How to make a Christmas paper star
Christmas Paper Star: try all 36 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor Christmas star with eight wide points: four long gold rays and four shorter white rays between them round a gold middle. Each ray is a triangle folded from a small square in three folds.
- You need
- Four 6 × 6 in squares of gold paper that is white on the front, four 4 × 4 in squares of white paper, and a small gold square about 1.5 in across. A little glue.
- Start
- Use four gold squares, all the same size, four white squares about two thirds as wide, and one small gold square for the middle. Start every square white side up, with a corner pointing up. Paper that is gold on the back and white on the front makes the long rays gold.
- Tips
- Fold every ray of one size the same way so they all reach the same distance.
- Glue each ray's square end under the middle as you place it.
Your model is ready
The star is ready. Glue the square ends under the gold middle, or glue everything onto a card or a loop of thread. The finished Christmas star, with its eight points round the middle.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–7
- 1
Fold the long ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
- 2
Fold the long ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
- 3
Square off the long ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
- 4
Fold the long ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
- 5
Fold the long ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
- 6
Square off the long ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
- 7
Fold the long ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
Steps 8–14
- 8
Fold the long ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
- 9
Square off the long ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
- 10
Fold the long ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
- 11
Fold the long ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
- 12
Square off the long ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
- 13
Fold the short ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
- 14
Fold the short ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
Steps 15–21
- 15
Square off the short ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
- 16
Fold the short ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
- 17
Fold the short ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
- 18
Square off the short ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
- 19
Fold the short ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
- 20
Fold the short ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
- 21
Square off the short ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
Steps 22–28
- 22
Fold the short ray's left edge in
Fold the upper left edge to the middle line, so the top corner becomes the point of a kite.
- 23
Fold the short ray's right edge in
Fold the upper right edge to the middle line too.
- 24
Square off the short ray's end
Fold the bottom corner behind, along the line where the two folded edges end. The ray is now a triangle with a square end.
- 25
Add a long ray
Set the ray round the middle with its point outward, turned as far round as the drawing shows.
- 26
Add a long ray
Set the ray round the middle with its point outward, turned as far round as the drawing shows.
- 27
Add a long ray
Set the ray round the middle with its point outward, turned as far round as the drawing shows.
- 28
Add a short ray
Set the ray round the middle with its point outward, turned as far round as the drawing shows.
Steps 29–35
- 29
Add a short ray
Set the ray round the middle with its point outward, turned as far round as the drawing shows.
- 30
Add a short ray
Set the ray round the middle with its point outward, turned as far round as the drawing shows.
- 31
Add a short ray
Set the ray round the middle with its point outward, turned as far round as the drawing shows.
- 32
Fold the middle's top corner behind
Fold one corner of the small gold square behind, a little way in.
- 33
Fold the middle's right corner behind
Fold the next corner behind the same way.
- 34
Fold the middle's bottom corner behind
Fold the next corner behind the same way.
- 35
Fold the middle's left corner behind
Fold the next corner behind the same way.
Step 36
- 36
Add the gold middle
Set the gold middle over the space where the square ends meet, and glue the ends under its edge.
- ✓
Finish
The star is ready. Glue the square ends under the gold middle, or glue everything onto a card or a loop of thread. The finished Christmas star, with its eight points round the middle.
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