Fold an Origami Rose

One of the big wedding trends of late is the prominence of paper flowers. Many brides are forgoing the real flowers in favor of roses and flowers made of sheet music, comic book pages, and old paper. Now while all the flowers out there are very pretty when done well, I have found that the popular flowers take a lot of cutting and a lot of time to create. I wanted to find a flower design that didn't involve lots of cutting and little pieces. In my search I found a beautiful origami flower creation that will make beautiful roses for your upcoming wedding.

Step 1: Supplies

To fold this origami rose you will need the following

square pieces of paper

tweezers - for creating that extra twist of the flower at the end

Step 2: Diagonal Fold

1. Start by folding the paper diagonally in half

2. Open fold

3. Repeat with the opposite diagonal

4. Open fold

Step 3: Horizontal Folds

1. Fold paper in half horizontally

2. unfold

3. Fold horizontally from the bottom of the paper to the middle crease

4. Fold horizontally from the top of the paper to the middle crease

5. Completely unfold paper

6. Fold horizontally from the bottom of the paper 3/4 of the way up to the highest crease

7. unfold

8. Turn paper 180'

9. Repeat steps 6 - 8

Step 4: Repeat Horizontal Folds

1. Turn paper 90'

2. Repeat 1-9 on previous step

You should have a grid of squares when you are done

Step 5: Fold Corners In

1. fold corner of paper diagonally - fold should line up with the crease marks around the paper

2. repeat with all 4 corners

Step 6: Diagonal Fold

1. Refold paper diagonally with the corners tucked in

2. make a diagonal fold near the center. - rule of thumb for this fold is to fold the small square indentations in half.

3. unfold last fold.

4. flip paper and repeat on other side of diagonal fold

5. unfold completely

Step 7: Repeat

1. turn paper 90'

2. repeat 1-5 of previous step

Step 8: Prep Folds

Now here are some prep folds before starting to form the flower

1. Fold paper diagonally again so the corners are on the inside of the fold

2. Fold right side of paper up to the first vertical fold

3. unfold last fold

4. Flip paper over and repeat steps 2 and 3

5. Completely unfold

Step 9: Repeat

1. Turn paper 90'

2. repeat 1-5 of last step

Step 10: Starting to Form the Flower

This is the most difficult part for me to do

1. Notice the 4 small squares that make of one square in the middle. That will be the middle of the rose when finished

2. There is a fold going from each corner of that straight out to the edge of the paper and there is a fold going from the corner diagonally to the edge of the paper.(see blue and green lines)

3. Fold the straight fold up (mountain fold) and the diagonal fold down (valley fold). Bringing all four sides up together, spinning the center square 90'

Step 11: Creating the 3D Shape

Here is another tough fold. We will be making the flower a 3D shape now.

1. Notice the fold at each corner and goes straight out diagonally from the fold. (blue line) The first step is pinch that fold until it forms a large triangle

2. fold triangle to the left (when facing up) This will create the side of the flower

3. Repeat steps for each side

Don't get discouraged if you have to do this step a few times. Its one thing to see it and its another to actually do it yourself

4. The folds should have created the sides of the flower and there should be a rectangular prism like structure in front of you.

Step 12: Get Rid of the Extra Triangular Flaps

Notice that extra triangle flap on each side of the fold. We are going to get rid of that now

1. Fold triangle up to make flush with the side of the flower.

2. Tuck fold inside

3. Take small triangle flap and fold

4. Tuck fold in

5. Repeat steps with each side

Step 13: Fold Bottom of Flower

There should be 4 triangle shapes jutting from the bottom of the flower. Those will be used to close the bottom of the flower

1. Turn flower to face bottom

2. Take a triangle and fold down 90'

3. repeat for each side.

4. Now tuck each piece end into the one in front of it. (similar to if you are trying to close a box without tape)

5. To add extra stability it is recommended to also tape the bottom so it doesn't come unfolded

Step 14: Form the Flower

1. Flip your piece over so you are looking at the top of the flower

2. Gently push your finger into each of the four quadrants in the of the top square. All quadrents should be tucked in.

3. Put a finger in each quadrant and twist. This will create the spinning look of the rose. You can use your tweezers for a tighter spin.

Step 15: Create Extra Petals

1. Find the fold on the edges of the flower

2. fold edge over

3. curl edge with tweezers

4. repeat for each edge

5. You can also curl the small petals at the bottom of the flower

Step 16: Enjoy

Congrats for making this far! Extra congrats if you were able to complete your flower in your first try! Now you have a beautiful flower option to put in bouquets or centerpieces.

And don't worry, the more practice you have the easier and quicker you can make them.