How to Create an Origami Iris

Origami is a Japanese paper folding technique which creates shapes from paper. The origami iris is a beautiful paper flower and should be considered one of the more advanced origami creations.

What you'll need:
Flat, unfolded piece of origami paper
Flat surface to fold on

Instructions:
1. Place sheet of origami paper on flat surface with colored side facing down.

2. Fold in half from bottom to top, making a crease horizontally across center of paper, and unfold.

3. Fold in half from left to right, making a crease vertically across center of paper, and unfold.

4. Fold into a triangle bottom to top, making a crease from one corner to the other.

5. Repeat with opposite corners, folding left to right.

6. Hold paper in square form with colored side up.

7. Take the right edge and bring it to the center so two triangle shaped pockets formed on either side.

8. Repeat step 7 for the opposite side and press flat. It should look like a diamond.

9. With all corners adjoined in center there should be four small triangle-shaped flaps (two on either side).

10. Place finger inside opening of one of the flaps and pull it toward the middle of the triangle. This will look like a smaller pocket and an upside-down triangle.

11. Repeat step 10 for the remaining flaps until four smaller triangle pockets are formed. When completed, hold from one of the sides so you see the upside-down triangle with colored part of paper and two small white triangles arising from the top. There should also be four smaller flaps on either side now.

12. Fold the bottom corners of the upside-down triangle inwards so the two ends meet in the center, and no more white paper is shown. This should look like an upside-down kite inside of an up straight kite.

13. Repeat step 12 for the other three sides. When folds are complete it should look like a diamond with a proportional split down the middle about half way and four flaps again on each side.

14. Fold the first flap on the right over to the left, making a flat surface on front so no slits are visible. This should look like a perfect diamond with an opening on top.

15. Repeat step 14 on the other side. Both front and back should look the same, with no visible slits or white paper showing.

16. Fold the two outer corners on the left and right of the new diamond into the center so the bottom edge of paper lines up with the center.

17. Repeat step 17 for each of the other "new diamonds" that don't have slits. This kind of looks a dart tip.

18. Pull the front and back flaps down (almost in half) so the top corner comes almost to the bottom.

19. While holding the bottom corners that have already been folded down, turn the first right flap over to the left so one of the nonfolded diamonds is exposed. Turn the whole thing over 180 degrees and repeat.

20. Repeat steps 19 and 20 for the remaining sides. When finished it should look like a leaf with the tip facing down.

21. Pull each of the corners of the "leaf" half way up.

Voila, You have an Origami Iris!