

• Origami Resource Center