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How to fold an origami balloon festival

A real project, all folded. Colour-change folds and a pleat give a red balloon four gores; fold a yellow and a purple balloon, baskets, hills, clouds and a row of watchers, then stand the sky up.

You need: 18 pieces: 30 × 21 cm light blue, two 30 cm green strips, 15.4 × 14 cm red, yellow, purple, white, brown, navy and light green. Glue.. Challenge, 46 steps, about 60 minutes.

Steps

  1. Far hill: slopes. Start with the far hill: a 30 × 12.3 cm dark green strip. Fold the top corners behind on long slants, the peak right of the middle.
  2. Far hill: round the top. Fold the two corners at the top behind, 1.6 cm along each edge, so the hilltop is round.
  3. Near hill: new sheet. Set the hill aside. Take a 30 × 9.9 cm green strip, green side up, lying long.
  4. Near hill: slopes. Fold the top corners behind on long slants the same way, the peak further left this time.
  5. Near hill: round the top. Fold the two corners at the top behind, 1.6 cm along each edge, so the hilltop is round.
  6. Big cloud: new sheet. Set the hill aside. Take a 7.6 × 3 cm white piece, lying long.
  7. Big cloud: corners behind. Fold the top corners behind on a big slant and the bottom corners behind a little. The bottom stays flat.
  8. Big cloud: puff it up. Fold the four new corners on top behind a little, so the cloud is round and puffy.
  9. Small cloud: new sheet. Set it aside. Take a 6 × 2.4 cm white piece, lying long.
  10. Small cloud: corners behind. Fold the corners behind like the first cloud: big slants at the top, small ones at the bottom.
  11. Small cloud: puff it up. Fold the four new corners on top behind a little, so the cloud is round and puffy.
  12. Purple balloon: new sheet. Set the cloud aside. Take a 7 cm purple square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  13. Purple balloon: kite. Fold the two lower edges in so they meet along the middle, like a kite. The purple flaps make a long point.
  14. Purple balloon: top and tip. Fold the top point behind, leaving a white band. Fold the long bottom point behind where it is 2 cm wide: the throat.
  15. Purple balloon: round it. Fold the side corners and the two top corners behind a little, so the balloon is round on top.
  16. Purple basket: new sheet. Set the balloon aside. For the basket, take a 1.8 × 1.5 cm brown piece, brown side up.
  17. Purple basket: rim and corners. Fold down a white rim at the top and fold the bottom corners behind, like the first basket.
  18. Yellow balloon: new sheet. Set the basket aside. Take a 10 cm yellow square, yellow side up, turned like a diamond.
  19. Yellow balloon: bottom up. Fold the bottom point up onto the front, creasing about a quarter of the way up. A small white point shows.
  20. Yellow balloon: corners behind. Fold the top, left and right corners behind, each about 2.5 cm.
  21. Yellow balloon: round and taper. Fold the four top corners behind to round them. Fold the bottom corners behind on a long slant, so it narrows to the throat.
  22. Yellow basket: new sheet. Set the balloon aside. For the basket, take a 2.2 × 1.8 cm brown piece, brown side up.
  23. Yellow basket: rim and corners. Fold down a white rim at the top and fold the bottom corners behind, like the first basket.
  24. Field: new sheet. Set the basket aside. For the field, take a 30 × 6.9 cm light green strip, green side up, lying long.
  25. Field: the fence. Fold the top edge down 9 mm onto the front. The white band is the fence rail.
  26. Big balloon: new sheet. Set the field aside. Now the big balloon: a 15.4 × 14 cm red piece, red side up, lying long.
  27. Big balloon: colour-change sides. Fold the left and right edges over onto the front, 1.9 cm each. The white bands are the outer gores.
  28. Big balloon: fold in half. Fold the right half over onto the left half, creasing down the middle of the red.
  29. Big balloon: middle pleat. Fold it back to the right, creasing 6 mm left of the first fold. The pleat is a seam: four gores, white, red, red, white.
  30. Big balloon: top corners behind. Fold the top corners behind on a slant, from 4 cm down each side to 2.2 cm from the middle of the top.
  31. Big balloon: round and taper. Fold the four top corners behind a little to round them. Fold the lower sides behind on a long slant down to the 3.6 cm throat.
  32. Big basket: new sheet. Set the balloon aside. For the basket, take a 3.2 × 2.6 cm brown piece, brown side up.
  33. Big basket: rim and corners. Fold the top edge down 0.6 cm onto the front: a white rim. Fold the bottom corners behind a little so the basket tapers.
  34. Watcher 1: new sheet. Set the basket aside. Take a 2.4 cm brown square.
  35. Watcher 1: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 7.2 mm along each edge, so the head is round.
  36. Watcher 2: new sheet. Set it aside. Take a 2.4 cm brown square.
  37. Watcher 2: round it. Fold the four corners behind the same way.
  38. Watcher 3: new sheet. Set it aside. Take a 2.4 cm brown square.
  39. Watcher 3: round it. Fold the four corners behind the same way.
  40. Watcher 4: new sheet. Set it aside. Take a 2.4 cm brown square.
  41. Watcher 4: round it. Fold the four corners behind the same way.
  42. Watchers: new sheet. Set the head aside. For the watchers' shoulders, take a 13.9 × 1.9 cm navy strip, navy side up, lying long.
  43. Watchers: round the ends. Fold the two top corners behind, 1 cm along each edge: round shoulders at each end.
  44. Sky: new sheet. Set the watchers aside. Last, the sky: a 30 × 21 cm light blue sheet, blue side up, lying long.
  45. Launch the balloons. Glue the hills along the bottom of the sky, then clouds, purple and yellow balloons, field, big balloon low on the left, baskets, and the watchers.
  46. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you between the yellow and purple balloons, and stand the whole festival up on the table.

Up, up and away!

Draw a little weave on each basket and a few birds in the sky.

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