Fabric Origami Star Ornament

I don't understand what well of inspiration I'm dipping into here, but I'm continuing to explore all facets of the origami star. This time I wanted to see if I could make the origami star out of fabric. To stiffen the fabric, I ironed it on to freezer paper. The freezer paper backing made the fabric easy to finger-fold, though I did iron the creases for extra sharpness. As with the paper stars, the uses for the fabric origami star are just endless: ornaments, garlands, wreaths, tree toppers, gift tags, etc.

Materials

Five squares of fabric (I used a charm pack of coordinating fabrics)

freezer paper

button

rickrack

Step 1: Iron freezer paper on to the back of each fabric square and trim off the excess freezer paper around the edge of each square.

Step 2: Place a freezer paper-backed piece of fabric right-side down on the ironing board. Fold fabric in half and iron to make a stiff crease.

Step 3: Fold in half again to make a square and iron flat.

Step 4: Open up fabric, placing on ironing board with freezer paper side up. Fold top right corner down to center and bottom left corner up to center and iron flat.

Step 5: Fold bottom right corner up to center, iron to create a stiff crease, and then fold back down.

Step 6: Fold top half of square down at center crease and iron.

Step 7: Fold left corner up to center, iron a stiff crease, and then fold back down.

Step 8: Follow steps 2 through 7 for the four remaining fabric squares.

Step 9: Attach first two pieces by inserting creased triangle on piece two into slot formed by piece one. Fold piece two up at crease.

Step 10: Insert triangle on back into slot as well and fold at crease.

Step 11: Sew a straight seam to attach pieces.

Step 12: Follow steps 9 through 11 to attach the remaining pieces. The last fabric square will attach to the first one. You may need to fold each of the creases again and iron to make them extra sharp.

Step 13: Place button at center of star. I used a vintage button that looks kind of like a yo-yo, with the top slightly larger than the bottom.

I believe these types of buttons were used with shirtwaists, but I'm not sure. What I do know is that they are the perfect button for the fabric star. You could also probably use a shank button and insert a short length of toothpick or other thin cylinder through the button hole to keep it on.

Step 14: Sew on a short length of rickrack or ribbon to serve as the hanger for the ornament, and your star is ready to hang!

Burlap Star Tutorial

I am completely starry-eyed these days. I keep thinking of new ways to use the origami stars that I've been blogging about. I've been very inspired by how Maya at maya*made and Molly at A Foothill Home Companion (who is re-launching an online store!!) have been using burlap, and I wondered if the origami process could be used on burlap. Armed with a full can of spray starch, I set out on my burlap adventure.







Materials:
burlap bag
spray starch
buttons (I used three vintage buttons)
short length of floral wire

Step 1: Cut all seams to deconstruct a burlap bag (I used the burlap from a bag of chestnuts), remove extra threads, and iron the burlap bag flat, using liberal amounts of spray starch.

Step 2: Cut out 5 five-inch squares of the burlap (any size square will do, of course, but that's the size I had enough burlap to make). My rotary cutter made very precise cuts on the burlap.

Step 3: Fold one of the squares in half, spray with spray starch, and iron flat, making sure the crease is sharp.

Step 4: Fold the strip in half again to make a square. Spray with starch and iron flat.

Step 5: Open up the square, placing right side down (if your burlap has a pattern or printing, it might be fun to have that as your right side; Maya always places her printed burlap very strategically!). Fold top right corner down to center and bottom left corner down to center, spray, and iron flat.
Step 6: Fold bottom right corner up, spray and iron to crease, and then fold flap back down.



Step 7: Fold entire center crease down and then spray and iron. Fold up left corner to center, spray and iron, and then fold down again. (I didn't get a shot of this step. See my origami star tutorial, steps 7 and 8.)

Step 8: Follow steps 3 through 7 with the remaining squares.

Step 9: Place your first piece horizontally and your second piece perpendicular to the first (as shown in the origami star tutorial, steps 9 and 10). Insert triangle of second piece into slot on first piece. Fold triangle on bottom of first piece into slot on second piece. Attach remaining pieces in the same way, fastening the fifth piece to the first one.

Step 10: Stitch a straight seam down each opened flap, catching all layers. (I had hoped that the pieces would stay together without stitching, but the star was too floppy without the seams.)

Step 11: Sew the larger button to the center hole in your star. I'm sure that this can be done by hand, but I used my sewing machine: Place the center of your star under the needle of your sewing machine. Place the larger button on top of the hole in the center of the star, making sure to gather enough burlap under the button for the thread to catch on. Sew button on with sewing machine by using a zigzag stitch with your sitch length set to "0."

Step 12: Thread floral wire through a smaller shank button and then thread floral wire through the larger button already sewn on the star. Twist the floral wire closed in back of the star.

Step 13: Cut out a thin strip of burlap for the loop. Fold in half lengthwise and position at top of star. Put a button on top of loop and sew on button to attach loop.

My next project is to try this with cotton or linen or that wonderful stiff mesh fabric that florists use. Let me know if you use the tutorial to create some origami fabric stars--I'd love to see your stellar efforts!

Many, many thanks to Cassi at The Crafty Crow, Rachel at OnePretty Thing (flanked by Betz White and Martha Stewart projects, oh my!!), and the fine editors at Craft: for linking to the origami star tutorial. My son, who inspired me to learn origami in the first place and is my tutorial helper and instructor in all things spatially related, is as thrilled as I am at all the interest!

Origami Star Tutorial

Here is a tutorial for the origami stars my kids and I made over the weekend. I've included a picture tutorial series and, a first for me, a video tutorial so that you can get the full zany zencrafting experience.

Materials
Five sheets of Aitoh Origami Rice Paper in the Kimono and Folk Art design

For each sheet, follow steps 1 through 8 below:

Step 1: Fold the sheet in half.

Step 2: Fold the sheet in half again so that you have a small square.

Step 3: Open up the square, with right side down.

Steps 4 and 5: Fold down the top right corner and the bottom left corner.

Step 6: Fold up the bottom right corner, crease, and then unfold.

Step 7: Fold the whole square in half from the middle crease.

Step 8: Fold the bottom left corner up, crease, and then fold back down.

Follow steps 1 through 8 above for the four remaining squares.

Step 9: To form the star, place your first folded piece down horizontally. Place the second piece vertically, with the creased triangle right side up. Slide the creased corner of the second sheet into the triangular slot of the first piece.

Step 10: Fold the triangle on the back side of the bottom piece of paper into its slot as well.

Step 11: Follow steps 9 and 10 for the remaining three sheets. The last sheet will also attach to the very first piece.

Voila, a beautiful origami star that you can use to make a Christmas garland or wreath.

This is the first video tutorial that I have attempted (ugh, my voice sounds silly!!), and I'm only sharing it because you are my friends and won't laugh too hard at my efforts. My AV tech had some issues, so Part 1 had to be cut short and then resumed in Part 2.

Part 1

Part 2

An International Holiday

I have to confess that I am usually a bah-humbug, grinchy sort throughout the month of December. But this year will be different, I've vowed. I've already started making some handmade gifts to keep the crass commercialism to a minimum.

I got the kids involved making some ornaments this past weekend to get them started thinking about how they can participate actively in crafting a festive holiday.

We folded a whole stack of origami stars, which we will hang as garlands around the living room. You can see that I'm experimenting with making them into wreaths (see above).

Today we'll start reading our holiday books as a countdown to Christmas day. We'll be using the Advent book/craft activity-a-day that Bella Dia created last year and is generously sharing again at the Crafty Crow.

I think December is a perfect time to learn the different ways that cultures around the world give meaning to this time of year: the season of dormancy, of the waning and waxing of the sun's light, of the culmination of the calendar's cycle. We don't belong to a particular church, so I'll be sharing different holiday celebrations around the world with my kids. I remember one year that I delved so deeply into Hanukkah that my daughter came home from preschool and asked me why I wasn't packing her a special meal for Hanukkah like her friend's and asked, "Aren't we Jewish?"

If you're not into the spirit of the season yet, I recommend a lovely book by Tasha Tudor, Take Joy! (1966). It includes Christmas stories, poems, carols, and legends and recounts the lovely family traditions at the Tudor's New Hampshire farm. My favorite tradition in the book is the handmade cornucopias that her family made for friends. They were filled with homemade candies and these gorgeous Pennsylvania Dutch "clear toy" candies made from barley sugar. These traditional candies are still being made and can be ordered online. You might also try to make them yourself from this recipe or from this kit.

Happy December!