Uniya Filonova's Cassiopeia Kusudama has been on my to-do list for quite some time. Finally, this Mother's Day seemed to be the right occasion to try out this eye-catching design.

Did you know that Cassiopeia is actually the name of a constellation? Yep! And in the kusudama, the stars do stand out, but this modular reminds me more of a flower than a constellation. What do you think?

Getting back to the kusudama, it is made from 30 modules, with each module folded from a rectangle in the ratio 1:3. So one square will yield you 3 modules. I had used 3 inches (7.5 cms) squares that I cut into 3 rectangles. So each rectangle measured 1 inch (2.5 cms)  by 3 inches (7.5 cms). The end result was a ball about 3 inches (7.5 cms) in diameter.

While I did find both the instructions and the tutorial (links below) a little confusing initially, once you get the hang of it, the modules are very easy to fold. And even with the size I had chosen, it was not difficult to fold the individual modules.

Double sided paper works best to bring out the star. I had used some very precious paper that I absolutely love - red with white dots on one side and yellow on the other. Very happy with the selection and with the result.

The assembly is interesting - you have to try it out to appreciate it. It does not involve the usual pocket and flap assembly that you usually see in modulars, rather, one petal is folded into the adjoining petal. Very interesting and very robust. Assembly is without any glue.

Finally, a happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Little Miss has decided that this modular is going to be her gift for me!! 😆😆

Model Details:

Model: Cassiopeia Kusudama 

Creator: Uniya Filonova

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: 1:3

Paper Size: 1 inch by 3 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Instructions: Stranamasterov.ru

Tutorial: Youtube

After folding the Jaciara from the book 'Modern Kusudama Origami' by Ekaterina Lukasheva, I decided to give it another go. Only this time I tried out one of the variations of the model. And I used a smaller square, since I wasn't too happy with how big my previous model turned out to be!

This variation is the second variation for the model. The author states that the variation seems pointless till you open up the petals. And while this might be true, I must say I adored this model even in the closed-petal state! I quite liked the elegance of the closed kusudama.

But of course, when you open up the petals, it really looks like a blossomed flower. Be sure to use double-sided paper, so that the print on the other side becomes visible when it is opened.

The Jaciara is the last model in the book. There are 2 variations and another couple of Jaciara variables. Hopefully I will get a chance to try some more of these models in the future.

Model Details:

Model: Jaciara - Variation 2

Creator: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Book: Modern Kusudama Origami

Author: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 2 inch squares

Model Size: ~2.5 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Recently, I had the pleasure of being a part of a farewell party for outgoing students of a class. This was the culmination of a 2-year intense study for a masters degree. Naturally both the outgoing students and the students who were giving the farewell were very excited and at the same time emotional.

For me, it was a chance to be around young minds, marvel at their creativity and guide them when I could. Given that origami is one of my keen interests, the students wanted me to incorporate a little bit of origami in their celebrations. So when I came across this idea of making invitation boxes using origami, I went ahead and did exactly that!

Since black and white were the event colours and personalised invitations were the need of the hour, I chose a variety of black and white single sided paper to make the invites. The paper is fairly thick, 120 gsm, which means the folding is not very complex 😀

The photo above is the invitation in the closed position. The 2 halves of the heart serve as handles to open up the invite. See below for the open one.

Model Details:

Model: Invitation Box

Origin: Traditional 

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Square or Rectangle

Paper Size: 12 inches * 7 inches (While the tutorial calls for a square sheet of paper, since I wanted a different size invitation (4*3 inches), I worked with a rectangle sheet of paper.

Model Size: ~4 * 3 inches

Tutorial: Youtube

'Modern Kusudama Origami' by Ekaterina Lukasheva is an excellent book on modular origami. To date I have already tried out 3 models and here is the fourth one - the Jaciara.

For the first attempt, I went ahead with the recommended paper size - 4 inches square. The finished model was about 5 inches in diameter - a tad too big for my liking. The next time I try, I will attempt a much smaller size, probably 2 inches or so.

The individual modules are not too difficult to fold, though it looks kinda scary at first! I liked the way the modules locked together.

There are a couple of variations mentioned. Hopefully I will get a chance to fold those as well.

Model Details:

Model: Jaciara 

Creator: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Book: Modern Kusudama Origami

Author: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inch squares

Model Size: ~5 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Tutorial: Youtube

Swans are such beautiful, graceful creatures that have long captured the human heart. And given that they mate for life, I decided to fold this beautiful origami on Valentine's Day.

The creator of this origami swan is Fynn Jackson, well-known for his origami masks. The masks do not interest me, unfortunately, but I did enjoy folding these swans, even though, if you are a regular reader of the blog, you would know that modular origami is where my interest lies. If origami masks interest you, be sure to check out his works on Facebook and Instagram

I used fairly big-sized (9 inch squares) single-sided origami paper. Double-sided paper would have worked better I think, because no matter what I did, I could not prevent the back of the paper from being seen (See the white bits on the black and grey swans!). There is a sink at the base of the neck, which I found particularly challenging. But otherwise, this was a good model to fold.

Well, give it a go. At least it will be a change from the hearts that everyone seems to fold on Valentine's Day!! 😎

Model Details:

Model: Swan 

Creator: Fynn Jackson

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 9 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches across and ~2.5 inches in height

Diagram: Docdroid

As a gift for a friend, I had again folded the origami Patterned Icosahedron, created by Meenakshi Mukerji. I had previously folded it during the Christmas season. And enjoyed making it.

So this time, I decided to go with a pink and lavender duo-coloured paper, a favourite of my friend's, which resulted in a very pleasing modular origami. And I also went with smer unit sizes than my previous attempt and still was able to fold and assemble without any problems.

Model Details:

Model: Patterned Icosahedron

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Ornamental Origami

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 3 inches * 1.5 inches

Model Size: ~ 2.5 inches in diameter

Tutorial: Youtube

Number of Modules: 30

Valerie Vann's Omega Star Kusudama has been on my to-do list for quite some time. Finally this new year, I decided to get around to it!

Though Valerie Vann is well known for her magic cube rose, this kusudama interested me more than the rose. This modular is made of 30 units and are incredibly easy to fold! It starts with a water bomb base and involves exactly 2 more folds after that to fold the module!

Assembly is also easy, theoretically! As you add more and more units, the tabs tend to pop out of the pockets, but it is still manageable.

I liked the paper that I had used and the colour I had chosen, steel grey. The modules are folded from 3 inch squares and the resulting modular origami is around 5 inches in diameter.

Model Details:

Model: Omega Star Kusudama 

Creator: Valerie Vann

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~5 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Tutorial: Youtube

A very happy New Year 2019! Hope this year bring joy and peace to every one of you 🎉🎉

This recent pair of origami that I made - Daniel Reutskiy's kusudama - is very special for me. For one, it was decided and planned completely by Little Miss. She decided on the model, the colour combination, which I absolutely love, btw, and the number of modules. I usually make 30-module kusudamas. But for a change, I have made both the 12-module and the 30-module ones.

I have used 3 colours - chocolate, butterscotch and raspberry (as Little Miss calls it). Each square is 3 inches side. 30 modules or 12 modules as the case may be. Final sizes are 3 inches diameter for the 12-module kusudama and 4 inches diameter for the 30-unit one.

Model Details:

Model: Modular Kusudama 

Creator: Daniel Reutskiy

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter (30 modules) and ~3 inches in diameter (12 modules)

Modules: 30 and 12

Tutorial: Youtube 

The Origami Patterned Icosahedron has been on my to-do list for quite some time now. This pretty icosahedron is designed by the amazing Meenakshi Mukerji. The icosahedron is assembled using 30 modules and looks best with dual coloured paper. The same module can be assembled using 12 units to form the Patterned Octahedron.

The modules are pretty easy to fold and are folded from a rectangle in ratio 1:2 i.e., a square cut into two. I had used a green-red combination in the hopes of adding it to my Christmas Tree. But I get the impression that this looks more like a strawberry than an icosahedron, courtesy of the black dots on the red, I guess 😄😄 Nevertheless, it is a good modular to fold.

The assembly is, by modular origami standards, fairly easy. I would still recommend plenty of paper clips and an equal amount of patience when assembling this one!

Model Details:

Model: Patterned Icosahedron

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Ornamental Origami

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 3.5 inches * 1.75 inches

Model Size: ~ 3 inches in diameter

Tutorial: Youtube

Number of Modules: 30

Here's a wreath that I made for Christmas. The problem is that I had made use of a tutorial that I had saved a long time back, but unfortunately I know neither the name nor the creator of the wreath. Hmm.. Big problem!

But I can say one thing - it is an easy wreath to make and looks excellent with double sided paper!!

Merry Christmas 🎄🎄

Model Details:

Model: Wreath 

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Rectangle, 1:2 ratio

Paper Size: 3 inch by 1.5 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches in diameter

Modules: 8

Daniel Reutskiy's  modular origami, folded from 30 modules is one that I absolutely enjoyed folding!

But more than the origami itself, what pleased me the most was the colour combination that I have used in the origami. This combination of colours was chosen by Little Miss, she calls it butterscotch-chocolate-raspberry. Initially I was very sceptical of the three colours she had chosen but she was absolutely convinced that it would come out well and I must admit, I love the way it has turned out! Kudos to my Little Miss 👌

That said, the modules are pretty easy to fold and so is the assembly. I like the way the models dips in. No surprises with regard to the assembly - it is the standard icosahedron assembly - 3 modules in clusters of 5.

Overall, an enjoyable experience. There is also a 12-module version which i hope to try out soon.

Model Details:

Model: Modular Kusudama 

Creator: Daniel Reutskiy

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Tutorial: Youtube 

Aldo Marcell's modular origami models are really, really pretty to look at! I had previously done the ever-popular Tornado.

So this time, I decided to work on the Cyclon model. Overall, the model is very economical, in that, the paper is in the ratio 1:3. Which means from 1 square, I managed to get 3 modules. Considering I was using some of my precious double-sided paper, this was very nice!

And folding the individual modules was also pretty easy. But the assembly is a whole different story altogether! It is seriously difficult! And this was aggravated by the size of the modules. Since I had divided up a 3-inch square into 3, I was working with small pieces of paper and, while I have folded really tiny pieces for my origami jewellery, it was obvious I have lost the touch of handling small pieces.

So to reiterate, the modules are easy to fold but really difficult to assemble! At one point, I was fairly certain that I was just going to lose patience and crush the whole thing 😔 It was only the thought of folding 30 modules again that stopped me from flinging it all away!

Anyway, I am glad I persisted. I am happy with the outcome. But going forward, I will doubly careful before choosing any of Aldo Marcell's models to fold 😆😆

Model Details:

Model: Cyclon 

Creator: Aldo Marcell

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: 1:3

Paper Size: 1 inch by 3 inches

Model Size: ~2.5 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Instructions: Stranamasterov.ru 

After working on the 4th variation in the last post, I decided to try out one final variation of the octagonal boxes from Tomoko Fuse's 'Joyful Origami Boxes' before moving on to other models.

Yet again, I decided to use my double-sided paper - in this case, paper that is blue on one side and printed with little flowers on the other. And yet again, only the final module is provided and it is up to us to figure out the method to fold. This is the 1st variation on page 72.

Each paper square that I have used is 3 inches in size and the end result is an attractive box, about 2.5 inches across. For the base, instead of using the same double-sided paper, I used blue 3-inch squares of printer paper. That ensured that the base was very sturdy.

With this, I am done with the boxes from Joyful Origami Boxes. I will definitely revisit this book at a later date, since it still has a number of lovely boxes for me to try out 😃

Model Details:

Model: Octagon Box - 1th Variation

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: 2.5 inches across

Number of Modules: 16

This absolutely stunning variation of the Octagonal box from Tomoko Fuse's 'Joyful Origami Boxes' is my third attempt at folding the octagonal boxes. Each of these boxes that I have folded, I feel, is prettier than the previous one!

For this origami, I used some of my precious supply of double-sided paper - paper that is plain coloured on one side and printed with little flowers on the other. I absolutely love this paper and tend to use it very, very judiciously.

Page 72 of the book gives the directions for folding the variations - that is to say, Tomoko Fuse gives us the final module and it is left to us to figure out how to arrive at the module. But given that she has already described the makings of 4 other octagonal boxes, this is not that tough a challenge. A little bit of fiddling around using existing steps should bring us to the module.

Each paper square that I have used is 3 inches in size and the end result is an attractive box, about 2.5 inches across. The picture above shows the inside of the lid, which I think is as pretty as the outside! For the base, instead of using the same double-sided paper, I used red 3-inch squares of printer paper. That ensured that the base was very sturdy.

By the way, this module is the 4th variation shown in the book. I hope to try out more of the variations in the coming days.

Model Details:

Model: Octagon Box - 4th Variation

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: 2.5 inches across

Number of Modules: 16

Well, after completing the Plain Octagon Box from last week, I couldn't wait to try one more of the boxes from Tomoko Fuse's 'Joyful Origami Boxes'. 

This time, I tried out the Double Pinwheel box described on page 70. For the assembly, I tried the second assembly, since I wanted the back of the paper to be visible as much as the front. The folding and assembly are not too difficult.

So now, I just have to try the variations on Page 72 😊

Model Details:

Model: Octagon Double Pinwheel Box

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: 3.5 inches across

Number of Modules: 16

'Joyful Origami Boxes' by Tomoko Fuse is an amazing book if you like folding origami boxes. I had previously tried out a couple of the models from the book - The Heptagon Starry Pinwheel Box and the Hexagon Pinwheel Box. But this was way back in 2011, so when I got another opportunity to fold something from this book, I decided to try out the Octagon series.

Similar to the Hexagon and Heptagon boxes, Tomoko Fuse has given detailed instructions for making quite a few Octagon boxes - Pinwheel, Flowery Pinwheel, Starry Pinwheel and Double Pinwheel are some of the variations she has detailed in the book.

What I have folded is the Octagon Box - Plain, found on page 69. The folding is pretty straight forward and as always, steps are accurately described. Assembly was also fairly easy. I used coloured printer paper, so that the box is nice and strong.

I do hope to fold more of these boxes in the coming days. Page 72 gives a list of variations on the Octagon Box and this is something I absolutely want to try.

Model Details:

Model: Octagon Plain Box

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: ~3.5 inches across and 0.75 inches in height

Number of Modules: 16

In recent times I have made quite a few of Tomoko Fuse's modular origami. So for a change, I decided to try out Tom Hull's Bouncy Ball.

The Bouncy Unit Icosahedron, better known as the Bouncy Ball is made from 30 square modules. The folding starts with creasing into fifths. Once the paper is folded into fifths, the strip is folded to form the modules. So thin origami (60 gsm) paper is recommended, as we will be folding 5 layers of paper together.

Assembly is a little challenging, but once fully assembled, the model is really strong. And makes a great bouncy ball!

Model Details:

Model: Bouncy Ball 

Creator: Tom Hull

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Tutorial: Youtube

Restarted folding some models from Ekaterina Lukasheva's book 'Modern Kusudama Origami'. The model I tried now is titled 'Serenade', found on page 28.

The modules are pretty easy to fold. Either 12 modules or 30 modules are needed for assembly. As always, I did the 30-unit Icosahedron assembly.

The instructions suggest using origami paper with colour gradient. Surprisingly, I did have such paper, so I went right ahead and used it! And as can be seen, the paper is lighter at the centre points and gradually get darker near the curls.

The other models I have folded from this book are Rio and Centaurea Cyanus.

Model Details:

Model: Serenade 

Creator: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Book: Modern Kusudama Origami

Author: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

After completing the various cubes from Tomoko Fuse's book 'Unit Origami Essence', I wanted to proceed through the rest of the book. So I moved over to the belt cubes described from page 58 onwards.

Once again, these cubes are made from 6 units. The first of these cubes were pretty easy to fold and assemble. Minor variations have been shown as well. What I have folded is the first variation of the cube. The recommended size of paper is 6 inches (15 cms), but I decided I wanted something smaller, so went with 3.5 inches squares. Even with this size, the model was fairly easy to fold.

The cubes promise to get progressively more difficult to fold and I look forward to the challenge 😀

Model Details:

Model: Belt Cube 

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Unit Origami Essence
 
Author: Tomoko Fuse
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: ~1.7 inches

Modules: 6

While I love folding origami kusudamas, over the past few years, I find it more pleasing to fold geometric modular shapes. And for those who are interested in polyhedral origami, Tomoko Fuse's book 'Unit Origami Essence' is an absolute treasure trove! As is the case with most of her other books, this book too is entirely in Japanese. But that is no hindrance, since the pictorial steps are very clear and fairly easy to follow. And in the few places that one might get stuck, Google Translate comes to the rescue.

One of the drawbacks of using a Japanese books is that I was not able to figure out the names of each of the models. The book is divided into 4 chapters. The first chapter is on cubes. The second chapter deals with solids made from triangular bases, the third - solids made from pentagonal bases and finally, the fourth deals with solids from star-shaped bases.

My first attempt from the book was from the Cubes section. I tried out pretty much all the cube models. The individual modules are pretty easy to fold. The second of the models (in brown and yellow in the pic) was very unique - made from boat-shaped units, 4 units in all. Most of the other cubes were from 6 modules. A couple of the cubes were pretty nice variations.

All the models have a recommended size listed. For all the cubes I had tried, it was given as 15 cms * 15 cms (6 inches * 6 inches). But I had used 9 cms * 9 cms (3.5 inches * 3.5 inches) squares and didn't have much difficulty folding or assembling the pieces.

Model Details:

Model: Various Cubes

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Unit Origami Essence

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Language: Japanese

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: ~1.4 inches side

Number of Modules: 3 to 6