LaFosse & Alexander's Origami Flowers Ebook. Michael G. LaFosse

      When a local group of women entrepreneurs was looking for unique table decorations for their annual awards banquet, we showed them how to fold origami flowers! Bouquets of bright origami flowers make perfect table decorations or gifts—sure to spread joy and cheer any time of the year. They need neither light nor water, no one is allergic to them, and they do represent an expenditure of personal effort—a labor of love that can involve active social participation by few or many folders. The ladies that met with us added several sessions to learn even more than the basics. Years later, they still recall how much fun they had getting together and folding what amounted to a roomful of their most memorable decorations.

      Flower blossoms are a favorite subject for paper-folding artists, because blooms come in a myriad of colors, and have remarkably diverse and architecturally interesting patterns, shapes, and sizes. Folding flower blossoms is no longer limited to using a single, uncut square—in fact, most origami flower designs today involve many small squares of paper. These “compound origami” blossoms have become a favorite of designers and folders alike because the multiple, interlocked, identically-folded elements must be cleverly designed to nest, link, or lock together with a just a tuck or fold. Models that can be assembled without any tape or glue have become the norm in floral origami, but if you are transporting them, it doesn’t hurt to hedge your bet with a dab of adhesive.

      Dozens of the world’s top origami designers and celebrated paper-folding masters have contributed to this special area of origami because multi-piece construction keeps the folding for each element quite simple. The learning curve is gentle, and beginners are just as likely to produce elegant results as are the more experienced folders. You may be surprised to learn that it is quite a challenge to design interesting, fresh, and simple origami flower elements, such as petals and leaves—yet new designs that meet these criteria quickly “go viral” on the Internet. We hope that you, and your friends and relatives too, will enjoy the many innovations in this collection of horticultural origami offerings, and that the experience of folding these designs will inspire you to try your hand at coming up with your own floral compositions. If you have a knack for growing plants and flowers, you may find that your green thumb can also make an especially sharp, neat crease!