Tutorial ~ Paper Folding - Pine Cone Ornaments

Supplies Needed

• 50+ Pieces of paper cut into 2"x1" strips - I like to use a variety of background and texture paper. Do Not Use Cardstock as it is too difficult to push pins through.
• 2" Styrofoam Ball
• 150+ Straight Pins
• 8" to 10" of ribbon
• Thimble - Optional...but saves your fingers
  

Step One
Lay your one of your 2"x1" strips on the table and fold the left corner down and to the center.

Step Two
Fold the right corner of your strip into the center to meet up with the left corner. This makes a Triangle shape out of the strip.

~Repeat Step One & Two until all 50+ pieces are folded~

Click Here for First Visual Show Tutorial

Step Three
Hold your Styrofoam ball in your hand and place one of the triangle pieces onto your ball (flap side down to the ball) and pin in the tip of the triangle piece.

Step Four

Butt a second triangle up to the first making 1/2 of a square and again pin the tip of the triangle piece.

Step Five
Do this two more times until you have created a complete square out of four folded triangle pieces with four pins holding them onto the Styrofoam ball through the tips only.

Step Six

Pin two of the triangles in the center of the longest straight side. These two triangles should be apposing triangles.

Step Seven
Cross two corners of two triangles over each other and pin. Repeat this for each triangle's remaining corners. This completes the first layer of your ornament.

Step Eight
Now you will be putting on your second layer of paper. This layer is applied differently than the first layer. It is a good place to alter your paper color. These triangles will be applied half way over the first layer. You will place the tip of the triangle down pointing toward the pins in the center of the Styrofoam ball. The longest straight edge of your triangle will span over the overlapping corners of your first layer. For this layer you will need four triangles to make it around the first layer. Pin each of these triangles at each corner only. The second layer corners will overlap.

Step Nine
Following the same process you did in Step Eight, offset the next layer of triangles so your longest flat edge of your triangle is spanning over the overlapping corners of your second layer. The tip of the triangle is once again pointing down and will be positioned in the gap created between the first and second layer. Again, you will be pinning the corners of the triangles only and they will overlap.

~Repeat this step for two more layers~

Click here for the second visual show tutorial

Step Ten
Place one edge of your ribbon in width parallel with your last layer of paper triangles. Pin it down into the foam ball. Pin the other end of your ribbon onto the foam ball on the opposite side. This creates your ribbon hanger. You will be pinning your triangle layers over the ribbon. Continue repeating Step Nine until you begin reducing in size and are at the crest of the top of the foam ball.
Step Eleven
Continue repeating Step Nine until you begin reducing in size and are at the crest of the top of the foam ball.
Step Twelve
The top and covering layer will either be two or four triangles. Depending on what size space you have left to cover. You will start out with your first piece by opening the flaps and pinning only the bottom layer. Once pinned on one side you will refold and cover the pins with the top layer. This step is the most tedious step and requires some dexterity. You will continue doing this meeting in the center with the flat sides of each triangle creating a square peak on top of the pinecone.
Step Thirteen

I like to finish it off by tying the ribbon into a bow that comes down tight onto the last layer of the paper triangles. This helps to cover up any gaps or showing pins. I leave a long piece of ribbon extending in the middle. This will become your hanger.