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How to fold an origami library

A quiet build. Fold two tall bookcases and six rows of pleated books, a moonlit window with tied curtains, a ladder, an armchair with a reading child, a lamp on a side table and a cat, then stand it up.

You need: 28 pieces: dark-green A4; wood, brown, red, yellow, blue, purple, green, orange, tan, black, skin paper (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, pens.. Challenge, 111 steps, about 120 minutes.

Steps

  1. Wall: crease the middle. Start with the wall: a dark-green A4 sheet lying long. Fold it in half, short edges together, and open it. It bends on this crease to stand.
  2. Floor: new sheet. Set the wall aside. For the floor, take a 29.7 × 10 cm light-wood strip, white side up, long side across.
  3. Floor: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge. The fold is the front edge of the room.
  4. Left bookcase: new sheet. Set the floor aside. For the first tall bookcase, take a 13.4 × 19.7 cm piece of dark-brown paper, white side up, standing tall.
  5. Left bookcase: sides to the middle. Fold the left and right edges in to meet in the middle. Brown all over: the back of the bookcase.
  6. Left bookcase: top board and plinth. Fold the top edge down 0.9 cm and the bottom edge up 1.3 cm, through all layers: the top board and the plinth.
  7. Left books 1: new sheet. Set the bookcase aside. For a row of tall books, take a 7.2 × 4.4 cm piece of red paper, coloured side up, long side across.
  8. Left books 1: pleat 1. Fold the right part over to the left on a line 2.3 cm from the left end.
  9. Left books 1: pleat 1 back. Fold it back to the right on a line 3.5 mm further left. The pleat's edge parts two books.
  10. Left books 1: pleat 2. Fold the right part over to the left on a line 4.3 cm from the left end.
  11. Left books 1: pleat 2 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  12. Left books 1: lean the last book. Fold the top right corner behind on a slant, so the last book leans on its neighbour.
  13. Left books 2: new sheet. Set the books aside. For the next row, take a 7.2 × 4.4 cm piece of yellow paper, coloured side up, long side across.
  14. Left books 2: pleat 1. Fold the right part over to the left on a line 2.5 cm from the left end.
  15. Left books 2: pleat 1 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  16. Left books 2: pleat 2. Make a second pleat the same way, 4.3 cm from the left end.
  17. Left books 2: pleat 2 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  18. Left books 2: lean the last book. Fold the top right corner behind on a slant.
  19. Left books 3: new sheet. Set the books aside. For the next row, take a 7.2 × 4.4 cm piece of blue paper, coloured side up, long side across.
  20. Left books 3: pleat 1. Fold the right part over to the left on a line 2 cm from the left end.
  21. Left books 3: pleat 1 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  22. Left books 3: pleat 2. Make a second pleat the same way, 3.9 cm from the left end.
  23. Left books 3: pleat 2 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  24. Left books 3: lean the last book. Fold the top right corner behind on a slant.
  25. Right bookcase: new sheet. Set the books aside. For the second bookcase, take a 13.4 × 19.7 cm piece of dark-brown paper, white side up, standing tall.
  26. Right bookcase: sides to the middle. Fold the left and right edges in to meet in the middle.
  27. Right bookcase: top board and plinth. Fold the top edge down 0.9 cm and the bottom edge up 1.3 cm.
  28. Right books 1: new sheet. Set the bookcase aside. For the next row, take a 7.2 × 4.4 cm piece of purple paper, coloured side up, long side across.
  29. Right books 1: pleat 1. Fold the right part over to the left on a line 2.6 cm from the left end.
  30. Right books 1: pleat 1 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  31. Right books 1: pleat 2. Make a second pleat the same way, 4.3 cm from the left end.
  32. Right books 1: pleat 2 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  33. Right books 1: lean the last book. Fold the top right corner behind on a slant.
  34. Right books 2: new sheet. Set the books aside. For the next row, take a 7.2 × 4.4 cm piece of green paper, coloured side up, long side across.
  35. Right books 2: pleat 1. Fold the right part over to the left on a line 2 cm from the left end.
  36. Right books 2: pleat 1 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  37. Right books 2: pleat 2. Make a second pleat the same way, 3.9 cm from the left end.
  38. Right books 2: pleat 2 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  39. Right books 2: lean the last book. Fold the top right corner behind on a slant.
  40. Right books 3: new sheet. Set the books aside. For the next row, take a 7.2 × 4.4 cm piece of orange paper, coloured side up, long side across.
  41. Right books 3: pleat 1. Fold the right part over to the left on a line 2.3 cm from the left end.
  42. Right books 3: pleat 1 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  43. Right books 3: pleat 2. Make a second pleat the same way, 4.3 cm from the left end.
  44. Right books 3: pleat 2 back. Fold it back to the right, 3.5 mm further left.
  45. Right books 3: lean the last book. Fold the top right corner behind on a slant.
  46. Window: new sheet. Set the books aside. For the window, take a 7.8 × 7.6 cm piece of dark-blue paper, blue side up.
  47. Window: top and bottom. Fold the top and bottom edges in 6 mm. White strips appear.
  48. Window: sides. Fold the sides in 6 mm too. A white frame round the night sky.
  49. Left curtain: new sheet. Set the window aside. For a curtain, take a 3.7 × 7.6 cm piece of red paper, red side up, standing tall.
  50. Left curtain: pleat. Fold the inner part over towards the outer edge on a line down the middle of the strip.
  51. Left curtain: pleat back. Fold it back on a line 3.5 mm further out. The pleat is a soft fold in the cloth.
  52. Left curtain: tie it back. Fold the inner bottom corner behind on a long slant, from 4.4 cm down the inner edge to 8 mm from the outer edge. The curtain is tied back.
  53. Right curtain: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold a second curtain the same way, as a mirror image.
  54. Right curtain: pleat. Make a pleat the same way, down the middle.
  55. Right curtain: pleat back. Fold it back, 3.5 mm further out.
  56. Right curtain: tie it back. Fold the inner bottom corner behind on a long slant.
  57. Ladder: new sheet. Set the curtain aside. For the ladder, take a 29.2 × 1.2 cm piece tan strip, long side across.
  58. Ladder: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  59. Ladder: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners, so they hang straight down: the two rails of a ladder.
  60. Rung 1: new sheet. Set the rails aside. For a rung, take a 2.8 × 0.8 cm tan strip.
  61. Rung 1: narrow it. Fold the long edges behind to meet in the middle: a stiff little rung.
  62. Rung 2: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold another rung the same way.
  63. Rung 2: narrow it. Fold the long edges behind to meet in the middle.
  64. Rung 3: new sheet. Set it aside. Fold another rung the same way.
  65. Rung 3: narrow it. Fold the long edges behind to meet in the middle.
  66. Armchair back: new sheet. Set the rung aside. For the armchair, take a 8.3 cm square of orange paper, coloured side up.
  67. Armchair back: sides behind. Coloured side up. Fold the left and right edges behind, about 1.7 cm each. This is the tall chair back.
  68. Armchair back: round the top. Fold the two top corners behind, about 1.1 cm, to round the back.
  69. Child's hair: new sheet. Set the back aside. Now the reading child. Start with the hair: a 3.8 × 3.1 cm piece of red-brown paper.
  70. Child's hair: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 9 mm along each edge.
  71. Child's jacket: new sheet. Set the hair aside. For the jacket, take a 7.2 × 4.2 cm piece of blue paper, white side up.
  72. Child's jacket: sides in. Fold the left and right edges in to meet in the middle.
  73. Child's jacket: collar. Fold the top middle corners out on slants for the white collar.
  74. Child's jacket: shoulders. Fold the top outer corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for round shoulders.
  75. Child's head: new sheet. Set the jacket aside. For the head, take a 2.7 cm square of skin-tone paper.
  76. Child's head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge: a round face.
  77. Armchair seat: new sheet. Set the head aside. For the seat, take a second 8.3 cm square of orange paper, coloured side up.
  78. Armchair seat: in half. Fold the top half behind, down to the bottom edge.
  79. Armchair seat: round the arms. Fold the top corners behind about 1.1 cm for round arm tops, and the bottom corners behind a tiny bit.
  80. Cushion: new sheet. Set the seat aside. For the cushion, take a 4.1 cm square of yellow paper, yellow side up.
  81. Cushion: in half. Fold the top half behind, down to the bottom edge.
  82. Cushion: soften it. Fold all four corners behind a tiny bit so the cushion looks soft.
  83. Storybook: new sheet. Set the cushion aside. For the child's storybook, take a 6.3 × 2.5 cm piece of blue paper, blue side up, long side across.
  84. Storybook: cover edges. Coloured side up, long edges at the top and bottom. Fold a thin strip of the top and bottom edges behind, about 2 mm.
  85. Storybook: pages to the middle. Fold the left and right ends in to meet in the middle. These are the white pages, and the line where they meet is the spine.
  86. Storybook: dip the pages. Fold each page's corners next to the spine over on a gentle slant, so the pages dip into the middle at the top and the bottom.
  87. Side table: new sheet. Set the book aside. For a little side table, take a 13.4 × 1.4 cm piece dark-brown strip.
  88. Side table: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind to meet in the middle at the back. Press hard: a stiff strip.
  89. Side table: bend the ends. Fold both ends down on slants from the bottom corners: table legs.
  90. Lamp base: new sheet. Set the table aside. For the lamp's base, take a 3 cm square of blue paper, blue side up.
  91. Lamp base: sides behind. Fold the left and right edges behind, about 4 mm each, so the base is tall.
  92. Lamp base: round it. Fold all four corners behind a little to make the base round, like a jar.
  93. Lampshade: new sheet. Set the base aside. For the shade, take a 5.4 cm square of yellow paper, yellow side up.
  94. Lampshade: white trim. Yellow side up. Fold the bottom edge up a thin strip, about 4 mm. The white strip is the trim.
  95. Lampshade: top behind. Fold the top part behind along a line a little above the middle.
  96. Lampshade: slant the sides. Fold the left and right sides behind on a slant, from near the top corners down to the bottom corners. The top is narrow.
  97. Cat: new sheet. Set the shade aside. Last, the cat: a 6.3 cm square of black paper, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  98. Cat: make a triangle. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner.
  99. Cat: fold the top down. Fold the top point down to the middle of the bottom edge. Crease it firmly: you will cut along this crease.
  100. Cat: open it again. Unfold the top point. The part above the crease will be the head.
  101. Cat: fold up a band. Fold the bottom edge up until it sits halfway to the crease, making a band along the bottom.
  102. Cat: snip the head free. Cut the crease from each side, leaving a 4 mm neck. Cut the head's top flat, a third up its sides. Slit the band's fold ⅔ in from the right.
  103. Cat: fold up the ears. Fold the head's bottom corners up behind, creasing from each neck cut to the corner of the top cut, so they stand up as ears.
  104. Cat: sides behind. Fold the right side behind on an upright crease through the end of the band cut, leaving the loose band out. Fold the left side to match.
  105. Cat: round it off. Cut the shoulders round through all the layers, from the neck down to the side folds just above the band. Snip each cheek round.
  106. Cat: legs and tail. Cut each flap behind into a triangle leg, from the top of its fold to near the middle. Trim the band's cut edge from halfway to a blunt tip.
  107. Cat: swing up the tail. Fold the loose band up behind on a crease from the body's bottom corner to its top edge, 1½ band-heights along, so the tail rises.
  108. Cat: fold the tip down. Fold the tip of the tail down over itself, creasing straight across the tail a third of the way from the top.
  109. Cat: curl the tip. Fold the tip back up on a crease from the same spot on the outer edge, running lower across, so it curls back over the cat.
  110. Build the scene. Glue the floor, bookcases, books, window and curtains on the wall, the ladder on the right. Sit the child in the armchair with the book. Add the table, lamp, cat.
  111. Stand it up. Bend the wall gently towards you on the middle crease and stand the whole library up on the table.

Shh, story time!

Draw white window bars, a moon and stars, curtain ties and labels on the books. Add the child's face, the book's lines, the lamp's stripes and the cat's eyes.

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