How to make a paper heart flower
Paper Heart Flower: try all 39 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor flower of five small hearts set around a yellow centre, so each heart is a notched petal, like a cherry blossom. Each heart takes five easy folds; the folded yellow centre overlaps the points and glue joins every petal to it.
- You need
- Five 3 × 3 in pink squares, a 1.1 in yellow square and a little glue.
- Start
- Use five small pink squares and one yellow square a little over a third as wide. Start the pink squares white side up and the yellow square colored side up, with their edges straight up and across.
- Tips
- Fold all five hearts with matching slanted folds so the petals are the same size.
- Press each petal point against the underside of the yellow centre until the glue holds.
Your model is ready
The flower is ready. Let the five glued overlaps under the yellow centre dry before lifting the flower. The finished heart flower, with its five heart petals round the middle.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–7
- 1
Fold the first heart in half
Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge. You have a long rectangle.
- 2
Fold up the left half
Fold the left half up along a slanted line from the middle of the bottom edge to a spot a fifth of the way in from the left along the top edge. Its top corner sticks up as a lobe.
- 3
Fold up the right half
Fold the right half up the same way, over the left half. The two corners stand side by side as the heart's lobes.
- 4
Round the left lobe
Fold the square tip of the left lobe behind.
- 5
Round the right lobe
Fold the tip of the right lobe behind the same way.
- 6
Fold the second heart in half
Fold the second square the same way: top edge down to the bottom edge.
- 7
Fold up the left half
Fold the left half up along a slanted line from the middle of the bottom edge to a spot a fifth of the way in from the left along the top edge. Its top corner sticks up as a lobe.
Steps 8–14
- 8
Fold up the right half
Fold the right half up the same way, over the left half. The two corners stand side by side as the heart's lobes.
- 9
Round the left lobe
Fold the square tip of the left lobe behind.
- 10
Round the right lobe
Fold the tip of the right lobe behind the same way.
- 11
Fold the third heart in half
Fold the third square the same way: top edge down to the bottom edge.
- 12
Fold up the left half
Fold the left half up along a slanted line from the middle of the bottom edge to a spot a fifth of the way in from the left along the top edge. Its top corner sticks up as a lobe.
- 13
Fold up the right half
Fold the right half up the same way, over the left half. The two corners stand side by side as the heart's lobes.
- 14
Round the left lobe
Fold the square tip of the left lobe behind.
Steps 15–21
- 15
Round the right lobe
Fold the tip of the right lobe behind the same way.
- 16
Fold the fourth heart in half
Fold the fourth square the same way: top edge down to the bottom edge.
- 17
Fold up the left half
Fold the left half up along a slanted line from the middle of the bottom edge to a spot a fifth of the way in from the left along the top edge. Its top corner sticks up as a lobe.
- 18
Fold up the right half
Fold the right half up the same way, over the left half. The two corners stand side by side as the heart's lobes.
- 19
Round the left lobe
Fold the square tip of the left lobe behind.
- 20
Round the right lobe
Fold the tip of the right lobe behind the same way.
- 21
Fold the fifth heart in half
Fold the fifth square the same way: top edge down to the bottom edge.
Steps 22–28
- 22
Fold up the left half
Fold the left half up along a slanted line from the middle of the bottom edge to a spot a fifth of the way in from the left along the top edge. Its top corner sticks up as a lobe.
- 23
Fold up the right half
Fold the right half up the same way, over the left half. The two corners stand side by side as the heart's lobes.
- 24
Round the left lobe
Fold the square tip of the left lobe behind.
- 25
Round the right lobe
Fold the tip of the right lobe behind the same way.
- 26
Add the second petal
Set the second heart beside the first, turned a fifth of the way round, leaving room for the centre.
- 27
Add the third petal
Set the next heart around the middle, turned a fifth of the way round from the last one.
- 28
Add the fourth petal
Set the next heart around the middle, turned a fifth of the way round from the last one.
Steps 29–35
- 29
Add the fifth petal
Set the next heart around the middle, turned a fifth of the way round from the last one.
- 30
Round centre corner 1
Fold the corner of the little yellow square behind to make an eight-sided centre.
- 31
Round centre corner 2
Fold the corner of the little yellow square behind to make an eight-sided centre.
- 32
Round centre corner 3
Fold the corner of the little yellow square behind to make an eight-sided centre.
- 33
Round centre corner 4
Fold the corner of the little yellow square behind to make an eight-sided centre.
- 34
Cover the five petal points
Set the folded yellow centre over the five heart points. Every point should overlap its underside.
- 35
Glue the first heart to the centre
Put glue on the overlapping point under the yellow centre and press the two layers together.
Steps 36–39
- 36
Glue the second heart to the centre
Put glue on the overlapping point under the yellow centre and press the two layers together.
- 37
Glue the third heart to the centre
Put glue on the overlapping point under the yellow centre and press the two layers together.
- 38
Glue the fourth heart to the centre
Put glue on the overlapping point under the yellow centre and press the two layers together.
- 39
Glue the fifth heart to the centre
Put glue on the overlapping point under the yellow centre and press the two layers together.
- ✓
Finish
The flower is ready. Let the five glued overlaps under the yellow centre dry before lifting the flower. The finished heart flower, with its five heart petals round the middle.
Fold next
Heart ↗
This heart stays flat, so it fits inside a greeting card or on the front of a folded note. The colored side makes the face; small folds hidden behind the left edge, right edge and two top tips soften the outline.
Easy heart ↗
An Origami Tutor heart in three main folds for young children: fold the square in half, then fold each half up across the middle so its corner becomes a lobe. Two small folds round the lobes. The whole heart shows the colored side.
Pocket heart ↗
An Origami Tutor two-color heart with a pocket across its front: slip a folded note or a gift card in behind the colored pocket. Five folds and no glue.
Heart with wings ↗
An Origami Tutor winged heart in three pieces: a red heart folded from a square in five easy folds, and two pointed wings folded from smaller squares. A dab of glue sets the wings behind the heart.