How to make an Origami Heart Book

I guess seeing hearts all over the place for Valentine's Day inspired me to actually make this structure that had been rattling around in my head to see if it would actually work. While I was making it, I thought I'd make a tutorial as well. It probably would've been nice to have it done before Valentine's Day, but hearts and books are relevant any time of the year.  Also, the structure in its opened state looks like a flower so you could riff on that.

This structure is based on an origami star book that I learned many years ago. I'm not sure if it is a "traditional" structure, as in it has been done for centuries, or a contemporary structure. If it is a contemporary structure, I don't know who the designer is. (If I ever find out, I'll put in an edit.)

Also, I'll be honest. This tutorial was done rather hastily. Instead of waiting for the perfect light (for the photographs) and making perfect folds and cuts and having a gorgeous, MOMA* worthy final product, I wanted to get the information out to you.  (And, the longer it took me to write this tutorial, the more I wanted to redo everything. The pages are bland, the pictures could have been better, and so on.) So, you'll have to do the gorgeous, MOMA worthy final product. (But don't, first make a crappy one and then make one for your best friend.) 
*Museum of Modern Art (in New York City)

SUPPLIES

The materials needed are:

• paper for pages (text weight, something easy to fold)
• paper for covers (cardstock weight)
• scrap paper to make heart templates (cardstock weight)
• ribbon (I used 1/8" wide ribbon for my structure)
• glue
• straightedge and craft knife or paper cutter
• bone folder (optional; to use when folding the pages)
• scissors

CUT PAGES AND TEMPLATES

For the tutorial I made a book that started with 3" squares but you can do any size square. Cut 5 pieces of 3" squares of pretty paper for the text pages. Cut 2 squares out of the scrap paper: one that is 1.5" square and one that is 1.5" plus a little bit more, I did 1/16" more. These will be used to make the heart shape templates for the pages and cover.

(If you start with bigger or smaller squares for the pages, the template size for the pages is half your page size. So if you start with a 5" square, your page template will be 2.5" square and then the cover is always just a little bigger. It'll make more sense as you read on.)

(Note: use different colors of cardstock for templates for cover and pages or mark them somehow so you don't make yourself crazy.)

FOLDING THE PAGES

Part A

1. Don't believe the text in the picture, I just realized you don't want to start with the "pretty side" facing up, you really want the "pretty side" facing down on the table and the "plain side" facing you. However, once you fold it, the "pretty side" will be facing up. If you use a solid color, this point doesn't matter.
2. Fold paper in half.
3. Open paper up.
4. Fold in half the other way. Again, start with the "pretty side" down and "plain side" toward you.
5. You will end up with two folds dividing the paper in quarters with mountain folds (will look like this: /\) on the "pretty side" and valley folds (will look like this: \/) on the "plain side"

Part B

1. With the "pretty side" facing up, fold paper on a diagonal.
2. Open paper up and place it "pretty side " down on the table.
3. With your finger, push down at the center point and the piece will sort of "pop up" and the folds will be in the correct configuration to be folded into a (smaller) square shape.
4. Fold the paper "closed" like in the picture below.

(Hopefully, if my words don't make sense, the pictures will.)

Now, repeat the above with the other four pages!

THE HEART PART OF THE HEART BOOK

You now need to make these:

into these:

Remember those cardstock pieces I had you cut out to use as templates? This is where they come into play.

OK, so the picture doesn't tell the whole story but I think you can get through this one without step by step photos. I will give you some tips that helped me:

• do the page template first
• if symmetry is very important to you, cut a piece of text weight paper, fold it in half on the diagonal and draw/cut out that first and transfer it to the cardstock template
• I like the way fat hearts look but you can make it thinner. However, don't make it too much of a point at the bottom. You need to keep the bottom squared off for the integrity of the structure. In the picture you can see what I mean, notice where the lines stop.
• use the page template to make your cover template, just enlarge it a bit

Use the template to cut the pages. Place the bottom/point on the folded side.

Because you're cutting through four layers of paper, this is a trick I used to cut the point in the center of the curves:

Cut one side up to the point. (I'm right handed so I cut on the right side.)

Flip the piece over, put the template on top and cut the right (or left if you're left handed) side again to the center. Yay! You have a nice center without the cussing and  mangled paper.

"BINDING" THE BOOK 

Well, you're not going to bind it in the traditional way of sewing,but you will be binding the structure together. And you're going to do it with glue.

Put glue on one of the heart pages and adhere it to another one. (This picture shows just a blob of glue to illustrate the placement of the glue but you would, of course, spread it around.)

Then put glue on the second heart (the one you just glued) and adhere it to the next heart/page. (Again the blob for illustration purposes.)

Continue with the rest until all five are glued together.

THE COVERS

Before you cut out the paper you've chosen for the covers, double check with your template that it is, indeed, slightly larger than your pages.

It doesn't need to be very much larger, as you can see by the picture. Mine is probably about 1/16" larger.  On the other hand, you could make yours even a little larger than I did. It depends on what you like and what your mood is.

Cut out the covers using your template. An easy way to get the heart shape in a particular area on patterned paper is to hold the paper up to a light source (lamp, window, etc) with the "pretty side" toward you and move the template around on the back side of the paper. When the shadow is over where you like, hold it there, flip the paper over and draw around the template.

ADDING THE RIBBON CLOSURE AND COVERS

The ribbons are used to keep the book closed shut and also to keep it open. I used loops at both ends because it's fun to hang it up but you don't have to have them. 


I used 1/8" wide ribbon because it's a small book. If you make your structure larger, you may need a wider ribbon, depending you large you make it.

First, measure your ribbon. I sort of eyeballed how long I wanted the loop. It needs to be long enough to tie. It ended up being 2 1/2" long. You can see by the picture how much overlap I allowed for gluing, but it's probably about a 1/2". You could even do more but I don't think I'd do too much less.

Then wrap the ribbon around to the other side, do the loop and overlap and cut the ribbon.

I initially used the paper clips for photographic purposes but I would recommend using them because they keep the ribbons nicely in place then you're gluing.

You probably don't need to be shown how to glue but I took pictures so you're going to see it anyway.

Put the glue on the paper to save your sanity. I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue. I like how it works with fabric (ribbon) and it sets up somewhat quickly.

Glue the end of the loop in place.

Repeat on the other side.

Glue covers over ribbon.

And you have completed your book!

Book tied closed.

Book tied open.

I left the inside of my demo blank but you can write, draw, stamp or otherwise embellish the inside. However, this is best done beforehand. (After you fold and cut the shape but before you glue it together.) You might want to do a quick blank one first so you'll know where to write/place images. In general, if you want it to read like a traditional book, you'll be writing on the non-folded sides but don't let that stop you from doing it in other ways. (Meandering around; a he said/she said with one story going one way and the other going perpendicular; a word in each of the curves; you get the idea, have fun with it.)

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions, you can ask them through the comments or with the "Send me an email!" widget on the right side of this blog. If you make this book, I'd be delighted to know how it turned out and would be over the moon if you decided to send me a picture! (Remember, it doesn't have to be MOMA quality, did you take a good look at my pictures? ^_^)

Maker Intention Flags Last Expression

I have been privileged to be a participant in Maker Faire Detroit since it began in 2010. In 2012, I wanted to continue with making a community art project, as I had with The Purl Street Scarf Project and Flower Power (in 2010 and 2011, respectively), but with a bookbinding theme. You can see pictures and read about the process at the blog set up strictly to communicate these projects at The Purl Street Scarf Project. However, so you can see the final product of each:

The Purl Street Scarf Project

Maker Faire Detroit 2010

Flower Power: Making Waves with Yarn

Maker Faire Detroit 2011

For Maker Faire Detroit 2012, I had on display various bookbinding techniques and also provided a free make and take to teach a simple three-hole pamphlet stitch. I also had the idea of people writing down on fabric "flags" what they would like to make and use the same stitch to secure it to a base. These "Maker Intention Flags", based on prayer flags, would then hang in my backyard. While the process changed, due to the sewing of the flag onto the base being too fiddly for newly inducted bookbinders, I still asked people to write down their Maker intentions on the flags which I then sewed onto the base.

Table set up at Maker Faire Detroit 2012

You can read more about the project at Maker Faire Detroit 2012 here and the finished project (at its beginning) here.

Maker Intention Flags at the beginning

The flags flew in my backyard for 15 months. They actually lasted quite well. Sure, the final product was faded and beat up and along the way I had to use clothes pins to attach it to the shepherd's hooks and where one line split in two, but for being 15 months in rain, snow, high winds and sun, I think it held up great! (Bonus real world testing: Tsukineko StazOn black ink held up better than Sanford Sharpie ink.)

Maker Intention Flags through the seasons

And here are some close up before and after shots of the flags:

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

As with prayer flags, these Maker Intention flags were meant to fly for a while and then burned to release their "last expression" of intention into the universe. This past winter solstice I did just that. Despite the drizzling rain, the flags were burned on December 21, 2013 (later than I had wanted to as I remembered I didn't photograph the flags and was scrambling under less than ideal photographic circumstances.)

It is my hope that all the intentions will become (or have become/are continually becoming) reality. Even the zombie one. We all just need to make that first step, the step of intention, to start us on the journey. Intention leads to thought and contemplation which leads to ideas which leads to the urge to make. That, unfortunately, is where we can stall. Don't fight that urge! Make it! Even if it turns out crappy. Make another crappy one. Maybe you'll hate doing the process. That's OK. At least now you know. It's kind of like those cute shoes you want until you try them on and experience what foot binding must have felt like. Either try a different process or try something else but don't give up because the first time wasn't perfect or a transcendental experience.

Embrace crappy outcomes because they give you much more information and a better education. And then, like magic, you'll be making wonderful purses, origami, dances, apple pies, robots and, yes, even zombies because those first crappy outcomes composted into perfection and a transcendental experience!

Go make something! Start with an intention!

Paper Circuit Projects from Maker Faire Detroit 2013

Part 2:Books

Here are the book projects that were shown at Maker Faire Detroit this year.

LED Spine

This is the completed project that I wrote about here: using pamphlet stitch to hold LEDs. The use of beads along the spine sewing seemed to work out securing the LEDs in place. At least at home and for the first day of Maker Faire. The second day, the LEDs were finicky in their contact as well as the battery contacts.

The day was cool and not all that humid (strange words to be said for Maker Faire as the previous years were quite hot and humid), but it wasn't all that dry, either. Paper reacts to moisture (and lack thereof) but I'm not all that sure that was the problem. Needless to say, this structure needs work and the ways to improve are already forming in my head.

I like the idea of using the spines as a grid to move around LEDs to make patterns and letters so I want to keep working at it to make the structure more stable. I will post my progress.

Starlight Book

Despite a design flaw, I have to admit, I'm rather pleased how the Starlight book turned out.

(I really need to figure out how to take pictures to show lit LEDs)

The flaw: I had to tell people to put the magnet in place (in order to close the circuit).

cover with magnet switch in its best door knocker disguise

magnet in place to close the circuit

I was conscious of this while I was making it but I consider this (all of the projects, really) as prototypes just to get the "mechanics" in place and see if the structure is viable. Luckily, the venue of Maker Faire is for sharing ideas and, in this spirit, I felt confident to "make it public". Once I work through a graceful solution, I'll let you guys know.

Big Dipper Book

This last book is really a soft circuit project as I used conductive thread for the circuit path. The covers were felted (technically fulled) sweaters and the binding structure is known as "sewing on tapes". These linen tapes used for binding the book carried the conductive thread/circuit path from the LEDs on the front cover to the batteries on the inside back cover. Again, and I'm sure you're getting sick of me saying this (but get used to it), it's a prototype, so the blanket stitching to hold the two layers that make up the covers is sloppy and was only done halfway so I could show how the structure was put together.

front cover

 spine

back cover

I used two layers of fabric so the battery holders wouldn't be exposed. They could, however, still be accessed through flaps cut in the top layer of fabric. (The two layers of linen tape is explained following these pictures.)

Because I was using two layers of fabric, I decided to use two layers of linen tape: one for the conductive thread and the other to give the structure more stability. It also aided in holding the battery opening flaps in place.

inside of front cover and first page 

(let the beautiful paper distract you from the bad stitching)

I forgot to note on the picture that the second/bottom sewing tape was glued to the fabric.

Surface mounted LEDs were used for this book. To make them "sewable", I soldered tube crimps, the kind used in jewelry making, to each side. I used a black fabric to suggest the night sky which was a good design decision but an awful demonstration decision. Apologies.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments or send me an email via the little widget thingie found on the right side of the blog.

I'm going to put the papermaking projects in a separate post so plan on coming back to read about that!