As I had said in my previous post, while making the origami spiral cube, I wanted to retry this model using A5 paper instead of A4. A4 paper resulted in a fairly large cube which wasn't very appealing to me.

The coronavirus lockdown has given me ample time, so I decided to redo the model, using some lovely kami paper that I had. The paper turned out perfect for this model, since it was light enough that I could fold the spirals and assemble it easily.

Usually smaller origami models are more difficult to do than bigger ones, but in this model, I found the smaller one easier to assemble! Mainly because it was small enough to hold in hand while folding. I would definitely recommend the A5 size to the A4!

Model Details:

Model: Spiral Cube

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Let's Fold Spirals

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle

Paper Size: 8.3 inches * 1.45 inches

Model Size: ~2.5 inches across

Number of Modules: 12

Tutorial: kusuda.ru

The kusudama spiral, which looks to me to be less of a kusudama and more of a modular design, is created by Irina Krivyakina. The design is very similar to Tomoko Fuse's spiral origami.

In this design, the 6 sides of the cube are first assembled individually and then put together using connecting units. Each side of the cube is made up of 4 units which are folded together to form the spiral. A total of 24 units are required for the cube faces. The connecting unit is basically a bird base. 12 such units are required for assembling the cube.

3 inch squares are the perfect size for making the cube. I would not suggest a single-sided paper for the units used for assembling the cube. When using single-sided paper, while forming the spiral, I discovered to my dismay, that however I folded it, a little bit of the white was visible at the corners of the spirals. And it was very obviously seen in the completed cube :(

Model Details:

Model: Kusudama Spiral

Creator: Irina Krivyakina

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~4 inches

Modules: 36

Photo Tutorial: Stranamasterov

Tutorial: Youtube

This month has been a busy time for me, as I am getting ready for an event. And here is what I have been working on..

These stars set in spirals are decided difficult to make! I wish there were some instrument that would make this easier, but for now, I make these spirals by hand. And those spirals add so much of beauty to these earrings. I have also made star earrings with a single crystal and a few with a coil as a dangler but these, I hope, will be the highlight of my star earrings. In addition to red, I am also making these earrings in rainbow colours.

Another of the star earrings. I must admit this is the first time I am attempting any wire work. And simple as it should be, it has its own challenges for a beginner. Considering the number I am planning on making, I think I should soon turn out to be fairly good at making these spirals! And these star earrings in spirals are by far my favourite in this collection! 

These heart earrings are another favourite of mine. Most of these earrings have a little dangle and are about 5-6 cms in height. Little Miss insisted that I make a few smaller ones too - she is very sure that kids will want to buy them and the ones with the dangle might be too big for them! :) 

Leaf earrings always, always catch the eye. Any time I have worn my leaf earrings, I always receive compliments on my earrings. And people find it so hard to believe that it is paper! I am making these earrings in 2 sizes - 3 cms and 4 cms. Most of them are made from pearlescent momigami paper which adds a beautiful sheen to the earrings. Once again, I am making them in a variety of colours. The little pearl on the top goes well with the pearlized paper :)

And finally, wreath earrings are something that I always make. Made from 16 little bits of paper, they are pretty difficult to handle but look great when worn! I am making these earrings in a variety of washi and chiyogami paper. The gold accents in the chiyogami paper adds definite appeal to the earrings. I am also trying to turn them into studs (earrings on posts instead of fish hooks), though I might not be able to work it out in time for the event. But even on fish hooks, these earrings aren't all that dangly or large.

I have more earrings that I am working on and will post them soon.

To tell the truth, I am not sure of the name of these spirals, since the book from which I followed instructions is in Japanese. But since the spirals have a square shape, I ended up calling them Square Spirals!

Tomoko Fuse's book on spirals 'Origami Spirals' contains instructions for making a lot of different spiral ornaments. Ornaments from both squares and triangles (half a square, cut on the diagonal) are both easy to make and the end result is intricate looking. I tried out both the square and triangle spirals, but unfortunately was not able to photograph the triangular ones. The spirals from the square paper are made of 4 modules and the ones from the triangular paper are made from 3 modules.

I liked the colour combination of red and white that I had used and am quite happy with how it came out.

Model Details:

Model: Spirals

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Origami Spirals

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Language: Japanese

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper size: 5 inches

Number of Modules: 4

Tomoko Fuse's spirals and shells are elegant looking pieces that look very complicated but are in fact, not all that difficult to make. This design can be found in her book 'Let's Fold Spirals'. The book is in Japanese but the instructions are pretty much self-explanatory. And in case one gets bogged down by any of the steps, there are a number of tutorials on Youtube, which will provide adequate support.

In this post, I have posted 2 different spirals and each of them is made from 4 modules that are twisted into the spiral shapes.

Model Details:

Model: Origami Spirals

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Let's Fold Spirals

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Language: Japanese

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inches

Number of Modules: 4

Tutorial: Youtube