Quasi-Tutorial: Fabric Origami Butterfly

A scrappy origami butterfly...

Unless you're new here, you probably already know about my fondness for origami. Not just the basic paper folding art, but as translated into fabric. (To see my past fabric origami projects, click here.)

The simplicity is definitely appealing. Origami done with fabric can't have too many folds or else it's unwieldy. So if you've always been stymied by talented paper folding artistes, rest assured that fabric origami tends to be fairly straight forward.

An excellent way to use up some of my Robert Kaufman fabrics...

Let me preface this tutorial by stating that this origami design is the creation of Ralph Matthews (whose original instructions can be found at http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-matthews-butterfly.html). A blogger named Michelle at Creative Blonde had the idea to turn it into a fabric project two years ago.

---

---

To make this, you'll need a two-sided fabric rectangle.

As with any fabric origami project, your first step should be to practice the folding techniques using paper. Take any rectangular sheet of paper — a regular 8.5" x 11" page will do fine — and follow the instructions below.

Try folding with paper first...

My fabric pieces were 6" x 4.5" (roughly 15cm x 11.5cm) and sewn with a 1/4" seam allowance, but you can use any similarly proportioned rectangle to make this. Place them right sides together and sew all the way around, leaving a turning gap in the middle of one of the longer sides.

Press the seam open at the turning gap and cut away the excess fabric at the corners before turning it right side out. Press again. Whether you want to close the turning gap with some invisible hand stitching is totally up to you; I didn't bother. If you press well and pay attention to how you fold later, it will be hidden.

---

Watch live classes for FREE at CreativeLive! [affiliate link]

---

1. Fold the rectangle in half as shown in figure #2 below. (Figure #1 simply indicates that the underside fabric is the one that will be the accent on your finished butterfly; the top fabric will be the main body.)

Forgive the creases on my fabric (obviously, I had it folded and then undid it to take my photos)...

2. Fold in half a second time, as shown above in figure #3. Press and maybe give it blast of steam.

3. Arrange the folded piece so that the four free edges are at the bottom, as shown in figure #4. Make a squash fold by pulling open the top layer and pressing it down into a triangle.

4. Flip over and repeat the squash fold, to get the result shown in figure #5 below. Try to get the bottom part as even as possible and then press again.

Practice makes perfect with these folds...

5. Spin the piece around so that the triangle points down. Make a 90° inverse fold in the corner as shown in figure #6. Press well.

6. Make the same fold on the other side, so that you end up with what's shown in figure #7. Refold if necessary to make both sides as symmetrical as you can. Press again.

If you didn't stitch up the turning gap, make sure that that edge is on top before you go on to the next step.

7. Fold down the top layer of one of the wings as shown in figure #8.

Done with the folding!

8. Fold down the other wing in a similar fashion and you should have something like the above. Pin, press and steam.

9. Take a needle and thread and hand sew the part in the middle where the two sides meet. For best results, bring your thread up from below both layers of one of the bottom wings.

---

Check out crafty classes at Creativebug! [affiliate link]

---

What can you do with these butterflies?

Drop in a magnet...

Well, if you have some craft magnets lying around, drop one into the back "pocket" and you can display your butterflies on the fridge or any metal surface.

... and your butterfly can perch on a fridge door...

Or you can just scatter them around your home. I have several houseplants that can serve as a resting spot for a fabric butterfly or two.

Adding a butterfly to an indoor houseplant...

Have to admit, I like these much better than the scrappy fabric butterflies that I made last year. I might have to try this origami version on a larger scale, perhaps using pieced scraps of fabric to create a more colourful butterfly.

'Til next...