Visual Instructions for Origami Paper Flowers

Japanese kusudama flowers are an interesting variation of typical origami paper flowers. Kusudama is a form of origami that involves creating large spherical shapes by sewing or gluing together multiple paper flowers. In this tutorial, LoveToKnow Origami will demonstrate how to make a single kusudama flower. To make a kusudama ball, you will need to string together twelve of these flowers.

Start with the patterned side of your paper face down. Fold the bottom corner of your paper up to the top to make a triangle.

Fold the left and the right corners to the middle to make a square.

Fold the left and right points out so the folded line is even with the outside edge of the square.

Flatten the flaps you have created.

Fold the top triangles down. They should be level with the edges of the paper.

Fold the large triangles back using your earlier crease. Glue the outside triangles together. This will be your first flower petal.

Repeat four times so you have five petals in all. These petals will be connected to form your origami paper flower.

Glue your petals together to make the finished flower. You can use your single flower as a decoration for your home or make 12 of these origami paper flowers to connect together into a traditional Japanese kusudama ball.

For another simple paper folding project, please review the LoveToKnow Origami slideshow Origami Flowers for Cards.