How to Make an Origami Kimono Doll
Origami kimono dolls are Japanese paper dolls made by folding pieces of origami paper and fastening the individual parts together. Unlike traditional origami paper figures, which employ interlocking folds to hold the parts together, kimono dolls are made by folding the paper and gluing the parts of the doll together. Origami kimono dolls, also known as geisha paper dolls, can be constructed as gifts or as decorations for your home.
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Things You'll Need
- 2 sheets of five-by-five centimeter yellow origami paper
- 1 sheet of five-by-five centimeter green origami paper
- 1 sheet of five-by-five centimeter pink origami paper
- 1 sheet of 10-by-10 centimeter Japanese-themed origami paper
- Black crepe paper
- White card stock
- White glue
- Scissors
- Ruler
Instructions
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1
Fold one yellow square of origami paper and the green and pink squares of paper in half to create triangle shapes. Position the papers on your workspace with the open side of the folded paper, which is the top corner of the triangle, facing you. Make a dotted line with small dabs of white glue down the center of the yellow and pink triangle papers. Place the pink paper triangle onto the yellow triangle with the top open corner facing you, leaving 1/8 inch of the yellow paper exposed, and press it into the glue. Place the green paper triangle onto of the pink paper triangle, with the top open corner facing you, leaving 1/8 inch of the pink paper exposed. Press down on the paper to spread the glue out.
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2
Flip the glued paper triangle stack over so that the yellow paper triangle is on top, with the top open corner facing you. Cut a 1/2 centimeter-by-5 centimeter rectangle out of the white card stock. Run a bead of white glue starting at one end of the rectangle card stock and ending at its halfway point, or 2 1/2 centimeters in from the short end. Place the rectangle card stock onto the yellow paper triangle and position it vertically with the glued 2 1/2 centimeters on the paper and the 1/2-centimeter end sitting at the center of the yellow triangle to make the neck of the doll.
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3
Fold the top yellow triangle paper's left flap down across the neck so that the left flap corner meets the right side of the yellow paper. Fold the top yellow triangle paper's right flap down across the neck in the same way. Fold the pink triangle's left flap down and then the right flaps down over the yellow flaps. Fold the green triangle's left and right corners down over the pink triangle's left and right flaps to finish creating the collar of the kimono.
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4
Fold the 10 centimeter-by-10 centimeter square in half, with the print side facing up to make a triangle. Position the paper on your workspace so that the top open corner is facing you. Fold the top left corner over so that its tip reaches the center of the triangle's right side. Fold the top right corner over to reach the center of the left side. Unfold the right and left sides and place the collar and neck assembly into the center of the long top side of the 10 centimeter-by-10 centimeter paper. Fold the corners of the 10 centimeter-by-10 centimeter paper back to cover the bottom of the collar. Fold up the bottom corner of the top paper and insert it into the top corner's open side to make a pocket with the paper.
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5
Fold the remaining yellow sheet of paper into a triangle and then unfold it. Fold the top corner down to the center of the paper to make a crease and then unfold it. Fold the bottom corner up to meet the crease. Fold the right and left corners in so that one of their sides meets an edge of the folded bottom corner of the paper. On the straight edge you made when you folded the bottom corner up to make a crease, there are now two corners. Fold these bottom corners in to meet the tip of the other small triangles you folded with the right and left corners. Place a dot of white glue under these two corner triangles and press them down to finish making the underskirt of the kimono.
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6
Slide the remaining corner tip of the yellow paper underskirt up into the open pocket flap of the kimono, leaving 1 centimeter of the underskirt to stick out from the top printed paper.
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7
Cut a 2 1/2-centimeter circle out of the white card stock to make the head of the doll. Cut a 4 centimeter-by-3 1/2 centimeter rectangle out of the black crepe paper. Place the card stock circle at the center of the black crepe paper rectangle and slide it up to the top short side so that only a small part of the top side of the crepe paper is showing. Wrap the right and left sides of the crepe paper around the circle. Place a dot of glue under the crepe paper on the top of the circle and press the folded crepe paper down into it. Fold out the bottom right and left folded-over corners of the crepe paper to create flipped-back hair near the chin of the head of the doll.
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8
Cut a 1 centimeter-by-2 1/2 centimeter rectangle out of the black crepe paper. Place a dot of glue on the center top card-stock circle, or the doll's forehead, and press the center of the long side of the crepe paper you just cut out into the glue to make bangs. Fold the ends of the rectangle around the other side of the head and glue them in place. Place a dot of glue on the back of the head and glue the head onto the neck to finish making the doll.
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