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How to fold an origami twirl fairy

Fold a kite into a ballgown with a V top, a white petticoat and a pleated sash. Snip and fold a square into four wings, and fold a golden fringe and hair.

You need: A 15 cm pink square, a 15 cm aqua square, a 7.5 cm golden-yellow square, scissors, glue and a black and a white pen. Hard, 21 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Dress: fold a kite. Pink square, white side up, turned like a diamond. Fold the upper edges in to meet on the middle line.
  2. Dress: shoulders. Fold the top point down on a level crease 6 cm below it. The point makes a pretty V on her top.
  3. Dress: petticoat. Fold the white bottom point behind on a level crease 1.2 cm below the side corners. A strip of white petticoat peeks out under the hem.
  4. Dress: waist pleat. Fold the skirt up on a level crease 3.6 cm above the side corners.
  5. Dress: fold it back down. Fold it back down on a crease 9 mm higher. The skirt now starts wider than her top, with a sash at the waist.
  6. Head: new sheet. Set the dress aside. Take the 7.5 cm golden square, white side up, turned like a diamond.
  7. Head: hair. Fold the top corner down to the middle.
  8. Head: fringe. Fold the new top edge down again, halfway to the middle. A straight golden fringe runs across her forehead.
  9. Head: hair at the sides. Fold the side corners in, 2 cm from each tip, so her hair frames her face.
  10. Head: chin. Fold the bottom corner behind for her chin, and the two top corners behind a little to round her head.
  11. Wings: new sheet. Set the head aside. Take the aqua square, aqua side up.
  12. Wings: crease across. Fold the bottom edge up onto the top edge.
  13. Wings: open it. Open it again. This crease is where the top and bottom wings meet.
  14. Wings: crease down. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
  15. Wings: open it. Open it again.
  16. Wings: three snips. Cut along the crease across from each side, 5 cm in. Then cut down the middle crease from the top, 3.7 cm.
  17. Wings: top wings. Fold each top wing's inner corner behind on a slant from the end of the middle snip to 1 cm from the outer corner. The wings lean out.
  18. Wings: round the top wings. Fold each top wing's outer bottom corner behind a long way and the top tip a little way, so it turns into a teardrop.
  19. Wings: bottom wings. Fold the bottom edge behind, 2.3 cm up from it.
  20. Wings: round the bottom wings. Fold each bottom wing's outer corners behind, a long way at the bottom and a little at the top, so the small wings point out.
  21. Put her together. Glue the dress on the middle of the wings and the head on top of the dress.

Twirl, little fairy!

Draw her eyes and smile, a fine vein in each wing and white sparkles on her skirt. Hang her on a thread so she flutters.

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