All models

How to fold an origami orchard

A real project. Fold a horse whose head is an outside reverse fold, with pleated hooves; pleat two treetops and a woven basket, turn strips into a ladder and a fence, add apples and a bird. Stand it up.

You need: 31 pieces: pale blue A4, greens, browns, red, yellow, tan and white (sizes in steps). Glue and a black pen.. Challenge, 106 steps, about 100 minutes.

Steps

  1. Grass: straight edge. Start with the grass: a 29.7 × 7.5 cm green strip, green side up, lying long. Fold the top edge behind 6 mm.
  2. Trunk: new sheet. Set the grass aside. For the small tree's trunk, take a 2.6 × 7 cm brown piece, brown side up, standing tall.
  3. Trunk: taper it. Fold both long sides behind on a slant, more at the top than at the bottom, so the trunk spreads at its roots.
  4. Treetop: new sheet. Set the trunk aside. For its treetop, take a 8.4 × 10.4 cm dark green piece, green side up, lying long.
  5. Treetop: tier 1, fold up. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 3.3 cm below the top edge. The white side shows for now.
  6. Treetop: tier 1, fold down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. A ledge of leaves runs across: a pleat.
  7. Treetop: tier 2, fold up. Pleat again: fold the bottom edge up, creasing 2.8 cm below the first ledge.
  8. Treetop: tier 2, fold down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. A ledge of leaves runs across: a pleat.
  9. Treetop: corners behind. Fold each corner behind through all the layers, 2.8 cm along each edge.
  10. Treetop: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 8 mm each, for a big round treetop.
  11. Trunk: new sheet. Set the treetop aside. For the big tree's trunk, take a 3.6 × 9.8 cm brown piece, brown side up, standing tall.
  12. Trunk: taper it. Fold both long sides behind on a slant, more at the top than at the bottom, so the trunk spreads at its roots.
  13. Treetop: new sheet. Set the trunk aside. For its treetop, take a 11.2 × 11.2 cm dark green piece, green side up, lying long.
  14. Treetop: tier 1, fold up. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 3.6 cm below the top edge. The white side shows for now.
  15. Treetop: tier 1, fold down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. A ledge of leaves runs across: a pleat.
  16. Treetop: tier 2, fold up. Pleat again: fold the bottom edge up, creasing 3 cm below the first ledge.
  17. Treetop: tier 2, fold down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. A ledge of leaves runs across: a pleat.
  18. Treetop: corners behind. Fold each corner behind through all the layers, 3 cm along each edge.
  19. Treetop: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 9 mm each, for a big round treetop.
  20. Apple: new sheet. Set the treetop aside. For an apple, take a 1.9 cm red square, red side up.
  21. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  22. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.9 cm red square, red side up.
  23. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  24. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.9 cm red square, red side up.
  25. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  26. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.9 cm red square, red side up.
  27. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  28. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.9 cm red square, red side up.
  29. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  30. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.9 cm red square, red side up.
  31. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  32. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.9 cm red square, red side up.
  33. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  34. Fence: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For the fence rails, take a 21.9 × 1.2 cm white strip, lying long.
  35. Fence: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  36. Fence: end post. Fold the strip straight down, 10 cm from its left end. The top rail ends in a post.
  37. Fence: bottom rail. Fold the end to the left, 2.6 cm below the top rail. It runs back under it as the bottom rail.
  38. Post: new sheet. Set the fence aside. For a fence post, take a 1.4 × 5.8 cm white strip, standing tall.
  39. Post: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  40. Post: point the top. Fold the two top corners behind, 3.5 mm each, for a pointed post.
  41. Post: new sheet. Set the post aside. For a fence post, take a 1.4 × 5.8 cm white strip, standing tall.
  42. Post: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  43. Post: point the top. Fold the two top corners behind, 3.5 mm each, for a pointed post.
  44. Bird: new sheet. Set the post aside. For the bird, take one 3.6 cm red square, white side up, as a diamond.
  45. Bird: crease the middle. White side up, like a diamond. Fold the top corner down to the bottom one and open it again, for a crease across the middle.
  46. Bird: long point. Fold the two right-hand edges in to lie along the crease. The red flaps make the right end a long point.
  47. Bird: fold in half. Fold the top half down onto the bottom half along the crease, flaps inside. The long fold on top is the bird's back.
  48. Bird: neck up. Fold the long point up on a slant, creasing from 2.8 cm along the bottom edge to 1.6 cm along the back, both from the tip.
  49. Bird: head. Fold the tip of the neck forward and down, about 10 mm from the end.
  50. Bird: crest and beak. Fold the tip back up, about 5 mm from the end, so it sticks up and back as a pointed crest. The fold in front is the beak.
  51. Bird: round the tummy. Fold the low corner of the body behind on a slant, so the tummy is round.
  52. Bird: sit it up. Tilt the bird back a little so the tail slopes down behind it.
  53. Ladder: new sheet. Set the bird aside. For the ladder, take a 24.4 × 1.2 cm yellow strip, white side up, lying long.
  54. Ladder: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle, for a long yellow stick.
  55. Ladder: left side down. Fold the left end straight down, 1.2 cm left of the middle: a rail.
  56. Ladder: right side down. Fold the right end down the same way. The top rung and two rails make the ladder's frame.
  57. Rung: new sheet. Set the ladder aside. For a rung, take a 2.8 × 1 cm yellow strip, white side up, lying long.
  58. Rung: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  59. Rung: new sheet. Set the rung aside. For a rung, take a 2.8 × 1 cm yellow strip, white side up, lying long.
  60. Rung: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  61. Handle: new sheet. Set the rung aside. For the basket handle, take a 7.6 × 0.9 cm brown strip, white side up, lying long.
  62. Handle: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  63. Handle: left side down. Fold the left end down on a slant, 1.2 cm left of the middle.
  64. Handle: right side down. Fold the right end down the same way: an arched handle.
  65. Apple: new sheet. Set the handle aside. For an apple, take a 1.7 cm red square, red side up.
  66. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  67. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.7 cm red square, red side up.
  68. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  69. Apple: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For an apple, take a 1.7 cm red square, red side up.
  70. Apple: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge, for a round apple.
  71. Basket: new sheet. Set the apple aside. For the basket, take a 4.8 × 4.4 cm tan piece, tan side up, lying long.
  72. Basket: row 1, fold up. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 1.3 cm below the top edge.
  73. Basket: row 1, fold down. Fold it back down 2 mm higher: a woven row.
  74. Basket: row 2, fold up. Again: fold the bottom edge up, creasing 1.1 cm below the first ledge.
  75. Basket: row 2, fold down. Fold it back down 2 mm higher: a woven row.
  76. Basket: taper it. Fold the two bottom corners behind through all the layers, 1 cm along each edge.
  77. Tail: new sheet. Set the basket aside. For the horse's tail, take a 1.4 × 5 cm dark brown strip, white side up, standing tall.
  78. Tail: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  79. Tail: swish it. Fold the bottom 1.8 cm out to the left on a slant, so the tail swishes.
  80. Mane: new sheet. Set the tail aside. For the mane, take a 1 × 3.6 cm dark brown strip, white side up, standing tall.
  81. Mane: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle.
  82. Mane: round the ends. Fold the four corners behind, 2 mm each.
  83. Neck: new sheet. Set the mane aside. For the horse's neck and head, take a 7.4 cm brown square, white side up, as a diamond.
  84. Neck: crease the middle. Fold the diamond in half, left corner onto the right, and open it again.
  85. Neck: make a kite. Fold the two top edges in to lie along the middle crease, making a kite.
  86. Neck: fold in half. Fold the right half over onto the left half. The fold on the right is the front of the neck.
  87. Neck: flat bottom. Fold the bottom point up behind, 4 mm below the kite's side corner, through both layers.
  88. Neck: head down. Outside-reverse-fold the top point down and forward, creasing 2.8 cm below the tip. Each layer wraps round the outside: the head.
  89. Neck: blunt the nose. Fold the very tip of the head behind, 5 mm, through all its layers, for a blunt nose.
  90. Back legs: new sheet. Set the neck aside. For the back legs, take a 12.4 × 1.4 cm brown strip, white side up, lying long.
  91. Back legs: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle: a brown strip, brown on both sides.
  92. Back legs: hooves, fold in. Fold each end in by 9 mm.
  93. Back legs: hooves, fold out. Fold each end back out, 5 mm from the first fold. The pleat leaves a thick hoof at each end.
  94. Back legs: left leg down. Fold the left half down on a slant from the middle of the top edge, so it points down and a little out.
  95. Back legs: right leg down. Fold the right half down the same way. Two legs stand apart like an upside-down V.
  96. Front legs: new sheet. Set the back legs aside. For the front legs, take a 12.4 × 1.4 cm brown strip, white side up, lying long.
  97. Front legs: narrow it. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle: a brown strip, brown on both sides.
  98. Front legs: hooves, fold in. Pleat hooves at both ends like the back legs: fold each end in,
  99. Front legs: hooves, fold out. then back out again.
  100. Front legs: left leg down. Fold the left half down on a slant from the middle of the top edge, so it points down and a little out.
  101. Front legs: right leg down. Fold the right half down the same way. Two legs stand apart like an upside-down V.
  102. Body: new sheet. Set the front legs aside. For the horse's body, take a 6 × 2.9 cm brown piece, brown side up, lying long.
  103. Body: round it. Fold the four corners behind, 1 cm along each edge, for a round rump and chest.
  104. Sky: new sheet. Set the body aside. Last, the sky: a pale blue A4 sheet, coloured side up, lying long.
  105. Build the scene. Glue the grass along the bottom, then the trees and apples, the fence and the bird, the ladder against the big tree, the basket of apples and the horse.
  106. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you just right of the ladder, and stand the orchard up on the table.

Pick an apple!

Draw a stem and leaf on each apple, the weave on the basket, the horse's eye, nostril and dark hooves, and the bird's eye.

What to fold next