All Together Now! Origami Butterflies

Make an Origami Butterfly to go on display during the month of May. 

The Summer Reading theme is All Together Now, so let's work together and make butterflies for our Summer Reading Display Case. You can make an origami butterfly at home and bring it in, or you can stop by and get a paper cut from a magazine or an old book and turn it into an origami butterfly. A container will be by the paper so you can add your butterfly for the Display Case!

Printable directions for this can be found on the right-hand side of this page under the Attachments section.

Directions for a simple butterfly:

1. Make sure you have a square piece of paper.
2. Fold the paper in half diagonally. Unfold it and fold it in half diagonally again, but from the opposite corners. Unfold the paper.
3. Fold your paper in half horizontally (top to bottom). Unfold it.
4. Fold it in half vertically (side to side) but fold it on the wrong side so it folds in the opposite way from your past folds.
5. Unfold your square and turn it right side up again. Now you are going to tuck in the sides to make a triangle. This is why you made your last fold on the wrong side. It should look like 2 triangles joined in the middle if you stop holding it flat.
6. Fold the left corner of the top triangle up from the center of the base, where its tip makes a peak to the left of, not on top of, the peak of the triangle.
7. Make the same fold on the right. You should have a triangle shape on the bottom, and what was the base of your triangle should now be a single peak, while what was the peak of your triangle should now have 3 peaks. Take the middle peak and fold it down the back where the peak will be visible from the top. Fold that peak down, and you have a butterfly. You can snip the wing tips to make them rounded or leave them pointy.

There are examples of all stages along with directions at the Library, and once you have folded one, it becomes much easier. Youtube also has videos of the process; click here for a video tutorial on how to make an origami butterfly. If I'm available, I am happy to demo the process, just ask if Jamie can show you how to fold a butterfly at the Circulation Desk, and they will be able to let you know if I am available.