Quamut Wiki: Make a Paper Snowflake

Created by Maggie on 29 August 2007 2:18 pm EDT. Last edited by ben on 29 August 2007 4:15 pm EDT

Step 1: Start with a SQUARE piece of paper (equal length on all four sides). If you only have rectangular paper, make a piece into a square by folding two adjoining sides together so that it becomes a triangle with an extra strip on the side. Cut off the extra strip that isn't part of the triangle so that you end up with just a triangle - which is a folded square.
Step 2: Fold the square in half so that it becomes a triangle. Fold that triangle in half again, so that it becomes a smaller triangle.
Step 3: Holding the triangle with the longest side facing downwards, fold in the two points on both sides inwards, so that the triangle now has two folds in it with two points aimed downwards.
Step 4: Cut off the points pointing downwards so that the paper becomes a folded triangle again.
Step 5: Cutting the top of the triangle will give you a hole at the center of your snowflake. A cut straight across will give you a circular hole, a diagonal cut will result in a star-shaped hole, etc etc.
Step 6: Cutting the bottom edge of the triangle determines the overall shape of your snowflake. You'll want to cut inwards starting from the two corners/angles at the bottom.
Step 7: Cutting the sides of the triangle will give you the pattern in the middle of the snowflake. You can try cutting out little mini-triangles or circles to experiment.
Step 8: Unfold! You should now have your very own snowflake! A great way to display them is to stick them on your window, or other clear glass panes.