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How to fold an origami clown

Cut and pleat baggy blue overalls, cut a zigzag ruff, two big shoes and two fluffy tufts, bend yellow arms with white gloves and finish with a round red nose.

You need: Blue 6.3 × 9 cm, yellow 12.6 × 1 cm, green 6.3 × 1.8 cm, orange 7.8 × 2.7 cm, red 9 × 1.8 cm and 1 cm, a 4 cm skin square, scissors, glue, pens. Hard, 29 steps, about 45 minutes.

Steps

  1. Overalls: fold in half. Start with the 6.3 × 9 cm blue piece, blue side up. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  2. Overalls: cut the shape. Cut the top corner off in a long slope for the bib. Then cut a thin slant up the fold, 6 cm long, for the gap between the legs.
  3. Overalls: open them. Open them out flat.
  4. Overalls: fold in a pleat. On each leg, fold the outer part straight in over the leg, on a line up from the middle of its bottom edge.
  5. Overalls: fold it back. Fold each flap back out on a line from the same bottom point, leaning in at the top. The waist pinches in and the legs balloon out.
  6. Arms: new sheet. Set the overalls aside. Take the long yellow strip, white side up, lying flat.
  7. Arms: bend them down. 1.8 cm from the middle on each side, fold the strip down on a long slanted crease so both arms reach down and out, yellow side showing.
  8. Arms: white gloves. Fold the last 7 mm of each arm straight back over itself. The white side shows as a glove.
  9. Ruff: new sheet. Set the arms aside. Take the 6.3 × 1.8 cm green strip, green side up.
  10. Ruff: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  11. Ruff: fold again. Fold it in half again the same way, right edges onto the left fold.
  12. Ruff: fold again. Fold it in half again the same way, right edges onto the left fold.
  13. Ruff: cut the points. Cut through all the layers: two slanted snips 6 mm up from the bottom corners make one point in the middle.
  14. Ruff: open a fold. Open the last fold.
  15. Ruff: open a fold. Open the next fold.
  16. Ruff: open it out. Open it out flat.
  17. Hair: new sheet. Set the ruff aside. Take the 7.8 × 2.7 cm orange strip.
  18. Hair: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  19. Hair: round the tufts. Round the open end with lots of little snips, starting 2.3 cm from the fold at the top and bottom, so it bulges like a puff.
  20. Hair: open it. Open it out: a fluffy tuft at each end.
  21. Head: new sheet. Set the hair aside. Take the 4 cm skin-tone square.
  22. Head: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for a round face.
  23. Nose: new sheet. Set the head aside. Take the little red square.
  24. Nose: round it. Fold the four tiny corners behind for a round red nose.
  25. Shoes: new sheet. Set the nose aside. Take the 9 × 1.8 cm red strip, red side up.
  26. Shoes: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  27. Shoes: cut them apart. Cut off 6 mm along the fold, so you have two pieces. Round the far end into a big toe and snip the inner bottom corner.
  28. Shoes: lay them out. Turn the top shoe over and lay it on the left: two huge shoes, toes pointing out.
  29. Put him together. Glue the overalls over the shoes and the arms behind the bib. Glue the ruff over the shoulders, the hair, the head and the nose.

Honk honk!

Draw white polka dots on the overalls, two buttons, arched brows, eyes with clown lines, a big black grin, curls in his hair and a shine on his nose.

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