Origami for the Blind

Square Base

This method flattens the pockets the way you also need to do in the next section of folding. It's an alternative to the pre-fold method used in the standard recipe.

1. Hold the paper with a corner at top and bottom.
2. Fold the bottom corner to the top.
3. The shape is triangular with a point on each side and a corner with two layers at the top.
4. Fold the right point over to the left.
5. There are now two triangular pockets on top of each other. Their openings are diagonally upward to the left.
6. Open the top pocket by sticking a finger down into the bottom of it.
7. Flatten the pocket so the point flattens out at the top corner and a diagonal fold is made on each side.
8. On the left side there is now only one point. On top of its flap is a square with corners to the right and left. At the top is a corner with two corner layers with a point between them.
9. Turn left to right.
10. The point is now to the right and lies at the top with the pocket opening diagonally up toward the right.
11. Open the pocket by sticking a finger down into the bottom of it.
12. Flatten the pocket so the point flattens out at the top corner and a diagonal fold is made on each side.
13. Check that the four points in the top corner lie exactly on top of each other, and press the folds completely sharp.
14. You now have the square base, with an open corner at the top, two half-open corners on each side on top of each other, and a closed corner at the bottom.

Doubling the Number of Corners

1. You can see the square base as four pockets that have openings diagonally upward, two to the right and two to the left.
2. Lift the front pocket on the right side to the left so it sticks up from the center.
3. Stick a finger down into the pocket so it opens.
4. The points at the top must remain together at the corner below - there is also an extra point between on the left side. The former side corner now points toward you.
5. Flatten the pocket.
6. The former corner becomes flat. It must lie exactly on the center line now formed by two folded edges, one on each side. When flattening, a new, steeper diagonal fold is created on each side.
7. The flattened pocket has the shape of a soft serve ice cream. The former corner on the right side now lies flat in the center and forms a horizontal edge. On each side of the edge is a new corner. Above this edge, two triangles in the backside color stick up.
8. The new corner on the left side is tipped over to the right.
9. Now repeat with the front pocket on the left side: Tip toward the right until the corner sticks out toward you, open the pocket, flatten it so two new corners appear, and tip the new, right corner over toward the left.
10. The front corner on each side has been replaced by two new, but slimmer corners on each side.
11. Turn the model left to right.
12. Forward is now a square with two corner layers at the top with two points between them, one on each side of the center. At the bottom is a closed corner. On each side is a half-open corner with pockets with openings diagonally upward to the left and right respectively.
13. Repeat the above with the two diagonal pockets that are now at the top: On each side, tip the corner out toward you, flatten it so the corner ends up in the center, and tip the one, new corner over so both new corners end up on the side the old corner was on.
14. Forward is now a smooth, inside-color square diamond shape. There is a sharp, closed corner at the bottom. At the top is a right-angled corner with a single layer in front and back with two points between them. On each side there are four obtuse corners where there were previously two right-angled corners.

Octagon

Essentially we are converting the square into an octagon. You could cut off the triangles at the top along the line between the side corners. Below is explained how to fold them away instead (for the rest of the time pretend they don't exist).

1. Fold the front corner at the top down over a fold line that runs horizontally between the corners on the right and left sides, and lies on top of the horizontal, raw edges behind.
2. Turn over.
3. Fold the front corner at the top down over a fold line that runs horizontally between the corners on the right and left sides, and lies on top of the horizontal, raw edges behind.
4. Front and back now have a front-side-color triangle with the corner pointing downward. At the top, two triangles stick up with one point upward.
5. Lift the two upper, left corners over to the right. Turn over and repeat.
6. There is now again a smooth diamond shape front and back. There are only the two corner layers at the top, without points between.
7. Just as above, fold the front and back triangle at the top down so the fold edge runs horizontally between the side corners and lies along the horizontal edges underneath.
8. The shape is a triangle standing on its point. If you open it flat, you can see that it is an octagon. It is regular.

Turning the Outside Out

Right now the inside is facing out, so we need to turn it wrong side out. This also changes the shape from triangular to a quadrilateral with an obtuse corner at the top.

1. Open the model. The center is still concave.
2. Push the center so it pops up to convex.
3. Push the model together again, in the existing folds without turning them.
4. Make sure there are four corners to the left and right respectively. Inside lie the four original paper corners hidden, distributed asymmetrically. Forget they are there (they could have been cut off).

Slimming

1. Fold the front, right corner down so the top edge lies down along the center. This should be a sharp fold.
2. Fold the corner out again.
3. Press the corner into the model, along the marked diagonal lines.
4. Essentially it is an inside crimp.
5. Repeat this with the front, left corner.
6. One of the two corners is thicker than the other if you didn't cut off the four paper corners, but instead hid them. Again, ignore that.
7. Turn over.
8. Inside crimp the front corner on each side in the same way.
9. Lift the two front flaps on the left side over to the right, turn over and lift the two front, left corners to the right.
10. The shape is square again. Sharp corners at the top front and back, with three points on each side between them. Four obtuse corners on each side. A closed point at the bottom.

Shaping the Four Petals

The eight corners must be gathered two by two into petals.

1. Pull the points at the top apart so they stick out like eight teeth diagonally upward, distributed in an approximately circular shape.
2. Between the teeth, the crimped corners open partially upward. The model is no longer flat.
3. Push the two back points toward each other.
4. Behind, a corner sticks out. Lay it over to the right behind.
5. The crimped corner to the right of the two teeth flattens out upward.
6. The two teeth now lie flat. The back one is opened flat, the other lies folded on top of the right side of the one behind.
7. Lift the right, folded tooth down into the flower and press flat along the fold line, and only there.
8. The tooth doesn't reach all the way down. You can't press both the teeth at the top and the one folded down flat. Either the two at the top will flip inward, or the one down in the flower will flip inward a bit. This is what later gives the action effect.
9. Switch to the two teeth sticking up to the right of the folded-down one. Push them together, flatten out behind and to the right at the top, and fold the right tooth down into the flower, just as you did with the two previous teeth.
10. Repeat the above with the last two pairs of teeth.
11. Press the four teeth that were folded down in the middle of the flower a bit, so they settle nicely and sit a bit in tension against each other.
12. The flower is finished. Four petals, in the middle the four folded-down teeth hide a cavity, and only the outside color can be seen.

Action

Show the flower. Tell them it's dangerous. Hold it. Ask the other person to stick out an index finger and put it down into the flower. Push the flower a bit so their finger goes all the way down - this also creates a surprise effect. Let go of the flower.

The four folded-down teeth act as barbs so it hangs on the finger as if it's being eaten.