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

Well, after a long time I worked on some modular origami - the origami football (soccerball). Absence really does make the heart grow fonder, cos I absolutely loved making the football. It helped that it very closely resembles a real football, so much so that my daughter wanted to kick it around! And everyone in my house is in love with it 😊

Unlike most modular origami, the individual modules are made from equilateral triangles. For my football, I had used A5 sheets (If you have A4 ie., the regular copy paper, cut it in half horizontally to give 2 A5 sheet). Each A5 sheet gives 2 white triangles and 3 black triangles. A total of 20 white pieces and 12 black pieces are needed. So that makes it 10 white A5 sheets and 4 black A5 sheets (In A4 terms, it is 5 white and 2 black A4 sheets).

The white and black pieces are folded differently, as we need white hexagons and black pentagons. While assembling the ball, each black pentagon will be surrounded by 6 white hexagons. You should be aware that of these 6 white hexagons, one side will have a pocket which will be empty. That is because of the combination of hexagons and pentagons and nothing to worry about :)

So give it a go and have fun with the football. It is pretty robust, so you can even throw it around a bit!

Unfortunately I am no longer able to find the diagram for this model. It used to be hosted on Mark Leonard's site but it is no longer available. But all is not lost! I have linked below a youtube tutorial for making said football.

Model Details:

Model: Football

Creator: Mark Leonard

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Triangle

Paper Size: A4 and A5 paper

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 32

Tutorial: Youtube

The Dodecaedro Traforato or Perforated Dodecahedron is a modular origami by Silvana Betti Mamino. Like most modular origami, the modules are pretty easy to fold. They are folded from a A4 sheet. Well, the A4 is actually cut into 4 rectangles horizontally. I felt A4 strips would be too big, so worked with A5 sheet cut into 4 rectangles. Worked perfectly well :) I used printer paper - 5 colours and 6 strips in each colour.

Folding printer paper wasn't that easy - 80 gsm paper requires more effort to fold than 60 gsm, doesn't it? Assembling for me, was the most challenging part. The reason was because of the colours. I wanted to ensure that there was some kind of uniformity in the assembly and after 3 attempts, I finally managed it I think.

The modules hold together without glue once fully assembled. But I didn't find it terribly stable, so if you will be moving it about, then a little glue helps. If you are assembling without glue, ensure you have a whole bunch of paper clips to hold the modules in place.

Model Details:

Model: Dodecaedro Traforato

Creator: Silvana Betti Mamino

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangles from A5

Paper Size: 2.1 inches by 5.8 inches

Model Size: 4.5 inches diameter

Number of Modules: 30

Instruction: Modulandia.it

This origami leaf card is folded from an A4 or A5 paper. The leaf design is formed by pleating the paper.

Paper with print on one side and solid colour on the other works well for design. The only issue was that, I would have loved it if the leaf could have been made from the same print, rather than the solid colour. But if I interchanged the colours, the inside of the paper would have the print, so wouldn't be of much use if there is an intention to write something on the inside.

Another point to note is that, once the card is opened out, refolding it isn't really elementary. So if you are gifting it to someone, ensure that they understand how it should be folded back. Else they might end up quite frustrated, trying to do so :)

I tried the design first with A4 paper. The result was a fairly big card. I found an A5 size much more to my liking.

Model Details:

Model: Leaf Card 

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: A4 or A5 paper

Tutorial: Youtube