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How to fold an origami snowflake

Fold half a square into six, then in half again, and cut one slanted edge, a V notch and the tip. Open it out: six lacy arms round a hexagon window.

You need: 1 square sheet (15 cm), pale blue or white, and scissors. Medium, 11 steps, about 10 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. The middle of the top fold is the centre of your snowflake.
  2. Fold the left third. Fold from the centre down to the bottom edge 4.3 cm left of its middle, bringing the left part over to the right.
  3. Fold the right third. Fold the right part over along the edge of the flap you just made, so it lies on top. Now it is a point with three equal parts.
  4. Fold the point in half. Fold the right half of the point over onto the left half, lining up the edges. It is now a slim point of twelve layers.
  5. Crease the notch line. Fold the wide end up on a slant, from 5 cm down the left edge to 4.6 cm down the right edge. Crease hard.
  6. Open the crease. Fold it back down. The crease shows where one side of the notch goes.
  7. Cut the arms. Cut from the left edge 7 cm down to the right edge 3 cm down. Snip a V into that edge, one side on the crease. Snip the point off 1 cm down.
  8. Unfold. Unfold the last fold.
  9. Unfold again. Unfold the right part.
  10. And again. Unfold the left part.
  11. Open it flat. Unfold the top half. Six lacy arms!

Let it snow!

Press it flat under a book, then tape it to a window or hang it on a thread. Every snowflake you cut will come out different.

What to fold next