Origami is a fun way to fold paper to create all kinds of things. By making an origami book, it is possible to give body to an object to be used as a small notepad or an album.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Use a 22x28cm sheet of paper
Step 1. Fold the paper in half
By calculating the two sides of each sheet, with this method you can create a sixteen-page book with the art of origami. Start by taking a 22x28cm sheet of paper and fold it in half across the width.
You will need to fold along the side of 28cm to get a sheet folded in two that measures 14x22cm
Step 2. Fold a second time in the same direction
Take the folded piece of paper and fold it in half again in the same direction. This way, you will have a very small folded sheet of 7x22cm.
Step 3. Open the sheet
Once you have the crease marks, you can open the sheet of paper completely. The spread page will measure 22x28cm again and will have creases separating the paper into four sections.
Step 4. Fold the paper in half in the opposite direction
With the page still fully open, turn it 90 degrees (so you'll use the 22cm side) and fold the paper in half again, but this time in the opposite direction.
The folded sheet must measure 11x28 cm
Step 5. Fold the sheet in half again in the same direction
Just like you did the first time, make a second fold in the same direction. When you fold the paper in half again, it will need to measure roughly 5.5x28cm.
Step 6. Open the page completely
Once you have the crease marks, you can open the sheet of paper completely, which will return to the size of 22x28cm. This time the creases will form 16 small rectangles all the same on the page.
Step 7. Fold the paper in half again in the direction of the width
Once you have made all the folds, you are ready to shape the book. Start folding the paper along the first fold in the direction of the width to obtain a sheet of 14x22 cm.
Step 8. Cut along the three folds starting from the spine
Turn the paper so that the spine is facing you and use a pair of scissors to cut out the creases that run perpendicular. You should have three. Cut to mid-length.
It will be easy to locate the middle because it is where the next crease runs parallel to the spine, intersecting the creases you are cutting out
Step 9. Open the sheet
After cutting along the three folds, unfold the page again. It will measure 22x28cm, but with two flaps in the center.
Step 10. Cut the flaps
Rotate the open sheet until you see the flaps form the “=” symbol, then make a perpendicular cut along the pre-existing fold that crosses the symbol. Four separate flaps will form in the center of the sheet.
Step 11. Fold the four flaps back
After making the flaps, fold them outward towards the edges of the paper. You will find pre-existing folds along the edge of the flaps, and since all the previously obtained rectangles were equal in size, when you fold the flaps over, the flaps will line up along the edge of the page.
When you fold the flaps back, you will get a blank space in the center of the sheet, similar to a window
Step 12. Turn the paper over
With the flaps still folded, turn the entire page over. This way, you will put the flaps face down on the work table.
Step 13. Fold the top and bottom to the center
Take the top and bottom segments of the paper and fold them both towards the center. The page will have the same dimensions as before, when you folded it lengthwise, that is 11x18 cm.
Step 14. Fold the paper in half lengthwise
With the top and bottom folded towards the center, fold the entire sheet lengthwise.
The page will measure approximately 5.5x28cm and the previously folded flaps will be on the outer edges
Step 15. Push the left and right sides together until they form a diamond
Lift the paper off the table and push the two ends towards each other, without bending them. Looking from above, you will have the impression that the middle section curves in a diamond shape along the pre-existing folds.
Step 16. Merge to form an X
As you keep pushing the ends towards each other, the diamond will get smaller and smaller, while the ends you hold with your hands and the curved ones will form an X.
Step 17. Fold in half in the center
The folded paper sections will fan out, as if you had opened a book in its entirety, until the first and last pages touch each other. To finish the book, simply fold in the center, as if you are closing the book.
Method 2 of 2: Using Five Sheets for Origami
Step 1. Fold four sheets in half
Using the standard size origami paper, i.e. 15x15 cm, the book will turn out quite small. If you want to make a support to write on, it is better to use larger sheets of the size of 30x30 cm. Start by folding all four sheets in half.
The page size of the book will be 1/4 the size of the sheets you use
Step 2. Cut all four sheets in half
After folding each sheet in half, cut along the folds. You'll end up with 8 pieces, twice the width measurement long.
If you use standard size origami sheets, they will measure 7.5x15cm
Step 3. Fold one of the sheets in half
Take the first of the eight sheets and fold it in half across the width. You will get a page 1/4 of its length wide, which is 3.75x15cm for a standard sheet.
Step 4. Fold the same sheet in half again in the opposite direction
You have to fold the same sheet in two, but this time along the opposite axis. You will once again get a sheet that is twice the length of its width, but 3, 75x7, 5 cm.
Step 5. Fold the top over on itself
Take the top half of the crease you made earlier and fold it in half on itself. To do this, grab the edge of the top and fold it back so that it matches the back of the crease obtained following step 4.
Step 6. Fold the lower part in on itself
This step is identical to the previous one, however it concerns the bottom of the sheet. After the fold of step 4, the lower part will protrude beyond the upper folded in on itself. Fold the bottom portion over on itself as well as you did for the top portion.
After this fold, you will get a 3.75x3.75cm square (if the sheet is the standard size) with W-shaped accordion folds when looking from above
Step 7. Repeat steps 3-6 for six more sheets
If you want the book to contain more pages, repeat steps 3-6 for a total of seven sheets cut in half. With seven sheets you will get a ten-page book when the job is done.
If you want, you can delete the eighth sheet obtained from the initial cuts
Step 8. Arrange the folded pages
Once you have all the pieces folded, you will need to arrange them. For this step, look at the folded cutouts from above so you can arrange them in a W or M shape. Arrange them in a row so that each piece faces the opposite direction.
Looking at the work from above, the pieces will have to resemble a long series of MWMWMWMs
Step 9. Assemble the pieces
Line up the last section of the first piece and the first section of the next piece and fit the latter inside the section of the first piece, sliding it into the crease created in step 3.
- Repeat this step for all five pieces until you form a long accordion.
- Although optional, using a bit of glue stick to secure the portion of each section that will overlap, the book will be stronger when finished.
Step 10. Cut the fifth sheet in half
Once the pages are all linked together, you can make the cover for the book. Take the remaining sheet of paper and cut it in half.
Since this page will be the cover of the book, you can use a different colored sheet or even a design
Step 11. Fold the top and bottom edges towards the center
Take one half of the page you just cut and fold the top and bottom edges towards the center. Fold them lengthwise, so that the paper is longer than it is wide.
- If you want to make sure the cover is slightly larger than the pages, you don't have to fold the edges exactly in the center. Rather, it leaves about 1mm of space.
- If you've chosen a patterned card, make sure the design is facing out.
Step 12. Center the page block on the cover
Take the pad of pages and crush them. Once you have compressed them well, place them in the center of the piece of paper that will act as a cover. Check that the block is precisely in the center by folding the cover (which will be long) around the pages and making sure that the two ends come out evenly.
Mark a small fold on each side of the page block where the spine touches the cover
Step 13. Fold the ends of the cover
The cover will be very long both front and back, but do not cut it. Instead, make a small crease where it reaches the edge of the pages. Fold along this line for both the front and back.
Step 14. Tuck the start and end pages into the folds of the cover
The creases you made to shape the cover in step 11 will form a small gap. After folding the ends of the cover inward, you can use the first and last pages of the accordion as tabs to tuck into the slots formed in the front and back of the cover respectively.
While not necessary, you can harden the book by using a bit of glue stick on the tabs, gluing them inside the slots in the cover
Advice
- In the second method, using sheets of different sizes, you can create books of various sizes.
- In the second method, use an origami paper that has a design of your liking to make a beautiful cover.
