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How to fold an origami pumpkin patch

A real project. Pleat a big pumpkin into three ribs and fold it round, build a scarecrow with a hat and white cuffs, fold a crow and a pleated barn, then add hay, a tree and small pumpkins. Stand it up.

You need: 17 pieces: sky-blue A4, olive green, red, browns, orange, yellow, blue, tan, black and green (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, pens.. Challenge, 54 steps, about 80 minutes.

Steps

  1. Field: straight horizon. Start with the field: a 29.7 × 10 cm olive green strip, green side up, lying long. Fold the top edge behind 5 mm.
  2. Barn: new sheet. Set the field aside. For the barn, take an 8 × 9.6 cm red piece, red side up, standing tall.
  3. Barn: pleat the eaves. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 3.4 cm below the top edge. The white side shows for now.
  4. Barn: fold it back down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. The pleat leaves a ledge right under the roof.
  5. Barn: fold the roof. Fold both top corners behind, from the middle of the top edge down to the ledge at each side. A pointed barn roof.
  6. Barn: white corners. Fold each side edge onto the front by 5 mm, so a white strip runs up both corners of the walls.
  7. Trunk: new sheet. Set the barn aside. For the tree trunk, take a 2.6 × 5.8 cm brown piece, brown side up, standing tall.
  8. Trunk: taper it. Fold both long sides behind on a slant: 8 mm at the top, 3 mm at the bottom. The trunk spreads at its roots.
  9. Treetop: new sheet. Set the trunk aside. For the treetop, take a 7.4 × 7.2 cm orange piece, orange side up.
  10. Treetop: corners behind. Fold each corner behind, 2.1 cm along each edge. You get an octagon.
  11. Treetop: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 7 mm each, for a round autumn treetop full of orange leaves.
  12. Hay bale: new sheet. Set the treetop aside. For the hay bale, take a 6.4 × 4.6 cm yellow piece, yellow side up.
  13. Hay bale: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge, so the bale has soft corners.
  14. Pole: new sheet. Set the hay aside. For the scarecrow's pole, take a 1.8 × 11.2 cm brown strip, white side up, standing tall.
  15. Pole: sides to the middle. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle. The pole is brown all over.
  16. Shirt: new sheet. Set the pole aside. For the scarecrow's shirt, take a 4.2 × 4.8 cm blue piece, blue side up.
  17. Shirt: flare it. Fold both long sides behind on a slant, 5 mm at the top and nothing at the bottom, so the shirt flares out.
  18. Arms: new sheet. Set the shirt aside. For the arms, take a 12.4 × 2.8 cm blue strip, blue side up, lying long.
  19. Arms: white cuffs. Fold each end onto the front by 6 mm. The white strips are the scarecrow's cuffs.
  20. Arms: narrow it. Fold the top and bottom edges behind by 7 mm, for a long blue arm band.
  21. Head: new sheet. Set the arms aside. For the head, take a 3 cm square of tan paper, tan side up.
  22. Head: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 5 mm along each edge, for a round sack head.
  23. Hat: new sheet. Set the head aside. For the hat, take a 2.3 × 1.8 cm dark brown piece, brown side up.
  24. Hat: round the top. Fold the two top corners behind, 4 mm along each edge.
  25. Brim: new sheet. Set the hat aside. For the brim, take a 5.2 × 1.2 cm dark brown strip, white side up, lying long.
  26. Brim: fold in half. Fold the bottom edge up onto the top edge, for a thin brown brim.
  27. Brim: round the ends. Fold the four corners of the brim behind, 2.5 mm each, so its ends are round.
  28. Crow: new sheet. Set the brim aside. For the crow, take a 3.6 × 4 cm black piece, white side up, standing tall.
  29. Crow: fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The fold on top is the crow's back.
  30. Crow: beak and back. Fold the bottom right corner behind, from 7 mm down the side to 9 mm in. Fold the top left corner behind, 1.3 cm along and 9 mm down.
  31. Crow: head and tail. Fold the top right corner behind, 1 cm along and 7 mm down: a pointed beak. Fold the bottom left corner behind, 8 mm up and 9 mm along: the tail.
  32. Small pumpkin 1: new sheet. Set the crow aside. For a small pumpkin, take a 4.6 × 3 cm orange piece, orange side up.
  33. Small pumpkin 1: fold in half. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
  34. Small pumpkin 1: the rib. Fold the top layer back to the right, 3 mm left of the fold. A pleated rib runs down the middle.
  35. Small pumpkin 1: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for a plump little pumpkin.
  36. Small pumpkin 2: new sheet. Set the pumpkin aside. For a small pumpkin, take a 4 × 2.5 cm orange piece, orange side up.
  37. Small pumpkin 2: fold in half. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
  38. Small pumpkin 2: the rib. Fold the top layer back to the right, 3 mm left of the fold. A pleated rib runs down the middle.
  39. Small pumpkin 2: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for a plump little pumpkin.
  40. Stem: new sheet. Set the pumpkin aside. For the big pumpkin's stem, take a 1.4 × 2.2 cm green piece, white side up.
  41. Stem: sides to the middle. Fold both long edges in to meet along the middle. The stalk is green all over.
  42. Stem: slant the top. Fold the top right corner behind, 4 mm each way, so the stalk looks snapped off the vine.
  43. Big pumpkin: new sheet. Set the stem aside. For the big pumpkin, take a 12.2 × 5.5 cm orange piece, orange side up, lying long.
  44. Big pumpkin: rib 1, fold over. Fold the right part over to the left, creasing 2.8 cm from the left edge. The white side shows for now.
  45. Big pumpkin: rib 1, fold back. Fold it back to the right, 5 mm left of that crease. A rib stands out: that's a pleat.
  46. Big pumpkin: rib 2, fold over. Pleat again: fold the right part over, creasing 2.8 cm right of the first rib.
  47. Big pumpkin: rib 2, fold back. Fold it back to the right, 5 mm left of the new crease. A second rib.
  48. Big pumpkin: rib 3, fold over. And once more: fold the right part over, 2.8 cm right of the second rib.
  49. Big pumpkin: rib 3, fold back. Fold it back 5 mm to the left of it. Three ribs, four plump sections.
  50. Big pumpkin: corners behind. Fold each corner behind through all the layers, 1.5 cm along each edge.
  51. Big pumpkin: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind, 5 mm each, so the pumpkin is plump and round.
  52. Sky: new sheet. Set the big pumpkin aside. Last, the sky: a sky-blue A4 sheet, blue side up, lying long.
  53. Build the scene. Glue the field along the bottom, then the barn, tree, hay, scarecrow (pole, shirt, arms, head, hat) and crow, then the pumpkins, as shown.
  54. Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you just right of the scarecrow, and stand the pumpkin patch up on the table.

Harvest time!

Draw the barn door and loft, hay twine, the scarecrow's stitched face, buttons, patch and straw, the crow's eye and legs, and the curly vines.

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