How to Do Cloth Origami

Origami balloons can be made from cloth for a more durable holiday decoration.

Origami is the craft and art of folding paper into beautiful, often delicate shapes. To make the figures designed for origami --- such as animals, boxes and flowers --- last longer, they are sometimes made from cloth instead of paper.

Things You'll Need

• 100 percent cotton broadcloth
• Fabric stiffener
• Spatula
• Drying rack
• Iron

Instructions

1. Wash the cloth. The cloth ideally should be 100 percent cotton broadcloth, but other materials can be used.

2. Spread the stiffener thickly over the cloth using the spatula. Do this while the cloth still is slightly damp to allow the chemicals to react over the entire area of the cloth.

3. Allow the cloth to dry with the stiffener still on it, preferably lying flat on a drying rack.

4. When the cloth is dry, iron it flat until it is soft enough to fold.

5. Cut a square of the fabric to create the origami piece. The square should be relative to the size of the desired creation. A large square will create a large origami crane, for example.

6. Fold your origami pattern. Practice on paper a few times before you attempt the final piece. You also can wash the material and start over if needed.

7. Iron the points of your finished piece to make the creases solid. For example, if you made a crane, iron the wings flat, along with the beak. If you made a balloon, don't iron anything. It will look better without creases.

References

• Fabric Origami Workshop: Process