How to Fold an Easy Origami Butterfly
These instructions will walk you through how to make an origami butterfly. It’s a pretty simple design, and all you need is a square sheet of paper.
Are you ready? Let’s get started.
Step 1) Start with a square sheet of paper with the white side up. Fold it in half horizontally, crease it well, and then unfold it.
Step 2) Fold the paper in half vertically, crease it well, and then unfold it.
Step 3) Fold the top quarter of the paper along the dotted line to the center line.
Step 4) Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 5) Fold the bottom quarter of the paper along the dotted line to the center line.
Step 6) Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 7) Fold the right quarter of the paper along the dotted line to the center line.
Step 8) Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 9) Fold the left quarter of the paper along the dotted line to the center line.
Step 10) Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 11) Fold the paper in half diagonally. Crease it well and then unfold it.
Step 12) Fold the paper in half diagonally the other way. Crease it well and then unfold it.
Step 13) Turn the paper over so the colored side is facing up.
Step 14) Fold the corner of the paper to the center along the dotted line. Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 15) Fold the next corner of the paper to the center along the dotted line. Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 16) Fold the next corner of the paper to the center along the dotted line. Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 17) Fold the final corner of the paper to the center along the dotted line. Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 18) Turn the paper over so the white side is facing up again.
Step 19) Fold the two sides of the paper towards the center along the dotted line. You already have a crease here. Only fold the middle half of the paper where the dotted lines are. Don’t fold the top or bottom parts of the existing crease.
Step 20) You should have a shape that resembles what you see here. Fold both the top and bottom of the model along the dotted lines to the center.
Step 21) This is a completed Boat Base. Fold the bottom two flaps of paper down along the dotted lines.
Step 22) Flip the model over.
Step 23) Fold the top part of the paper down along the dotted line.
Step 24) Flip the model over again.
Step 25) Fold the top flap of paper on the right along the dotted line towards the center. The dotted line goes from the top corner to halfway down the diagonal line at the bottom, as you can see in the diagram.
Step 26) Fold the top flap of paper on the left along the dotted line towards the center. The dotted line goes from the top corner to halfway down the diagonal line at the bottom, as you can see in the diagram.
Step 27) Flip the model over.
Step 28) Valley Fold along the dotted line in the direction of the arrow in the diagram. Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 29) Valley Fold along the dotted line on the other side in the direction of the arrow in the diagram. Crease this fold well and then unfold it.
Step 30) Pinch the middle of the model along the two folds you just made and form a Mountain Fold along the vertical line in the middle. This gives the butterfly its final shape.
The Completed Traditional Origami Butterfly.
How did it go? Post a photo of your butterfly in the comments. If there’s any part of the instructions that you’re stuck on, let us know as well so we can help out.
Sorry for the frustrated message, the step 19 to 20 makes absolutely no sense to me either. I think we see here the limits of following instruction in 2D. I don’t think origami is for me, at least with instruction in 2D.
I did this a few times and it just didn’t work, it wasn’t folding right and the tail was one complete piece. So I went to a different site and it had a few different steps and it came out how it was supposed to. There must be something wrong in this diagram, or I was doing something wrong, but I think someone needs to fix something.
How do you post a photo?
I did the crane, jumping frog, box and butterfly. I think I did pretty good for my first try! Thanks for the easy diagrams, they are so easy to follow!
What is step #20 a picture of? Can someone take a picture and show a picture of what that step looks like? I’m struggling to understand it. Please help me.
and 20
i got stuck with 21 and 22