Origami: How to Make a Cherry Blossom!

We love making these pretty origami cherry blossoms to send out with our parcels of gifts from Kyoto.

Here is our step-by-step guide so that you can enjoy making them too!

Here I'm using a sheet of our Medium size Chiyogami Origami paper which is 12cm x 12cm.

You can use any size paper that you like, though -

I like to make them smaller using our 15cm square origami paper divided into four! We have lots of really beautiful origami papers in-store. Why not take a look!

To make these cherry blossoms you will also need a pencil and a pair of scissors.

1. Lay your origami paper right side up.

2. Fold up the bottom edge so that the paper is in half.

3. Now turn the paper round so that it is like this.

4. Fold up the bottom edge up so that it meets the top edge.

5. Unfold again so that your paper looks like this.

6. Take the bottom left corner and fold it up to the top edge

- it will make a right-angled triangle, like this.

7. Unfold it again and you will see the diagonal crease that you've just made,

and also the horizontal crease along the middle of the paper that you made earlier.

8. Fold the top right corner onto the point where the diagonal crease

intersects with the horizontal crease, like this.

9. Turn the paper round so that it looks like this, and fold back the corner

that is on the middle crease so that it lies directly along the left-hand edge.

You can see what I mean in the photo below!

10. Now fold the bottom-right corner up so that it meets along the crease in the middle.

Your paper should look like this!

11. Fold the two sides backwards so that they fold along the middle line.

12. Here is what your shape should look like!

13. Now, within the topmost triangle, (the smallest shape) draw a line like this:

you're aiming to make a shape that is half of a cherry blossom petal!

14. Cut the half-petal shape out along your pencil line with a pair of scissors.

15. Here is your half-petal shape!

16. Now, look closely, and you'll see I've creased up that left bottom edge by about 2mm.

Make sure you are folding the correct edge - it's the one that's below the curved line!

17. Carefully unfold your cherry blossom.

18. Now, carefully press the creases from the centre outwards, to make your blossom take shape.

Look closely at the photo and you'll see one of the five zigzag creases that you need to create!

19. Here is your finished cherry blossom - it's beautiful isn't it!

I hope you enjoy making them every bit as much as I do! :)

Do send us your photos of your origami - we'd love to see them! xx