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How to fold an origami ice rink

A real project. Fan-pleat and round a twirling skirt, cut skating legs with white boots, then add a penguin, a snowman in a top hat, snowy pines, a fence, the moon and string lights, and stand it up.

You need: 25 pieces: pink, dark blue A4, white, pale blue, brown, green, black, yellow, orange, red and skin-tone bits (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue.. Challenge, 77 steps, about 90 minutes.

Steps

  1. Skirt: first pleat. Start with the skirt: a 10 × 4.6 cm pink piece, pink side up. From the top middle, fold the right part over in front on a slant, and the left part behind.
  2. Skirt: fold back. Fold each flap back out on a line just inside its first fold, as shown: right in front, left behind. Each side gets a narrow pleat.
  3. Skirt: second pleat. Make a second pleat further out the same way: fold each outer part in on a slant from the top middle, right in front, left behind.
  4. Skirt: fold back again. Fold each new flap back out just inside its fold. The skirt now fans out from the waist in four pleats.
  5. Skirt: round the hem. Cut the hem round in small snips through all layers, 4.2 cm from the waist point. A flared skirt, twirling out as she spins.
  6. Top: new sheet. Set the skirt aside. For her top, take a 2.2 × 3.2 cm pink piece, pink side up, standing tall.
  7. Top: slim waist. Fold the bottom corners behind on long slants, so the top narrows to a slim waist. Fold the top corners behind a little for shoulders.
  8. Bun: new sheet. Set the top aside. For the bun, take a 1.1 cm brown square, coloured side up.
  9. Bun: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 0.3 cm along both edges. You get an octagon.
  10. Bun: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 1.2 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  11. Hair: new sheet. Set the bun aside. For the hair, take a 2.4 cm brown square, coloured side up.
  12. Hair: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 0.7 cm along both edges. You get an octagon.
  13. Hair: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 2.6 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  14. Head: new sheet. Set the hair aside. For the head, take a 2 cm skin-tone square, coloured side up.
  15. Head: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 0.6 cm along both edges. You get an octagon.
  16. Head: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 2.2 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  17. Night sky: new sheet. Set the head aside. For the night sky, take a dark blue A4 sheet, blue side up, lying long. The whole rink is glued on it.
  18. Moon: new sheet. Set the sky aside. For the moon, take a 3.2 cm pale yellow square, coloured side up.
  19. Moon: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 0.9 cm along both edges. You get an octagon.
  20. Moon: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 3.5 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  21. String lights: new sheet. Set the moon aside. For the string lights, take a 31 × 1 cm yellow strip, lying long and slanting down to the right.
  22. Lights: fold in half. Fold the bottom half behind, the long way, so the strip is yellow on both sides.
  23. Lights: first dip. Fold the strip up on a level line a quarter of the way along, so the rest climbs up to the right.
  24. Lights: and down. At the middle, fold it down on a level line, so it slopes down to the right again.
  25. Lights: last dip. Fold it up once more at three quarters. The lights now hang in two swoops, like a W.
  26. Pine tree: new sheet. Set the lights aside. For a pine tree, take a 4 × 8.4 cm dark green piece, green side up.
  27. Pine tree: make it pointy. Cut both sides off on long slants, from the top middle to the bottom corners.
  28. Pine tree: pleat. Fold the top part down in front on the line shown.
  29. Pine tree: pleat back. Fold it back up, 4 mm lower. The ledge is a layer of branches: a pine tree!
  30. Second pine: new sheet. Set the tree aside. For a pine tree, take a 3.8 × 8.8 cm dark green piece, green side up.
  31. Second pine: make it pointy. Cut both sides off on long slants, from the top middle to the bottom corners.
  32. Second pine: pleat. Fold the top part down in front on the line shown.
  33. Second pine: pleat back. Fold it back up, 4 mm lower. The ledge is a layer of branches: a pine tree!
  34. Fence: new sheet. Set the tree aside. For the fence round the rink, take a 29.7 × 4 cm brown strip, brown side up, lying long.
  35. Fence: snowy rail. Fold the top edge down in front, 6 mm. The white band is snow on the fence rail.
  36. Snow: new sheet. Set the fence aside. For the snow, take a 29.7 × 6.3 cm white strip, lying long.
  37. Snow: neat edge. Fold the top edge behind 4 mm, for a straight edge.
  38. Ice: new sheet. Set the snow aside. For the ice, take a 21 × 5 cm pale blue piece, blue side up, lying long.
  39. Ice: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 1.5 cm along both edges.
  40. Ice: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 5 mm along both edges. The rink has soft round ends.
  41. Snowman base: new sheet. Set the ice aside. For the snowman base, take a 4 cm white square, coloured side up.
  42. Snowman base: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 1.2 cm along both edges. You get an octagon.
  43. Snowman base: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 4.4 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  44. Snowman middle: new sheet. Set the snowman base aside. For the snowman middle, take a 3 cm white square, coloured side up.
  45. Snowman middle: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 0.9 cm along both edges. You get an octagon.
  46. Snowman middle: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 3.3 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  47. Snowman head: new sheet. Set the snowman middle aside. For the snowman head, take a 2.2 cm white square, coloured side up.
  48. Snowman head: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 0.6 cm along both edges. You get an octagon.
  49. Snowman head: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 2.4 mm along both edges, so it is round.
  50. Top hat: new sheet. Set the snowman's head aside. For his top hat, take a 2.5 × 2.2 cm black piece, black side up.
  51. Hat: crease the brim. Fold the bottom edge up in front, 4 mm.
  52. Hat: open it. Open it again. The crease marks the brim.
  53. Hat: snip the crease. Snip along the crease from each side edge, 4.5 mm in.
  54. Hat: narrow the crown. Fold both sides of the part above the snips behind, 4.5 mm. The brim stays wide.
  55. Carrot nose: new sheet. Set the hat aside. For the carrot nose, take a 1.5 × 0.5 cm orange piece.
  56. Nose: make it pointy. Cut the right end to a point with two long slanted snips.
  57. Scarf: new sheet. Set the nose aside. For the scarf, take a 4.2 × 1.2 cm red strip, red side up, lying long.
  58. Scarf: fold in half. Fold the bottom half behind, the long way.
  59. Scarf: the tail. Fold the right end down in front on a slant, as shown. It hangs down as the scarf's tail.
  60. Penguin: new sheet. Set the scarf aside. For the penguin, take a 5 × 7.6 cm black piece, white side up, standing tall.
  61. Penguin: wings. Fold the left and right edges in front, 9 mm each. The black flaps are wings; the white strip between them is his tummy.
  62. Penguin: black head. Fold the top edge down in front, 1.6 cm, for his black head.
  63. Penguin: round him. Fold the top corners behind, 1.2 cm along each edge, and the bottom corners 1 cm. A plump round penguin.
  64. Beak: new sheet. Set the penguin aside. For his beak, take a 0.8 × 0.6 cm orange piece.
  65. Beak: point it. Fold both bottom corners behind on slants to the bottom middle, so the beak points down.
  66. Feet: new sheet. Set the beak aside. For his feet, take a 2.6 × 0.6 cm orange strip.
  67. Feet: round them. Fold all four corners behind, 2.5 mm along each edge.
  68. Legs: new sheet. Set the feet aside. Back to the skater: for her legs, take a 1.5 × 5.8 cm skin-tone strip, standing tall.
  69. Legs: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  70. Legs: cut them apart. Snip a long slant up the fold from the bottom, 3 cm, between the legs. Trim the open edge on a slant so the ankles are slim.
  71. Legs: open them. Open it out: two slim legs.
  72. Legs: skating boots. Fold the bottom edge up in front, 8 mm. The white flap makes two skating boots.
  73. Arms: new sheet. Set the legs aside. For her arms, take a 10.8 × 1.1 cm skin-tone strip, lying long.
  74. Arms: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, the long way.
  75. Arms: raise them. Fold each half up on a slant, 5 mm either side of the middle, as shown. Both arms reach up high, like a spinning skater.
  76. Build the rink. Glue on the moon, lights, pines, fence, snow and ice, then snowman and penguin. Last the skater: legs, arms, skirt, top, hair, bun and head.
  77. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you between the skater and the penguin, and stand the whole rink up on the table.

What a spin!

Draw the faces, skate blades, the snowman's buttons and hat band, fence posts and skate tracks. Add white stars, bulbs, snow on the pines and spin swooshes.

What to fold next