Origami · folding only · Growing · about 10 minutes
Envelope
No scissors · No glue · No adult help needed
- Square of origami paper, 200 x 200 mm (8 x 8 in)
Blue dashes: valley fold (toward you). Pink dash-dot: mountain fold (away from you). Thick line with scissors: cut. Yellow: glue.
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Start. Put the square down like a diamond, with one corner pointing up and the white side facing up.
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1. Fold and unfold: Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner. Press, then unfold.
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2. Fold and unfold: Fold the left corner over to the right corner. Press, then unfold. The two creases cross in the middle.
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3. Valley fold: Fold the left corner to the middle, where the creases cross.
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4. Valley fold: Fold the right corner to the middle too, so the two points touch.
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5. Valley fold: Fold the bottom corner up until its point reaches the line across the tops of the side flaps.
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6. Valley fold: Fold the top corner down along the tops of the side flaps.
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7. Tuck: Lift the edge of the bottom flap a little and tuck the point of the top flap under it. The envelope is locked.
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8. Turn over: Turn the envelope over. The smooth side is the front, ready for a name.
If something goes wrong
- The side flaps overlap or leave a gap in the middle. Check your creases: each side corner must land exactly where the two creases cross.
- The top flap will not stay tucked. Fold the bottom corner up a little higher so it overlaps the top flap more, and press every fold hard.
- The note does not fit. Start with a bigger square, or fold the note in half once more.