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How to fold an origami stretching cat

Fold a kite body and swing the front legs far forward. Fold strips up into a pointed ear and a tall tail, crimp the head up, pleat the body and tip it into a stretch.

You need: 1 ginger square (15 cm or bigger), scissors and a black pen. Hard, 22 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Diamond. Start white side up and turn the square so a corner points up, like a diamond.
  2. Crease the middle. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner, crease and unfold.
  3. Kite. Fold the edges at the left point in on creases from the point to 7.5 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the cat's head.
  4. Narrow the other end. Fold the edges at the right point in on creases from the point to 9.4 cm above and below the middle crease. That end is the tail.
  5. Tummy corners. Fold the top and bottom corners in on creases 4.1 cm above and below the middle crease. They will be hidden inside.
  6. Fold in half. Fold the top half down onto the bottom half along the middle crease. The long fold on top is the back, the flat bottom is the tummy.
  7. Crease two strips. Fold the bottom edge up 1.1 cm and the top edge down 0.8 cm, all layers, and crease both hard. These strips give the legs and the ear.
  8. Open it. Unfold both strips again.
  9. Slit the legs. Cut along the strip crease from the front end in 2.9 cm, and from the back end in 2.6 cm.
  10. Free the ear. Cut the top crease 2.2 cm in from the front end. Cut the top crease 5.3 cm in from the back end, for the tail.
  11. Tuck the strip. Fold the slit strip up along its crease, the front layers up in front and the back layers up behind.
  12. Front legs: reach. Swing the front strip down on slanted creases from its inner end, the front layers one way and the back ones behind, a little apart.
  13. Back legs. Swing the back strip down the same way, the front layers forward and the back ones behind.
  14. Ear up. Fold the front strip up behind on a slanted crease from the end of its cut, both layers together, so a pointed ear stands up.
  15. Head: crease. Fold the front end over on an upright crease 4.2 cm from its tip, all layers together, ear too.
  16. Head: crimp up. Fold it back on a crease slanting from the same bottom point, so the head lifts up.
  17. Short nose. Fold the tip of the head behind, 0.8 cm from the point, all layers together, so the cat has a short, neat nose.
  18. Rump. Fold the back end behind on an upright crease 2.9 cm behind the back legs, all layers except the tail strip.
  19. Pleat: fold over. Fold the back part over to the front on an upright crease through the body, all layers together.
  20. Pleat: fold back. Fold it back again on an upright crease 1.2 cm further forward. The body gets shorter.
  21. Tail up. Fold the tail strip up behind on a slanted crease from the end of its cut, both layers together, so the tail points up high.
  22. Stretch. Tip the cat forward, so the chest goes down, the bottom goes up and the front paws reach out low.

Mmm, what a stretch!

Draw a shiny eye and a small pink or black nose on the little face.

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