In which it is about time there was some origami

Despite this blog being entitled 'Origami Girl's Heroics' you don't get to see much folding in action. Historically this blog was something quite different, a project that I didn't have the dedication for, and in which ultimately I discovered a love of fashion that I never expected to find. However, don't be fooled into thinking I no longer care for the Japanese crafts. It's true, I don't do as much origami as I used to, but I still find it a very relaxing occupation for my fingers.

Our wedding is the perfect chance to put my ability to fold origami cranes with my eyes closed into action. :)
I am making bouquets of origami tulips. Tulips are my favourite flower, but I knew from the start that I wanted to make my own bouquet in some crafty way because Pinterest is over-flowing with options like button bouquet, fabric flowers, brooches and kudasama flowers. I was so inspired! Strangely the latter seemed to be the only origami flower for which there were boundless tutorials. I considered doing a whole bouquet of cranes, but then I came up with this idea of having the single crane flying over the top of the flowers. 

I am delightfully proud of it. In fact I think it is one of the best things I've ever created - and I did art at GCSE and A Level and ran a jewellery business. I have crap-tons of art work. These bouquets though, they make me squee with delight. 

So I thought I'd have a go at a quick tutorial on how to make them, because there isn't one on the internet yet. I've never done a 'how to' on this blog before so do let me know if this is interesting or not. 

Step 1. Materials

-Glue

-Stem tape (I got it in wilkinsons, a general store type place)

-Origami paper

-Pipe cleaners

-Scissors

 Step 2. Making Tulips

I made a lot of tulips, each on from a single square of paper. If you are used to origami this should be relatively simple to follow. If not, here is a tutorial on how to make just the flowers. It is much simpler probably than my instructions. I've never actually attempted to do one of these so sorry if it doesnt make sense.

Begin with a waterbomb base

Fold the  points of the triangle on the left and right upwards to meet the centre crease. Turning the triangle into a square. Do the same thing on both sides.

Then do a 'book fold', folding each flap over from the left side to the right side like a book Keeping it the same way up always it should now look like a diamond, or a square on its side. You do the book fold twice.

Then you pick up the opposite points of the diamond, the left and the right and bring the together in the middle. Tucking one into the other. You repeat this on both sides. It should look like this.

Then fold each section in half and open again. Put your fingers and thumb between the petal sections and pull out just a little to reveal the hole at the bottom of the flower.

Blow into the whole in the previous picture to inflate the flower. You can then peel back the petals and little or as much as you like.

 Step 3. Stems

Wind two pipe cleaners together for strength and push them into the hole at the bottom of the flower. Glue it in place. Then LEAVE OVERNIGHT. I am so impatient. I always ruin things by rushing to do the next stage. But honestly, let the glue dry.

Then wind the stem tape round the whole of the pipe cleaner. Go up and down twice. Stem tape is naturally sticky so keep it taught so it releases the stickiness and press firmly when you reach the end. It shouldn't need any glue.

 Stem 4. Repeat

Then make lots of flowers like this! I like to make them different sizes and with different amount of petals pulled back. So that they are somehow 'natural' whilst being obviously fake.

 Stem 4. Bouquet it!

Get all those flowers, wrap them together and add a big bow with ribbon!

 I also made a single origami crane and glued it onto some gold wire with a bead at top and base of the bird to hold it in place. I then wrapped the wire round one of the flowers and covered it in more stem tape. When I put that flower into the bouquet, there was my bird, flying over the top!

Beautiful!

I hope this was interesting/ useful to you! I also want to say, I am possibly saving money on buying flowers doing it this way, but not oodles and oodles. I am really fussy about my paper and in Britain it is ridiculously hard to find good quality and NOT RED origami paper. All the packs tend to be in different reds and golds. They do have other colours in Japan. We are having purple, turquoise and green as our wedding colours so I ended up ordering the paper direct from Japan. I've spent about £40 on paper and have made 2 bouquets and a half. So if you are planning a wedding buying bouquets straight from a market might still be cheaper. Or you could just use plain colours and ordinary paper. Or have them as red flowers! But my origami tulips make me very happy.