So I got bored the order day at work and designed to finally post this to my Tumblr. Took a while and didn't even get finished before the holidays.
Background:
This design is based on Kawasaki Rose:
Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformations by Tomoko Fuse.
ISBN: 0-87040-852-6
I’ve been making this type of Rose for years, mostly in idle time at work. Over the years, or just by modifying the design with each new one.. The current design differs only a bit from the original, added Sepal and Cane, but the method to making them is much easier than the Kawasaki Rose. In fact, just setting up this tutorial I for whatever reason tried another way and it seems easier. Because the main steps are fold, unfold, see crease, you can do them in any order you like with practice.
Materials:
Acetate or any paper that creases well. It can be called Vellum at craft stores. I hit up Omer Deserre and normally pick up 30-40 sheets at a time. They are normally 90 cents per sheet. Opaque paper Vellum also works, but the more you use acetate the harder it is to fold regular cellulose paper.
Tools:
Sharp Edge, scissors or craft knife. Something flat and dull if you don't want to crease edges with your finger.
The more of them you're making in a sitting you'll want something other than a fingernail to crease edges especially because the acetate is hard.
It isn't as rough as paper so you won't ruin your nail.
Part 1.. Flower. Part 2.. Sepal. Part 3.. Cane. Part 4.. Assembly.
Preparation:
For practice you may want to cut your first sheet of whatever paper in half so you can practice on a smaller model, or use writing paper to practice.
If you’re using a full sheet to start with, I recommend 1 sheet to make a large square which will leave over a piece you can use for a stem. If you want all three parts you should use more paper and make 5 of them. Small ones from half a sheet of paper are a good size for decorations. Made from a full sheet of paper, the Rose with Sepal/Hip and Cane are almost life size.
5 A4 Legal sheets would make 5 large squares for each flower, then 1 sheet for stems (fold it vertically accordion style and then cut out 5 strips for stems). Nearly every single Rose I’ve made has a unique stem because it is so easy to go nuts with a new method to twist and flare out the top none is any better than another. And then with 2 more sheets fold over in half twice to make 4 equal small rectangles and cut them out. Fold over at 45 degree angle again to get 4 small squares. As you’ll have 8 small squares you might not want to waste the long part on the last 2 small squares. This you could cut into 2 or 3 long strips for longer stems but the thinner they are the weaker they are. All the scraps can be saved for label material.
From the last batch I made 1 was stolen. I thought about it for a while, because making a new Rose is no effort, you can insert a tiny strip of paper into the stem which can have a note, or the name of the recipient. She thought it was neat.
Flower:
1. Fold one corner of your A4 acetate down to the opposite edge to form a square. Don’t crease this edge, just pinch the excess part to mark off the square. In this method I try to avoid extra crease lines that aren’t necessary to complete the bulb.
2. After making the crease separating the excess paper and the square we’re working with fold it over in the other direction to further crease the paper. Otherwise use your edge, scissors or craft knife to score through the line and cut the paper. It is ok if the paper isn’t cut through. You’ll separate it after scoring the line. I prefer to score the line rather than cutting it with scissors because I always mess up the line and cut into the square. It doesn’t matter if you don’t cut a clean line, if you compensate for it later, but the cleaner the line the better.
3. Next step is easy. Fold your square in half like a booklet and pinch/crease the edges. In the original design you’re supposed to crease all the way across. I don’t like that method as the extra lines aren’t necessary. Unfold your square and fold it in half again in the other direction and again pinch the corners. You’re marking these spots for the next step.
4. Fold one side of your square to the spot you just marked and mark again. Repeat 4 times. If you creased all along the folds you just made you’d have 16 small squares. Ideally these marks should be perfect because they will be integral to the next step.
5. Fold the 4 corners of the square up to the marks you just made. This would be easier if you creased up to the corners of these smaller squares but isn’t necessary with practice.
6. Next step is take the top right corner of your square and fold your corner down and crease it ¾ the way to middle of the square then unfold, and only on that one side (don’t do the other side). Doing all four corners makes kind of a pinwheel.
7. Fold the bottom right corner to the tip of the top right corner as shown. Crease the fold up to the creased line you just made. The tighter these corners are the better (they should line up). Then fold up the bottom corner up to the line made by the paper folded underneath. With practice you will see that these lines should not overlap. Repeat for all four corners. It is easier if you turn the paper each time so you’re working on the same side. Let me know if these steps can be adapter for southpaw. I’ve meant to try it, and accidentally folded southpaw and was like wtf did I just do? But again work on the right side. The last picture here is when unfolded again, holding the bottom right corner folded side down, so that your small center box is face up, fold up and crease that corner as shown only up to the line (where my index finger is).
8. The more lines you have down the easier this step is. You’re trying to make a perfect square in the middle of your square. Again this would be easier with lines creased all the way through the square, but it becomes unsightly to have extra lines for nothing. Even with hundreds of these made, making a perfect square is difficult.
9. With your four corners facing up, and your small center square creased, grab the bottom right corner and folder it over to the top left. If the corner is flying up as in the picture, use your other hand to hold it down to make this fold perfect. You’re creasing from the bottom of the paper to the corner of the small center square. The long crease hitting the corner of the small center square is critical. Following the original book instructions for these parts is harder I think, even with practice. You’re going to have 3 creases meeting up near your cornes. If they meet perfectly, good job, this is often hard to do but is very important. Makes look even more like a pinwheel.
10. Turn your paper over so that the corners that are folded over are facing down. Fold the bottom right corner up to the middle and crease the bottom of this fold up to the long crease you just made in the last step. For a guide you can use the edge of the small center square. It is important that this form a 45° angle. If for whatever reason, before creasing this part it doesn’t look straight, eyeball the straight lines the face down folded up corner and face up folded corner should make. Repeat for all four corners.
11. Now it gets complicated. Rather, I flipped some tables the first time I tried to follow the book instructions.. ‘Valley Fold’, ‘Mountain Fold’.. things that make very little sense, but they make sense now. With the Kawasaki Rose though the last part on the instructions for folding the small center square is silly so, I modified it a bit. The argument for following the book instructions is that assuming all your lines are there, the model essentially folds itself up after that point easily, around the small centre square. In this one the emphasis is on the petals. Thus, with fewer guidelines and some practice you can achieve better results because you have fewer lines.
In this step you’re trying to emphasize existing creases. The book steps will have you making a pocket over the small centre square then unfold it. As you’re unfolding it anyway the important part is that the petals fold over each other. So the extra couple of steps above to prepare those corners to tuck under the base of the flower are more important in this model because they leave a large but sturdy enough opening for the stem.
The three creases per petal to emphasize, given shape to the petals are the long crease from the small centre square and the off shoot across the corner. These are the ‘Valley folds’ and ‘Mountain folds’ but the Valley folds are at the small centre square while the three main mountain folds are the edges of the petals which will be subducted and tabbed to lock into each other.
12. Next step is creating a little house out of left side of one of the corners. Then tuck the tip of the corner to the left one you’re working on under it. Easiest way to do this comes from the steps above. As you’re emphasizing the mountain folds the tips of the corners (in the pictures they are orange because the corners of the square paper are folded under) will overlap each other.
Your goal once you have the main mountains folds set up, for getting the shape of the flower is folding the right side of the corners over this fold.
Because working with acetate is a bit harder, it tends to unfold itself, I took the habit of folding up the small bit at the bottom (last picture). This step helps the corners to remain overlapped while the work on the others, but they can unfold because at this point your paper is folded over twice.
13. If you tuck the bottoms in you get something like the Kawasaki Rose. For the rest of the model, with the stem and holder I developed over the years, it doesn’t matter what you do with the bottoms, they will get unfolded and tabbed under the bottom the Rose tighter and more neatly.
Once all of the corners are folded under each other you can turn the model over and make the inside neat. Sometimes you’ll notice that the folds don’t line up which can either require unfolding the model, or just tucking the folds in more neatly.
Given that it has taken a few days to set this up and there are 3 more steps, the holder, or Sepal and Hip although inverted, (more petals which can be a different colour), the Stem, or Cane and joining all three I might not get around to doing them until the holidays. In meantime, or if these steps get difficult to follow near the end, you can try the stock or more advanced Kawasaki Roses (they are fun but this method, at least for me is easier with practice). And with the holder and stem you get a more complete model. I had added the stem almost right away because the Rose by itself seemed silly.
I’ve been making them for years and giving them away in batches. Last year at christmas I made 30-40 of them for Kwanzaa gifts and to pass around the office. One day after making a bunch I wondered if I could use part of the left over paper. Normally I’d cut an A4 in half for two Roses. Making 30-40 of them there was many left over, and large pieces of paper. I made a square out of one and fashioned a holder which resembles the green leaves under the follower.
Examples:
