Video:How to Make an Origami Crane

Transcript:How to Make an Origami Crane

Hi, I am Gretchen Siegchrist for About.com Home and Garden, and I am going to show you how to fold a paper crane.

Origami Crane Supplies

To make a paper crane, all you need is a square of origami paper. You can use regular paper, but origami paper will fold the best.

Origami Crane Step 1: Fold the Paper

Begin by turning the paper over so the color side is face down on your workstation. Now we will fold it in half to make a triangle. Make sure than the corners are as exactly together as you can get them. In origami it is very important to make your folds exact. It is also important to make your creases very crisp.

Origami Crane Step 2: Create a Triangle

Now we will fold it in half again, into another triangle. Lift up one of the flaps of the triangle, and we are going to take this top corner right here. We can open it up so that this corner meets up with this corner. Crease the edges, flip the paper over, and do the same thing. Now take this flap of the triangle and fold it back up so it meets up right up here at the top. Flip the paper over and do the same thing on the other side.

Origami Crane Step 3: Open Up the Triangles

Now we have the triangles at the top and two legs on the bottom, and these side flaps that open up. We are going to take one of these side flaps and fold it in so that this side here meets up with the middle split. Do the same thing on the other side. Flip the paper over and repeat that process.

Origami Crane Step 4: Fold Back Triangles

We are going to make a crease right now that will just help us with our next fold. Fold this triangle down, and just do this back and forth a few times until the paper is nicely creased. Now you can open these up, and we are going to take this top corner here and lift it up and pull it all the way to the top.

This crease that we made right there is going to help us because that is where the paper is going to fold back. These legs will fold back in, and now we will make some nice creases up here to fold this right into the center. Flip the paper over and do the same thing.

Origami Crane Step 5: Create Little Legs

Open up the side and we are going to fold it in, sort of like we did before, so that this edge meets right with the center. Do this on the other side. Now flip the paper over and repeat that.

So now we have little legs on the bottom, which we are going to take; open it up and invert it, so that this part will now be on the outside, and the folded part will now be on the inside. You want to fold it up, form a nice crease there, and do the same thing on the other side by inverting it. Try to make the angles match up.

Origami Crane Step 6: Make the Head and Tail

One side is going to be the head and one side is going to be the tail. So you just take that and fold it in, and you invert the fold again. Pull open the wings, just very gently pull on the sides here so that the box fills up with air, and voila! You have a crane.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at homegarden.about.com.

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