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How to fold an origami peace dove

One square folded in half: the back layer pops up as the head, the front point is snipped free into a fanned tail, and a pleat at each shoulder raises the wings.

You need: 1 square sheet, 15 × 15 cm, pale blue on one side; a 4 cm green square; scissors and glue. Hard, 18 steps, about 25 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, like a diamond. Fold the top corner down onto the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the front edge of the wings.
  2. Crease the wings. Fold the bottom point up through both layers on a level crease 4.1 cm below the top fold.
  3. Open it. Unfold it again. The crease marks the back edge of the wings.
  4. Head up. Fold only the back layer's point up behind on the same crease, so its tip pokes up above the top fold. That is the head.
  5. Free the tail. Cut along the crease from each side edge, stopping 9 mm from the middle. The front point hanging below is now the tail.
  6. Fan the tail. Fold each side of the tail behind, from the end of a cut down to the tail's slanted edge, 3.6 cm below the cut.
  7. Square the tail. Fold the tail's point behind on a level crease between the bottoms of those two creases.
  8. Round the tail. Fold the tail's two bottom corners behind, about 9 mm each way, so the fan looks rounded.
  9. Blunt the head. Fold the tip of the head behind, 1.2 cm down.
  10. Round the head. Fold the two top corners of the head behind a little, so it is round.
  11. Left wing: fold in. Fold the left wing over to the right on a crease from the back edge, 1.7 cm left of the middle, leaning up and to the left.
  12. Left wing: fold out. Fold it back out from the same point on a crease that stands straighter. The wing lifts up.
  13. Right wing: fold in. Do the same with the right wing: fold it over to the left on a crease leaning up and to the right.
  14. Right wing: fold out. Fold it back out on a crease that stands straighter, so both wings rise.
  15. Olive leaf. Set the dove aside. Take the green square, white side up, turned like a diamond with one corner at the beak.
  16. Leaf: make a kite. Fold the two edges next to the beak corner in to meet along the middle line.
  17. Leaf: fold in half. Fold the kite in half along its middle line, so it is a slim green leaf.
  18. Give it the leaf. Glue the leaf's narrow end to the top of the head, so the dove carries it.

Peace!

Draw two little eyes and a small dark beak on the head.

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