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How to fold an origami haunted house

A big Halloween project. Cut and pleat a crooked purple house with five glowing windows and a leaning tower, then add a moon, a bare tree, a ghost, two bats, a pumpkin and a fence, and stand it up.

You need: 13 pieces: 12 cm purple square, then purple, yellow, brown, black, grey, orange, white and navy pieces (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, pens.. Challenge, 75 steps, about 75 minutes.

Steps

  1. House: fold in half. Start with the house: a 12 cm purple square, purple side up. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  2. House: cut the roof. Cut through both layers: a 1.5 cm strip off the open side, then a slant from 5.5 cm down that new edge up to the top of the fold.
  3. House: fold the side over. Fold the open side over onto the front, both layers together, creasing 2.7 cm from the centre fold.
  4. House: fold the top down. Fold the top down over the front, creasing 6.5 cm below the tip. This crease crosses both folds where the windows go.
  5. House: snip the windows. Snip off the two corners where the top fold meets a side fold: from 9 mm along the side fold to 6 mm along the top fold.
  6. House: open the top. Fold the top back up again.
  7. House: fold the bottom up. Fold the bottom edge up over the front, creasing 2.3 cm above it.
  8. House: snip the low windows. Snip off the corner where the bottom fold meets the side fold, the same size as before.
  9. House: open the bottom. Fold the bottom back down again.
  10. House: open the side. Unfold the side fold.
  11. House: open it. Open the centre fold too. A pointed roof and five diamond windows: three upstairs, two downstairs.
  12. House: pleat a floor. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 8.1 cm below the tip, between the two rows of windows. The white side shows for now.
  13. House: fold it back down. Fold the flap back down 5 mm higher. The pleat leaves a ledge between upstairs and downstairs.
  14. Window light: new sheet. Set the house aside. For the light inside, take a 7.2 × 4.6 cm yellow piece, yellow side up.
  15. Light the windows. Glue the house on top of the yellow piece, so yellow light shines out of all five windows.
  16. Tower: new sheet. Set the house aside. For the tower, take a 3.5 × 15 cm dark purple strip, purple side up, standing tall.
  17. Tower: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  18. Tower: cut the spire. Cut one slant through both layers, from 3.5 cm down the open edge up to the top of the fold. A tall pointed spire.
  19. Tower: fold the top down. Fold the top down over the front, creasing 5.5 cm below the tip.
  20. Tower: snip the window. Snip off the corner where the two folds meet: from 8 mm along the side fold to 5 mm along the top fold.
  21. Tower: open the top. Fold the top back up again.
  22. Tower: open it. Open the side fold too: a tall tower with a pointed spire and a diamond window.
  23. Tower light: new sheet. Set the tower aside. For its light, take a 2 × 2.4 cm yellow piece, yellow side up.
  24. Build the house. Glue the tower over the yellow piece, leaning a little to the left, and overlapping the left edge of the house.
  25. Door: new sheet. Set the house aside. For the door, take a 1.6 × 3 cm dark brown piece, brown side up, standing tall.
  26. Door: crooked top. Fold the top left corner behind by 8 mm and the top right corner behind by 4 mm. A wonky, pointed door.
  27. Moon: new sheet. Set the door aside. For the full moon, take a 5 cm pale yellow square, yellow side up.
  28. Moon: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 1.5 cm each way, so the moon is round.
  29. Tree: new sheet. Set the moon aside. For the bare tree, take a 5.5 × 10 cm brown piece, brown side up, standing tall.
  30. Tree: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  31. Tree: cut the trunk. Cut a long slant through both layers, from 3 cm down the open edge to 5 mm from the fold at the bottom.
  32. Tree: fold the side in. Fold the open side over onto the front, creasing halfway between the fold and the open edge.
  33. Tree: cut the branches. Cut a deep V off the top corner at the middle fold (5.5 cm down) and a shorter one at the side fold (3.5 cm down).
  34. Tree: open the side. Unfold the side fold.
  35. Tree: open it. Open the middle fold too: a bare, spooky tree with four bony branches.
  36. Ghost: new sheet. Set the tree aside. For the ghost, take a 5 cm square of any colour, coloured side up, turned like a diamond.
  37. Ghost: crease. Fold the left corner to the right corner, crease, and unfold.
  38. Ghost: make a kite. Fold the two lower edges in to lie along the centre crease.
  39. Ghost: turn it over. Flip the kite over so it is all white.
  40. Ghost: flatten the top. Fold the very tip of the top point behind.
  41. Ghost: round the head. Fold the corners beside the top, and the two side corners, behind.
  42. Ghost: curl the tail. Fold the bottom of the tail across, so it swings out to the right.
  43. Big bat: new sheet. Set the last part aside. For the big bat, take a 6 × 2.4 cm black strip, black side up, lying long.
  44. Big bat: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  45. Big bat: cut the outline. Cut a small V off the top corner at the fold, then a long slant from the bottom, 8 mm from the fold, up to near the top of the open end.
  46. Big bat: fold the wing in. Fold the long end over onto the front, creasing 7 mm from the fold.
  47. Big bat: shape the ears. Snip a slant off both top corners at the new fold, and a small V off its bottom corner. Then cut the top of the wing on a slant.
  48. Big bat: open the wing. Unfold the wing.
  49. Big bat: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Two pointy ears, a little body, and wings that rise to sharp tips.
  50. Small bat: new sheet. Set the last part aside. For the small bat, take a 4.5 × 1.8 cm black strip, black side up, lying long.
  51. Small bat: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  52. Small bat: cut the outline. Cut it just like the big bat: a small V at the top of the fold, then the long slant along the bottom.
  53. Small bat: fold the wing in. Fold the long end over onto the front, creasing 7 mm from the fold.
  54. Small bat: shape the ears. Snip the same corners at the new fold, then cut the top of the wing on a slant, like the big bat.
  55. Small bat: open the wing. Unfold the wing.
  56. Small bat: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. A second, smaller bat.
  57. Fence: new sheet. Set the bats aside. For the fence, take a 30 × 1.8 cm grey strip, grey side up, lying long.
  58. Fence: fold in half. Fold the left end over onto the right end.
  59. Fence: in half again. Fold the right end back over onto the left fold.
  60. Fence: and again. Fold the right edge over onto the left once more. A stack about 3.8 cm wide.
  61. Fence: cut the points. Cut a slant off both top corners of the stack, from 6 mm down each side to the middle of the top edge.
  62. Fence: open one fold. Unfold the last fold.
  63. Fence: open another. Unfold the next fold.
  64. Fence: open flat. Unfold the first fold too. Eight pointed pickets in a row.
  65. Pumpkin: new sheet. Set the fence aside. For the pumpkin, take a 6 cm orange square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  66. Pumpkin: crease. Fold the left corner to the right corner, crease, and unfold.
  67. Pumpkin: make a kite. Fold the two lower edges in to lie along the centre crease.
  68. Pumpkin: turn it over. Flip the kite over.
  69. Pumpkin: flatten the top. Fold the top point behind, a little above the side corners.
  70. Pumpkin: the stem. Fold the long point up behind, just below the middle, so its tip peeks out above the top edge.
  71. Pumpkin: round it off. Fold the six corners of the pumpkin behind, and the very tip of the stem.
  72. Night sky: new sheet. Set the pumpkin aside. Last, the night sky: a 30 × 18 cm navy piece, navy side up, lying long.
  73. Night sky: round the top. Fold the two top corners behind, 3 cm along each edge.
  74. Build the scene. Glue the house in the middle and the door on it, then the moon, tree, ghost and bats. Glue the fence along the bottom and the pumpkin in front.
  75. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently back just left of the tower and towards you just right of the house, in a zigzag. Stand the whole scene up on the table.

Happy haunting!

Paint white trim on the roofs, a round attic window and stars. Draw window bars, moon craters, ghost and bat faces, and a jack-o'-lantern grin.

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