Make this Origami windmill and impress everyone (tutorial)


Having a party trick is something that takes you from a boring old house guest and turns you into the life and soul of the party. But if you can’t beatbox, turn your elbows inside out, touch your nose with your tongue or pull a coin out of someone’s ear (or things to that effect) you could also learn the art of Origami. Try and make this Origami windmill and impress everyone… Trust us, you’ll get invited to all the parties.

Step one – make a cross

Take a piece of paper, and fold it in half – from left to right. Unfold the piece of paper and repeat the process – but from top to bottom. Unfold the paper again, and you should have creases in the shape of a cross.

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Step two – folding into the middle

Next, fold the top left and right edges of the paper into the middle, where it should line up with the horizontal crease. Then unfold. Then, repeat the process with the bottom two edges. And then unfold again.

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Step three – making the X

After this, you will need to fold the piece of paper along both diagonal directions to form a crease in the shape of an X. Unfold the piece of paper and then flip it over. Then, create a blintz fold – which involves folding each corner of the paper into the middle. Unfold the paper again.

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Step four – creating a flap

The next step will involve refolding a crease that is ¼ away from the bottom edge of the piece of paper into the center. You will then need to do the same for the crease ¼ away from the top edge of the paper. This will form two flaps that look like folding doors.

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Step five – turn and repeat

Next, rotate the piece of paper 90 degrees clockwise. You will then need to repeat the process, and again fold the crease that lies ¼ away from the bottom edge of the piece of paper into the center. Do the same to the top, so you have two more flaps.

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Step six – make a boat

Open the top flap up, and refold it back down, but this time pulling the inside of the paper outwards as you do so. Do the same for the top flap. This will create a boat-shaped fold, where you have two triangles pointing to the left and right out from the central square of paper.

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Step seven – almost done

Fold the top right flap up, along the diagonal from the centre of the boat to the top right corner. This will create a triangle pointing upwards, leaving another triangle pointing to the right below. Do the same for the bottom left flap, folding it downwards this time. This creates the left and down-pointing triangles. You will be left with a four-pointed windmill! Stick a pin in the centre and attach it to a straw to see your windmill turn.

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