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Giant Origami Quilt Page 1 of 5

Copyright © 2007 by C. Kenneth Fan

Giant Origami Quilt by C. Kenneth Fan

With these two origami units, you can make very large origami quilts. During the summer of 2006,

girls of Science Club for Girls designed and folded a butterfly quilt measuring approximately nine

feet by six feet and displayed it at Boston Children’s Museum. If you make one, please send me a

picture! You can email pictures to [email protected].

Although this design can work for a variety of paper sizes, these instructions are drawn assuming

that 5 7/8” paper is used for the hubs and 9 ¾” paper is used for the triangles. The key is that the

larger square must be at least 10% but not much more than 60% larger than the smaller. The number

of sheets you will need depends on your overall quilt design. For the hubs, it is strongly

recommended that you use double-sided origami paper with foil on one side.

Let’s start! First, you need to make a measuring tool so that the flaps on the triangles will fit snugly

into the pockets of the hub.

Measuring Tool

1. Use the smaller size paper that you

will use to make the hubs. Begin

colored side down. Fold in half but

pinch only near the left edge. Unfold.

2. Fold the corner to the crease you

just made. The crease runs through

the lower right corner. Make a pinch

only near the left edge.

3. Fold along a horizontal crease so

that the lower left corner reaches a

point a bit above where the pinch

made in step 2 meets the left edge.

4. Fold and unfold in half.

5. Fold the top and bottom edges to

the middle.

6. Fold in half.

Finished Measuring Tool



Origami Quilt Hub Instructions

1. Begin colored side down. Fold in

half but pinch only near the left edge.

Unfold.

2. Fold the corner to the crease you

just made. The crease runs through

the lower right corner. Make a pinch

only near the left edge.

3. Fold along a horizontal crease so

that the lower left corner meets the

point where the crease you just made

meets the left edge.

4. Pinch the midpoints of the upper

and lower sides.

5. Make the indicated creases. Each

crease passes through a corner and

one of the pinches made in step 4.

6. Fold the lower edge up to the

intersections made by the creases in

step 5.

7. Fold and unfold the top edge also

to the intersections made by the

creases in step 5.

8. Fold the upper left and right

corners to the crease made in step 7

along a crease that passes through the

upper corners of the topmost layer.

The corners should go right to the

indicated intersections.

9. Unfold the fold made in step 6.



Origami Quilt Hub Continued

10. Now fold the lower left and

right corners to the indicated

intersections. This step is

symmetric to step 8.

11. (Not all arrows are shown to avoid

clutter.) Carefully observe which

creases are mountain folds and which are

valley folds. Then, collapse the

midpoints of all six sides to the center.

You might find this step easier to do in

stages, one side at a time.

12. This is step 11 in progress.

13. Finished hexagonal hub with

six triangular flaps standing up.

Store the hub this way. If you

wish, fold each triangular flap to

the side. Do not worry if the hub

does not lie completely flat.

Finished Origami Quilt Hub, enlarged.

The Science Club for Girls quilt displayed at Boston Children’s Museum.



Origami Quilt Triangle Instructions

1. Use the larger squares for the

triangles. Place white side up and

place the Measuring Tool along the

upper edge to locate a horizontal

crease and fold as shown.

2. Pinch to mark the midpoint of the

upper edge.

3. Fold the upper right corner to the

pinch just made to make a vertical

pinch located roughly where

indicated.

4. Fold and unfold the upper left

corner to the pinch you just made

along a crease that passes through the

midpoint of the upper side.

Depending on the size of paper you

use, the crease may pass above or

below the lower left corner.

5. Fold and unfold the upper right

corner to the crease you just made

along another crease that passes

through the midpoint of the upper

side.

6. If the creases made in steps 4 and 5

meet the left and right sides

somewhat above the lower edge (for

example, by more than half the width

of the Measuring Tool), fold up the

bottom edge up so that the creases do

reach to the very bottom of the

rectangle. (This won’t be necessary

for 5 7/8” and 9 ¾” paper sizes.)

7. Unfold.

8. Fold and unfold the upper right

corner to the left crease along a crease

that passes through the point where

the left crease meets the upper side.

9. This step is mirror symmetric to

step 8.



10. Refold along the creases made in

steps 4, 5, 8, and 9 in the order

indicated.

11. If the lower tips extend beyond the

bottom edge of the paper, fold and

tuck the tips under so that the bottom

edges are all flush. (This won’t be

necessary for 5 7/8” and 9 ¾” paper

sizes.)

12. Place the Measuring Tool along

the bottom edge and fold over along a

horizontal crease. (Some people find

it helpful to mark these creases just

before step 10.)

13. Fold the bottom edge over what

used to be the bottom edge.

14. Make the five indicated valley

folds and unfold.

Finished Quilt Triangle.

Insert the flaps as indicated to connect the hubs and triangles. There are two types of triangle flaps:

short ones and long ones. The long flaps make a much more secure connection. Make sure every

level of the quilt has some long flap connections to ensure the overall strength of the quilt.

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