How to Make 6-Pointed Paper Snowflakes

This step by step guide will teach you how to make SIX pointed paper snowflakes. Most people make (and most how-tos teach) snowflakes with four or eight points. Real snowflakes in nature form with six points (or occasionally three if they formed weird) so I choose to make my own with six points. I taught myself this technique in high school and have been making paper snowflakes around Christmas time ever since.

All you will need for this is paper and scissors. Some people like to use fancy paper, but I use plain white copy paper because somehow the simplicity of white is more beautiful to me.

If you want to view a gallery of my snowflakes, see me on Flickr: Paper Snowflake Gallery.

Remember to rate this Instructable!

Step 1: Step 1

First, begin with a square piece of copy paper. I usually make two snowflakes for every 8.5"x11" piece of paper, so I first cut the paper in half, and then make a square from each half. This makes a snowflake about 5" across. If you're just learning to make snowflakes, using a full piece of paper for each snowflake may be easier to practice with.

You can make a square from a rectangular piece of paper simply by folding one corner down to form an isosceles triangle (like the one in the next step) and trimming off the excess paper.

Comments

[trrydms]

wow that is an amazing collection!

[theotherplace98531]

Thanks for this instructable. I learnt to make these in grade school, back in the fifties. I forgot how to fold the paper.

[anke-art]

Thank you, thank you, thank you ! And did I say THANK YOU?

These are gorgeous, every single one looks great. I can't wait to make some, and I'd even have an idea for using them for a nice wreath.

Greetings from not-yet-snowy Germany :D

[cakmak10]

this is awesome.

[hotwingz23]

this is the most beautiful snowflake ever!!!!

[Mauigerbil]

This is the most epic snowflake ever!

[Lori04]

you are a genius! haha :D this is amazing! i like it! i'm totally doing this right now :)

[jhill12]

Hi!
Just found this 'ible and I LOVE IT! I've been looking for something my daughter (5) and I can do together and this is perfect. Thank you for going into such detail about each step, it makes it easier for me to think about and therefor translate into something my girly can do.

I just had a thought that may make it easier to preserve your snowflakes and make it easier to hang them: Press them between sheets of wax paper. If you're going to press them with an iron anyway, you can do it between the wax paper to give it strength! I've done this with some of the more delicate paper projects my daughter has brought home from school and it works well.

I think I'm going to do it with scraps of wrapping paper to have a colored side and a blank side to have more dimension in my windows.

Thank you again!

[yoshi1]

Can you PLEASE make a video for one of your snowflakes?

[xbelindabillyx]

For practicing:
http://www.popularfront.com/snowdays/

[yoshi1]

if i copied the cutting i did on the website would it turn out the same on the piece of paper?

[libbydvb]

Have been spreading the gospel of paper snowflakes all season! Very easy (folding bit, that is!) and even if ours don't look like the pix, we've had fun cutting all together in front of the fire - even our 5 year old! LOOOOVE IT!

[starsmag]

I'm gonna do it a different way. this looks alittle to hard for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

[Izzie_x]

I LOVE the 5th one in the first row its absolutely beautiful!!

[ReadsInTrees]

If you liked that one, you'll probably like this one too:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmdsnowflakes/5221522079/

[starsmag]

I LOVE the 5th one, too!

[leslie555]

I really like step 10. It allows me to make snowflakes that I'm not disappointed in. :) Could you make up some templates that show where cuts can be made on the triangle to make some of your beautiful designs.

[yoshi1]

They are so cool! I want to make some like yours.

[skyheart]

its like too hard maybe you can post a video so i can understand it ok.

[ReadsInTrees]

I'm glad you like them! And I hope you do make some like mine, that's why I made this Instructable! Good luck!

[skyheart]

hi maybe you can post a video cause i cannot understand it ok but its cool

[yoshi1]

What can't you understand?

[rafael1234567890]

you make a good paper snowflake

[drseuss]

 Great. Great. Great instructable. Nice clear pictures and instructions. My students were thrilled to read about Snowflake Bentley and then make real six sided snowflakes. We laminated them and hung them up all over the classroom.Thanks so much!

[ReadsInTrees]

You're welcome! Mr. Bentley is my hero, and I often peruse his book to try and imitate real snowflakes. Something you might want to consider purchasing for your class room is the snowflake thermometer poster. It's a long poster with dozens of Bentley's snowflakes arranged on it by the temperature the air was when the pictures were taken. Higher up on the poster are more branched snowflakes, and lower down as it gets colder the snowflakes are more plate like. Cool poster. I have one in my bedroom!

http://vermontsnowflakes.com/tshirts.htm#tp

[triumphman]

I tried to access the https://vermontsnowflakes.com address. It came up as a dangerous site and google chrome advised me not to go further. Whatsa up with this? Also who is Mr. Bentley? Is there a book or site for him? Thanks. Triumphman.

[ReadsInTrees]

it's possible that that link has expired.

Wilson A Bentley (aka Snowflake Bentley) was the first person to photograph a single snowflake back in 1885. He eventually photographed over 5000 snowflakes, no two exactly the same.

A website dedicated to him is:

www.snowflakebentley.com

[drseuss]

 Thanks so much, I'll do that!

[triumphman]

Last year, I made some snowflakes from discarded foam food trays. I made a DC hot wire cutter for the foam cutting. It worked great. The wire is nickel cadmium. I got from a craft hobby shop. I used a small DC 12 volt transformer. Simple to make. Thicker foam sheets can be used too. They came out really nice. There was an instructable on this. I can't remember the name. Have to search my archives in the basement. Maybe I'll post some pics. Yours was great, thanks again! Triumphman.

[smith369]

nice picture

[maggiehelmick]

fashion paper into a cone then flaten.

[star_above_the_clouds]

Thank you!

[star_above_the_clouds]

Phenominal! This will definitely help with the Christmas decorations! The direction are so easy to understand, and it's really simple! Thank you! :D

[sashadistan]

You have just upgraded my year 9 (12-13 yeas old) graphics lesson extra session. They're not a top set and this will make a really nice pre Christmas filler for them to practice they're accuracy and paper crafting skills. lovely and so ingenious. Thankyou.

[CarolAE]

Superb! I just had a great afternoon making snowflakes with my grandkids. Now the windows are covered with winter beauty. The directions are excellent.

[tbvb05]

I just made my first one and I have to say this: when you are following the step by step it might be best to be home alone so when you talk to yourself (or to the pictures and instructions) no one is there thinking you are a lunatic!!!
I love these and want to try more tomorrow.
Thanks SO much for giving us the instructions!

[Shany120]

I love how you explained EVERY step in stead of only just saying "fold" "cut" "blah blah blah"

[picklet]

I just wonder, have you found any kind of scissors that cut well for fine work like this? Can you sharpen scissors? -
Thanks for the lovely instructable! The generosity of people like you sharing on this site helps to put things in perspective. Bless.

[LaBeasy]

if you want to be extremely accurate, i would suggest using an exacto knife, if its brand new, itll be razor sharp and super precise.

[ReadsInTrees]

I use regular scissors like you'd get at any office supply store. If you scroll further down in the comments here, I wrote a long explanation about which scissors I've used. I think it's a matter of experimenting to find what works for you.

As for sharpening scissors....I've never actually sharpened a pair, but I've heard that you can sharpen them easily by scissoring through several layers of aluminum foil. I just tried this, but it didn't seem to make a huge difference...maybe I needed to do it for longer. I believe there are scissor sharpening devices that you can purchase in craft stores.