Origami: How to fold “Orihime and Hikobosi” in the star festival

July 7 is Tanabata (star festival), isn’t it?

I bet many people have celebrated it,

decorating Tanzaku (a small piece of paper) which had your wish

on and other decoration on the bamboo grass.★

Why don’t you decorate “Orihime and Hikoboshi” made

with origami paper on Tanabata this year?♪

You can also write your wish on Orihime and Hikoboshi

with Tanzaku and welcome July 7 too!

How to make Orihime and Hikoboshi ver1

First, let’s make cute Orihime and Hikoboshi

just like kokeshi (Japanese traditional doll) with origami paper!

It will be even prettier if you draw some patterns on the kimono too.

【How to fold Orihime】

1. First, get a half-cut origami paper ready.

2. Fold it in half.

3. Fold it in half again.

4. Open it up all the way.

5. Fold both sides to the middle crease, like the picture below.

6. Open it up and fold the right side to the crease that you made in No.2.

7. Open it up again and fold the same part to the crease that you made in No.6.

8. Fold the part that you folded in No.7, as if you roll it.

9. Fold the left side to the crease that you made in No.2.

10. Cut the dotted lines with scissors.  Leave the middle part uncut.

11. Change the direction and fold both sides toward the middle,

like the picture below.

12. Fold both sides along the dotted lines. (a valley fold)

13. Fold both corners behind. (a mountain fold)

14. Draw a face and the Orihime is done!

【How to make Hikoboshi】

1. Next, we’ll fold Hikoboshi.

Get a different colored sheet of paper from Orihime.

Follow the same procedure of Orihime to No.11.

2. Turn it over.  Fold all the corners along the dotted lines. (a valley fold)

3. Fold them along the dotted lines. (a valley fold)

4. It will be like the picture below.

5. Flip it over, draw a face of Hikobosi and it’s done!

How was it?  It was tricky in the middle, wasn’t it?

Please help your child with doing the cutting part, if a child does it alone.

How to make Orihime and Hikoboshi ver2

Now, we will fold a little different type of Orihime and Hikoboshi with Tanzaku.

What kind of wish do you write on Tanzaku on Tanabata?

1. First, get two sheets of triangle paper with different colors ready.

2. Facing the white (back) part up, put them, shifting a little, like the picture below.

3. Fold the left side, like the picture below. (a valley fold)

4. Fold the other side too, so that it overlaps the other side.

5. Put the part that you folded in No.3, a star and Tanzaku with glue, and it’s done!

Shifting two sheets of paper makes kimono’s collar

of ver2 of Orihime and Hikoboshi.

They look cute, don’t they?♥

You can arrange your own Orihine and Hikoboshi,

by using gold colored origami for a star too.★

It will be a wonderful bamboo decoration if you write your wishes on Tanzaku too!

Why don’t you decorate Orihime and Hikoboshi

with various kinds of bamboo decoration!

【Translated by　 Kana Toda PIERCE】