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How to fold an origami coiled snail

One long strip, folded into a slim band. Slit and swing up eye stalks, pleat the neck to lift the head, then fold the end round and round into a spiral shell.

You need: 1 long strip 8 x 42 cm (cut from an A3 sheet), brown on one side, scissors and a black pen. Hard, 16 steps, about 30 minutes.

Steps

  1. Cupboard. White side up, long edges left and right, fold the top and bottom edges in to meet at the middle.
  2. Fold in half. Fold the bottom half behind along the middle. The long fold at the bottom is the foot, the left end is the head.
  3. Crease a thin strip. Fold the top edge down 7.000000000000001 mm, all layers, and crease it hard.
  4. Open it. Unfold the thin strip again.
  5. Slit the eye stalks. Cut along that crease from the head end in 3.2 cm, so a thin strip comes free.
  6. Eye stalks. Swing the front layers of the strip up on a slanted crease from the end of the slit, and the back layers up behind, a little apart.
  7. Round the nose. Fold the bottom corner of the head end behind a little.
  8. Neck: over. Fold the head end over to the right on a crease square across the strip, 6 cm from the left end.
  9. Neck: back. Fold it back from the same point on the belly, on a crease 7 mm further left at the top, so the head lifts.
  10. Shell 1. Fold the right end straight up on a crease slanting from the belly, 27 cm from the right end. It is the outside of the shell.
  11. Shell 2. Fold the end over on a slanted crease 4.8 cm along from the last corner, so it turns a sixth of the way round.
  12. Shell 3. Fold the end over on a slanted crease 4.6 cm along from the last corner, so it turns a sixth of the way round.
  13. Shell 4. Fold the end over on a slanted crease 4.4 cm along from the last corner, so it turns a sixth of the way round.
  14. Shell 5. Fold the end over on a slanted crease 4.2 cm along from the last corner, so it turns a sixth of the way round.
  15. Shell 6. Fold the end over on a slanted crease 4 cm along from the last corner, so it turns a quarter turn into the middle.
  16. Shell 7. Fold the end over on a slanted crease 3.5 cm along from the last corner, so it turns a sixth of the way round.

Slow and steady!

Draw a dot eye on the tip of each stalk and a little smile under the head.

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