Beccy's Place: Tutorial - Origami Square Fold Card

Origami Square Fold Cards are created from a single sheet of paper that is scored and folded down upon itself until it's just one quarter of the original size. A simple belly band helps to hold the card closed and provides a place for even more embellishments!

TEMPLATE:

1. Place an 8" square piece of card stock on your score board and score at 2" and 6". Rotate the card stock 90 degrees and score again at 2" and 6".

2. On each of the four sides of the card stock, score at the 4" mark, stopping when your score tool reaches the first score line. You should have a large, blank section in the centre of the card stock and 12 smaller squares around the edges. Refer to the template for correct placement.

2. Use the angled attachment for your score board so that your card stock is at a 45 degree angle (see photo below). Score from the base of each of the 4" score lines to the base of the next 4" score line to form a diamond in the centre of the card stock. Refer again to the template above.

3. Fold back and forth along each of the score lines to loosen the folds.

4. Bring all the folds up and into the centre of the card. Lay each section to the left, layering them one over the other until they come together and snap shut. (I have to admit, this was a tricky fold and it took me a good five minutes to get things to go where I wanted. I found loosening the folds as suggested in step 3 made things a little easier).

5. To decorate, you'll need fourteen 13/4" squares of patterned paper. Two of these squares will be cut on an angle to form four small triangles. You'll also need one 21/2" square for the centre of the card.

6. Once the card is folded, it has quite a lot of bulk, so it's a good idea to create a belly band to hold it closed. You can do this by wrapping a long piece of card stock around the folded card, snipping off the excess and gluing the band into a ring. Don't make it too tight or it will be difficult to slide on and off.