Crease pattern showing the finished model’s folds
The initial sheet of paper and the final model juxtaposed
Practice Model:
Place Card Holder
Make a valley fold along the horizontal median, and then unfold.
The fold made in step 1 is represented by the thin horizontal line. Make a valley fold along the vertical median, and then unfold.
Valley fold the right and left edges to the central crease, and then unfold each.
Valley fold the top and bottom edges to the central crease, and then unfold each.
Make valley folds at each of the four corners.
Make valley folds on the right and left sides by bringing their edges to the crease along the center.
Your paper will look like this once step 6 has been completed. Flip the model over.
Flip over the model. The side that was facing the working surface is now on top, and vice versa. Make a valley fold along the existing crease line, and then unfold.
The fold required has already been creased. Make a valley fold, and then unfold.
Make a valley fold, aligning the bottom edge with the crease along the center.
Tuck the top edge into the “pocket” indicated by the arrows. This will make the model three-dimensional.
The finished Place Card Holder. A tag with the name of the guest can now be inserted into it, or the name can be written directly on the white central portion.
Chapter 2
THE MOUNTAIN FOLD
The second basic fold in origami, the mountain fold, does not come as naturally or as intuitively as the first one, the valley fold. But from a technical point of view, the mountain fold is not complicated. In this chapter, as in the first, you will learn the symbols associated with the mountain fold and find tips and a trick for creating it. At the end of the chapter, as in all the others, the concepts you learn will be “translated” into folds to create a model—in this case, a rectangular box.
TOPICS AND SYMBOLS
| Mountain fold indicated by dashes and dots |
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| Arrow indicating the direction of a mountain fold |
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| Hidden edges |
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| Repetition |
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| Enlarged view |
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| Reduced scale |
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PRACTICE MODEL
| Place Card Holder |
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The Mountain Fold Line
The mountain fold is indicated by a row of dashes alternating with dots. The width of the fold line is roughly 0.5 mm. Compare the shape of the mountain fold in fig. 4 below with the valley fold in fig. 2 on page 7.
The mountain fold is the exact opposite of the valley fold. In the mountain fold, however, the entire sheet of paper must always be lifted because the fold is done “backwards.” If we take a sheet of paper on which a mountain fold has been made and then flatten the fold, we can easily see that a peak has formed along the crease created by the fold. This feature, enlarged in fig. 4, resembles the image of a mountain from which the fold derives its name.
The Arrow Indicating the Direction of a Mountain Fold
The arrow used to indicate a mountain fold is very different from the one indicating a valley fold. Its tip resembles a harpoon, but the harpoon is not completely attached to the shaft. The arrow is often “clipped,” that is, its point lies partially hidden behind the paper’s surface while indicating the direction the fold will take. Here are a few examples.
In this graphic representation of a mountain fold, the top edge of the paper is folded backwards to meet the bottom edge. The tip of the arrow indicating the maneuver is hidden behind in order to reinforce the concept of a mountain where the back is hidden from view.
In practice, it is much easier to make a mountain fold by flipping the paper over so that its white surface is visible, and then folding it like a valley fold. Once the fold is completed,