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How to fold an origami glowing firefly

Fold the sides of a dark piece in on slants into long wing cases and round their tips. Pleat a yellow strip into a round head shield and a ringed lantern tail that glows below the cases.

You need: A 10.5 × 8.25 cm dark brown piece and a 4.5 × 15 cm yellow strip; scissors, glue and a black pen. Hard, 15 steps, about 25 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in the wing cases. Stand the dark piece up, white side up. Fold each side in on a slight slant, so the edges meet at the top middle and part by 1.5 cm at the bottom.
  2. Round the tips. Fold the two bottom outside corners behind on slants, 1.6 cm along each edge, and the two top corners behind a little.
  3. Round them more. Fold the new corners at each tip behind a little, so the cases end in smooth round tips.
  4. Body. Set the cases aside. Take the yellow strip, yellow side up, standing tall.
  5. Shield pleat: top down. Fold the top down on a crease 2.5 cm from the top.
  6. Snip the neck. Snip along the top fold from each side, stopping 6 mm from the middle.
  7. Shield pleat: back up. Fold it back up on a crease 4 mm lower. Above the ledge is the shield that covers the head.
  8. Round the shield. Fold the two top corners behind on big slants, so the shield is a half circle.
  9. Slim the body. Below the shield, fold both long sides behind, 1.4 cm from the middle, so the tail is slimmer than the shield.
  10. Lantern pleat 1: up. Fold the bottom up on a crease 2.5 cm from the bottom.
  11. Lantern pleat 1: down. Fold it back down on a crease 3 mm higher, leaving a ring across the tail.
  12. Lantern pleat 2: up. Fold the bottom up on a crease 1.5 cm from the bottom.
  13. Lantern pleat 2: down. Fold it back down on a crease 3 mm higher, leaving a ring across the tail.
  14. Round the tail. Fold the two bottom corners behind on slants, so the lantern is round.
  15. Glue on the cases. Glue the wing cases on top, their top edge just under the shield, so the yellow lantern shows below them.

Glow, little firefly!

Draw a black spot in the middle of the shield, two feelers, and a few glow lines round the lantern.

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