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How to fold an origami playful kitten

Fold a square into a triangle and sit it up. Slit a strip at the rump into a hooked tail and one down the chest into a batting paw, then fold a big cat face from a second square.

You need: 2 ginger squares (15 cm and 10 cm), scissors, glue and a black pen. Hard, 21 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. White side up, like a diamond, fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top will be the kitten's back.
  2. Crease the back strip. Fold the top edge down 1.1 cm through both layers and crease it hard. The end of this strip becomes the tail.
  3. Open it. Unfold the strip again.
  4. Crease the paw strip. Fold the right edge in 1.3 cm through both layers and crease it hard. This strip gives the front legs.
  5. Open it. Unfold the paw strip again.
  6. Sit it up. Turn it so the right point is straight above the bottom point. The long fold is the back, the top point the shoulders, the left one the rump.
  7. Free tail and paw. Cut 7.5 cm up the back crease from the bottom edge, and 4.7 cm up the front crease from the bottom edge.
  8. Tail up. Fold the loose back strip up behind on a crease from the end of its cut, both layers together, so the tail stands up behind the back.
  9. Hook the tail. Fold the tip of the tail over forward on a crease across it near the top, so it hooks like a question mark.
  10. Batting paw. Fold the front layer of the loose chest strip up and forward on a slanted crease from the end of its cut, so one white paw reaches out to bat.
  11. Round paw. Fold the two corners at the end of the raised paw behind a little, so it is round.
  12. Round the rump. Fold the bottom left corner behind, 3.8 cm along each edge, all layers but the tail.
  13. Rounder still. Fold the two new corners behind too, 1.1 cm each, so the kitten sits on a big round bottom.
  14. Shoulders. Fold the top corner behind, 3.4 cm along each edge, all layers. The head will sit here.
  15. Head: new sheet. Set the body aside. Take the small square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  16. Head: fold in half. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner. The long fold at the top is the top of the head.
  17. Head: corners down. Fold the left and right corners down to the bottom point, so the head is a small square standing on its point.
  18. Ears. Fold the tip of each flap back up and out, so it sticks up past the top edge as a pointed ear.
  19. Muzzle. Fold the front layer of the bottom point up on a crease 1.3 cm above it, so a pale muzzle shows.
  20. Round chin. Fold the bottom point behind, 0.9 cm along each edge, so the chin is round.
  21. Glue on the head. Glue the head onto the shoulders, so it sits big and round above the batting paw.

Pat, pat!

Draw big shiny eyes, a little nose and a smiling mouth on the muzzle.

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