How to Make Easy Paper Origami Kusudama
"Kusudama" is Japanese for "medicine ball." The decorative paper ball design evolved from scent bags used to chase away bad smells. Kusudama differ from typical origami designs because they involve many small parts glued together, while most origami is folded from a paper square without cutting or gluing. Because folding the pieces and joining them is simple, however, kusudama is a perfect origami project for beginners.
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Instructions
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1
Lay one of the pieces of paper colored-side down on a flat surface, with one of the points facing you. Fold it in half on the diagonal, bringing the bottom point up to meet the top point, and crease well to create a triangle.
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2
Fold the triangle in half, crease and unfold, creating a vertical crease mark in the center.
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3
Fold the left point of the triangle up to the top point, so that what was the bottom edge of the triangle aligns with the center crease. Repeat with the right side.
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4
Fold the left flap out, so that what was the center edge of the flap meets the bottom edge of the diamond.
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Unfold the right flap. Fold the bottom edge up to meet the crease left of that fold, then fold the flap up again on that same crease.
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Fold the paper in half along the central vertical crease you made earlier. You should have a triangle shape with a point sticking out of it. Fold the point down and unfold, then tuck it into the pocket at the center of the triangle.
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Squeeze the right and left edges of the triangle together to make the petal appear more rounded. Make 60 of these petals in total.
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8
Dab glue on the short edges of five petals. Press them together to create a flower. Repeat for the other 11 groups of five petals.
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9
Dab glue on two petals of a flower and press it to two petals of another flower. Dab glue on two petals of a third flower and attach it to the first group of two, one petal attached to the first flower and the second to the other flower. Create three more such groups of three flowers.
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10
Tie a piece of string into a loop to make a hanger for the kusudama. Glue it in the middle of one group of three flowers.
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11
Glue the four groups of three flowers together to complete your kusudama.
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Tips & Warnings
Square sticky notes are just the right size and shape for folding petals for your kusudama.
References
- "Kusudama: Ball Origami"; Makoto Yamaguchi; 1990
