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CUTTING PAPER FOR ORIGAMI IKEBANA

Leaves and flowers grow in every size imaginable. I was recently at a greenhouse which had some large palm trees. These trees had leaves that were over eight feet long. I have also seen trees, like some varieties of mesquite, that have leaflets which are almost microscopic. We must have a method for cutting squares in many sizes in order to mimic a variety of plant life.

When I first began making origami plant sculptures I used commercially produced squares of origami paper. Making lots of differently sized leaves was both expensive and wasteful. One day I ran out of origami paper. With an abundant supply of photocopy paper nearby, I wondered if I might be able to cut my own squares. What follows is a method that will make squares of just about any size.

How to Make Squares

This is a simple technique to make squares from inexpensive office paper. I prefer to use 20 lb. (75 gm/cm²) paper with low or no rag (cotton) content. My latest batch is made entirely of recycled fibers and works well.

1 This first fold determines the size of your squares. The distance “X” represents the distance between the bottom and top edges of paper when the sheet is folded horizontally. If X=0 then you’re folding the paper in half and you’ll get the largest size squares. As X increases, your squares will decrease in size.

2 Fold the corners down and toward the center. Careful alignment will ensure you end up with good squares.

3 Your paper should look like this. Flip it left to right.

4 Fold the top corners down and toward the center just as you did in step 2, and then flip your model left to right.

5 Cut off and retain the two ends, and put the middle section into your paper recycling bin.

6 Completely unfold one of the triangles. Orient the rectangle so that both diagonal folds are valley folds and the center fold is a mountain fold. If you need two very large squares for leaves, cut the rectangle in half on the center fold line. If you’d like to make leaves ¼ the size or make flowers with these squares, fold and unfold each lower corner up to the center. Flip your rectangle.

7 Fold and then unfold your rectangle in half horizontally.

8 Fold and then unfold the left and right edges to the center.

9 Your rectangle should look like this. You can cut it in half vertically to make two squares for flowers. Alternatively, if you’d like to make eight small leaves, you’ll be cutting it horizontally and vertically after you have painted it (see page 93).

10 To make two larger squares, orient your paper vertically rather than horizontally in step 1.

11 To make the largest possible square, fold diagonally and then cut the upper edge.

If you’re making squares for leaves, wait until after you’ve painted the rectangle before cutting it.

How to Make Decagons for Five-Petal Flowers

You can print decagons on your printer using the templates provided on the DVD that came with this book. Start by printing the largest, from a file named 21-01 Decagon.png. When you print the file, make sure your computer doesn’t automatically adjust the aspect ratio, which would stretch the outline. (Some programs do this to maximize the size of the printed image.) The aspect ratio must remain the same for the shape to be foldable.