All models

How to fold an origami royal ball

A sparkling build. Pleat a grand staircase, fold a tall clock with a pendulum and a gold chandelier, a prince in a lapelled jacket and crown, and a princess in a ruffled ball gown, then stand the ballroom up.

You need: 17 pieces: lavender A4, gold, red, brown, navy, pink, yellow and skin-tone paper (sizes in each step). Scissors, glue stick, black pen, white gel pen.. Challenge, 54 steps, about 80 minutes.

Steps

  1. Ballroom wall: crease it. Start with the wall: a lavender 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 dance floor, take a 29.7 × 9 cm gold 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 bottom of the ballroom floor.
  4. Staircase: new sheet. Set the floor aside. For the grand staircase, take a 10 × 16 cm red piece, red side up, standing tall.
  5. Staircase: step 1. Fold the top edge down on a crease 3.75 cm below it.
  6. Staircase: step 1 back up. Fold it back up on a crease 5 mm lower. The pleat leaves a ledge across the paper: the edge of a stair.
  7. Staircase: step 2. Fold the top edge down again, on a crease 7 cm below the new top.
  8. Staircase: step 2 back up. Fold it back up 5 mm lower for the next stair's ledge.
  9. Staircase: step 3. Fold the top edge down again, on a crease 10.25 cm below the new top.
  10. Staircase: step 3 back up. Fold it back up 5 mm lower for the next stair's ledge.
  11. Staircase: marble sides. Fold the left and right edges in on slants, 1 cm at the bottom and 2 cm at the top. White sides, and a red carpet narrowing up the middle.
  12. Staircase: taper it. Fold the outer edges behind on slants, nothing at the bottom and 8 mm at the top, so the stairs narrow as they climb away.
  13. Clock: new sheet. Set the stairs aside. For the tall clock, take a 6 × 19 cm brown piece, brown side up, standing tall.
  14. Clock: the dial. Fold the top edge down 3.5 cm. The white square is the clock face.
  15. Clock: round the dial. Fold the top corners behind, 1.6 cm along each edge. Fold the white face's bottom corners up onto it, 1.2 cm each, so the face is round.
  16. Clock: slim the case. Below the face, fold both sides behind on slants down to 1 cm in at the bottom. The case tapers down to its foot.
  17. Pendulum: new sheet. Set the clock aside. For its pendulum, take a 2.6 cm gold square, gold side up.
  18. Pendulum: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 7 mm along each edge. A round gold pendulum.
  19. Chandelier: new sheet. Set the pendulum aside. For the chandelier, take a 7 cm gold square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  20. Chandelier: fold in half. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner. The middle point stands up.
  21. Chandelier: side points up. Fold the left and right corners up on slants starting 12 mm either side of the middle, so they stand up as two more points.
  22. Prince: new sheet. Set the chandelier aside. Now the prince: an 8 × 13 cm navy piece, white side up, standing tall.
  23. Prince: sides in. Fold the left and right edges in to meet on the middle line. That's his jacket, buttoned down the middle.
  24. Prince: lapels. Fold the top inner corner of each flap out on a slant, 1.3 cm along each edge. A white shirt front and lapels show.
  25. Prince: shoulders. Fold the two top outer corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for sloping shoulders.
  26. Prince: jacket hem. Fold the bottom part up on a crease 4 cm from the bottom.
  27. Prince: hem back down. Fold it back down on a crease 5 mm higher. The ledge is the bottom of his jacket; the legs hang below.
  28. Prince's head: new sheet. Set the prince aside. For his head, take a 3.4 cm skin-tone square, turned like a diamond.
  29. Prince's head: round it. Fold all four corners a little way behind to make a round face.
  30. Crown: new sheet. Set the head aside. For his crown, take a 3 cm gold square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  31. Crown: fold in half. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner. The middle point stands up.
  32. Crown: side points up. Fold the left and right corners up on slants starting 4 mm either side of the middle, so they stand up as two more points.
  33. Hair: new sheet. Set the crown aside. Now the princess, starting with her hair: a 6 cm yellow square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  34. Hair: fold a kite. Fold the lower left and lower right edges in to meet on the middle line: a long yellow point hangs down.
  35. Hair: flat top. Fold the white top point behind, level with the top of the side flaps.
  36. Gown: new sheet. Set the hair aside. For her ball gown, take a 9 cm pink square, pink side up.
  37. Gown: the ruffle. Fold a 9 mm strip at the bottom up to show a white band: the ruffle at the hem.
  38. Gown: flare it out. Keep the middle third of the top edge. Fold each side behind on a long slant from there to the side edge, a quarter of the way up.
  39. Sleeves: new sheet. Set the gown aside. For puff sleeves, take a 6.2 × 1.9 cm pink strip, pink side up, long side across.
  40. Sleeves: round the ends. Fold all four corners a little way behind, so both ends of the strip turn round and puffy.
  41. Bodice: new sheet. Set the sleeves aside. For the top of her gown, take a 5 cm pink square, pink side up.
  42. Bodice: neckline and sash. Fold a thin strip at the top down and a slightly wider strip at the bottom up, so two white bands show: the neckline and the sash.
  43. Bodice: slim the waist. Fold each side behind on a slant, a little more at the bottom than at the top: wide at the shoulders, slim at the waist.
  44. Princess's head: new sheet. Set the bodice aside. For her face, take a 3.4 cm skin-tone square, turned like a diamond.
  45. Princess's head: round it. Fold all four corners a little way behind to make a round face.
  46. Arm: new sheet. Set her head aside. For the prince's arm, take a 2 × 9 cm navy strip, white side up, standing tall.
  47. Arm: fold in half. Fold the right edge over to the left edge.
  48. Arm: in half again. Fold it in half again the same way: a slim 5 mm arm.
  49. Arm: bend the elbow. Fold the lower part across to the right on a slant 3.4 cm from the top, so the forearm points sideways.
  50. Tiara: new sheet. Set the arm aside. Last, her tiara: a 2.5 cm gold square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  51. Tiara: fold in half. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner. The middle point stands up.
  52. Tiara: side points up. Fold the left and right corners up on slants starting 3 mm either side of the middle, so they stand up as two more points.
  53. Build the ballroom. Glue the floor, stairs, clock and pendulum, and the chandelier at the top. Build the prince with head and crown, then the princess, his arm and her tiara.
  54. Stand it up. Bend the wall gently towards you on the middle crease and stand the whole ballroom up on the table.

May I have this dance?

Draw the faces, the prince's hair, bow tie and buttons, the clock hands at nearly midnight, white candle flames, and sparkles and music notes in the air.

What to fold next