It is folded from colored squares, which form a striking, cymmetrical pattern, with an elongated diamond visible on each face of the cube.
Credits and Resources:
Designer/Creator: Madhura Gupta
Website: madhura-gupta.com
Instagram: @tinnifolds
Text-Only Instructions: Nishi Sakpal, Mumbai, India
via accessorigami.com
With thankful acknowledgement to Madhura Gupta for teaching this model - March 2024
Folder: Nishi Sakpal
For any questions, comments or suggestions, email accessorigami@gmail.com
Description and more information:
This cube is assembled from 6 units folded from square paper.
You may use big squares in the beginning till you get the hang of folding this cube.
Try to use paper of a medium thickness, especially when folding this model for the first time.
The finished model is a fairly sturdy, closed cube with a beautiful cymmetrical pattern on all faces. The design on each face of the cube can be described as bands that seem to be wrapped across the center of the cube, with elongated diamond shapes as a feature that lies across each of the bands.
If folded from duo paper, the diamonds will show up in a different color from the rest of the cube.
There are 16 steps for folding A unit.
Step 1
Place a square piece of paper down on a hard, flat surface so that it forms a diamond shape.
Step 2
Bring the left point over to meet the right point. Crease and unfold.
Step 3
Bring the top point down to meet the bottom point. Crease and unfold.
There will be two diagonal creases formed with a Centerpoint.
Step 4
Fold all four corners to the center-point and creese well.
This fold is called a Blintz base in origami.
Step 5
Flip the paper over so that all the triangles which you have folded are touching the table, and the smooth side of the square is facing the ceiling.
Turn the square with the edges left and right, top and bottom.
Step 6
Fold both the top and bottom edges to the center horizontal crease line.
The square should have formed into a rectangle placed in landscape mode.
Step 7
Now, without disturbing the orientation of the paper gently lift up The top part of the rectangle and slowly unfold the triangle lying beneath.
Repeat the same step on the bottom half as well.
You should now have a triangle facing away from you on the top half of the rectangle and a triangle facing you on the bottom half of the rectangle.
Step 8
Fold the bottom triangle up and the top triangle down so their points touch each other and the center horizontal line.
This will be very easy since you are just reversing the creases that have been made in Step 6.
Crease very well and unfold.
Explanation
Up to this point our model has been flat on the table. The next steps will involve lifting a part of the model and holding the paper at a 90 degree angle in relation to the table.
Note that the model is divided into a top and bottom rectangle by a slit that lies across the model from left to right.
We will work on the bottom half of the model first, then turn it around and repeat the same steps with the remaining half.
Step 9
Working with the half of the rectangle nearest you, lift up the double-layered rectangle and bring it towards you, into an upright position.
You should still have the triangle nearest you flat on your folding surface.
Note that the rectangle you are holding, which we will call a wall, forms a 90 degree angle with the triangle that is still flat on the table.
Focus on the foldline that separates the wall and the flat triangle.
Explanation
What you would like to do is to unite that foldline with the fold making up the top of the wall, effectively valley folding the top layer of the wall in half.
I can only describe this as a shifting fold since you will move the fold at the bottom upwards to meet the top, but keeping the triangle as is in the process, until the fold is done, after which you will flip the triangle over the wall.
So, use both hands and bring the bottom fold upwards to meet the closed edge of the top of the wall.
In this process, you should also let the triangle rise and tumble right over the wall so it comes to rest on the inside of the wall.
You could say it will be hanging upside down now.
Put in another way, you will fold the wall in half by bringing the bottom fold up to the top. Let the triangle rise into the air and flip away from you. It will hang on the other side of the wall. Its point will touch the bottom edge of the wall.
The outcome of this fold is that, nearest you, your wall will now have a single layer at its bottom half and 3 layers on the top with the triangle draped over the top of the wall.
Step 10
Once you are sure your wall has been folded properly, flip the triangle that is hanging on the side furthest away from you, back towards you.
Its bottom point will almost touch your folding surface.
Step 11
You can now press the wall and the triangle flat, away from you.
Step 12
Once you fold down the paper properly, you will see that the flap you have placed down has 4 layers: the wall, nearest the table, then a two-layered band and nearest the ceiling, the single-layered triangle.
Step 13
Take the corner of the triangle, which will be nearest you, and tuck it in under the band.
Put in another way, tuck the point in between the wall and the band by folding it away from you using a mountain fold.
Step 14
Turn the model 180 degrees and repeat the same steps as described above with the other wall and triangle, and forme the other band, also tucking in the point of the triangle as described.
Step 15
Now, flip the rectangle over and position it in portrait mode.
Step 16
Fold the top and bottom edges to the center and crease well.
Result: If you flip this unit back over, you will see that the two bands have formed into an elongated diamond shape.
The diamond has a slit at its center. The slit in the center will not be used, but underneath the bands, you will find pockets where the units are going to be inserted
So, always be sure that you are sliding the flaps of the units into the pockets under the bands and not, inadvertently, into the central slit on each face of the cube.
Fold five more units.
For assembling the cube:
Step 17
Hold one unit in your left-hand with the band running vertically and the pockets on the left, and right, and the two flaps facing the table.
hold the other unit in the right hand with the flaps on the left and right side, and the band running horizontally and the pockets facing the top and bottom.
Now gently insert the left flap of the unit which you are holding in your right hand into the right pocket of the unit which you are holding in your left hand.
Once the right flap is properly secured in the left pocket you will feel like you are holding a small book with the 2 open edges facing on the left and right sides, the flaps facing away from you and the closed side facing you.
If this is what you get, you are correct in assembling the first two units.
Do not change the orientation of these two units
Step 18
If you feel the unit on the right, you will find that there are two pockets one up and one down.
Take one flap of the third unit and gently insert it into the pocket nearest you.
You will have to pick up the maudle gently to do so.
The unit should slide in very easily in the lower horizontal pocket of the right unit.
Now you will have the three joined units with their bands as follows, the vertical on the very left the horizontal in the center and the vertical below that.
If this is the shape that you achieve, your assembly is going perfectly.
Step 19
Next, you will have to insert the bottom loose flap of the very left unit into the vertical pocket of the very right unit before you proceed further.
This is the point where you will change your flat model into a 3D shape.
For this, pick up the model in your right hand to make the assembly easier.
So, take the bottom left flap and bring it over toward the right, rotating it in the process. It will move halfway in front of the piece on the right and slide into the left pocket of the unit. so that the 3 units you have will fold in on themselves, collapsing or folding together away from you into a 3D shape.
Once you understand which flap should go into which pocket, feel free to turn the model in whichever way is comfortable for you to complete this step.
If you have completed the last step your cube will be 3D with 3 of its sides loosely connected, namely the bottom, left and front sides.
Half of your cube is already done.
Step 20
Whilst holding your half-constructed cube in your left hand, take the fourth unit in your right hand and slide its left flap into the vertical pocket of the half-made cube.
The vertical pocket will be on the left, so you will slide in your fourth unit from the back or a point furthest away from you.
Step 21
After this unit is secured, you will find that there is a loose flap behind this newly inserted unit.
Gently lift it and slide it into the horizontal pocket of the newly inserted unit which is the fourth unit.
Now you will only have two open sides left of the almost-completed cube, namely the right and top sides.
Step 22
Place the cube in such a way that the open side with the two loose flaps are facing the ceiling and the open side with only one flap is facing you.
Take the fifth unit and insert one of its flaps into the horizontal pocket which is furthest away from you.
Once it is secured, gently lift up the two flaps, which will be on the left and right and insert them in the left and right pockets of the fifth unit.
Step 23
Turn the cube so you have a model which resembles an open box with two flaps inside it.
Orient the cube in such a way that the flaps will be on the left and right, and there will be two horizontal pockets one facing you and one facing away from you.
Insert one of the flaps of the sixth unit in the horizontal pocket furthest away from you.
Once it is secured, lift up the two flaps which are on the left and right sides of the cube.
Gently insert these flaps into the two vertical pockets of the sixth unit.
Step 24
Only a single flap is remaining at the front of your cube, wich has to be inserted into the horizontal pocket nearest to it.
You will have a very elegant looking cube with horizontal and vertical bands in the center and a beautiful design on the sides.
I hope you have fun folding an assembling it as I did.
Making origami accessible to all through text-only instructions.
for non-commercial use only.
This text - copyright by accessorigami.com - 2024
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