11:7 Rectangles

When I made the Valentine's Day heart last week, I stumbled into a rectangle of paper that was 11:7. That size rectangle works perfectly for the model. It was unintentional, not a simple matter of altering an 8.5 x 11inch sheet of paper. What I actually came up with was a sheet that was 9 x 5+13/16 inch and scaled it up so that one side would be 11 inches and it could be nicely made from an 8.5x11 sheet without too much hassle. After scaling, I realized the ratio would be 11:7. I know how to make a lot of rectangles from any given sheet, but 11:7 is an odd one. So I have been searching for a shortcut so that I don't have to measure it with a ruler.

I have two shortcuts. The first is from a sheet that is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. The second is from a square.

==( 1 )==

This shortcut works only because I already know the dimensions of the starting sheet (8.5x11). If you're using A4 or some other such paper, this wont be much of a help.

To get 7 inches from 8.5 we must subtract 1.5 inches (duh). The diagonal crease from the corner and the vertical crease from the center intersect at the corner of a 5.5x5.5 inch square. Which means it's 3 inches from the bottom and half of that is 1.5 inches. 

You do not necessarily need to remove the bottom section, but just know that it is superfluous and will need to be hidden inside the model.


==( 2 )==

 This shortcut is more complicated. Also, it is not as easy to memorize as the one above. Also, it does not arrive at a perfect 11:7, but instead arrives at a 11:7.046875. I suspect, though, that is plenty close enough for most models.

The diagram below indicates the creases that need to be made, the first ones on the left and then moving to the right. The first five creases are just to find the point on the sheet that is roughly 3/11ths from the bottom. The top section will be 8/11ths, so fold that in half and you get 4/11ths. cut off the 4/11ths and you get a rectangle that is 11:7.

I don't know what other projects require an 11:7 rectangle, but if you know of any, let me know!

Origami Yoda

Last year I bought a book called The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger and wrote a short blog post about it. I checked the website recently and found a short blurb about a school right here in Minnesota that used the book in their curriculum! They also did a project that takes the place of a book report, allowing the students to reflect on the story.

I also think this is an appropriate time to mention that the sequel has been announced, along with some new folding instructions! It will be titled Origami Yoda II: Darth Paper Strikes Back. I'm not sure what to expect, but it should be pretty good if the first book is any indication. I haven't read any excerpts, but there is a chance to get a copy of the book before it is published. Angleberger is hosting a photo contest. To enter you must fold a Darth Paper from the instructions provided on his site and then take a photo of the guy out and about in the world or in some sort of scene, then send it to him via email. 

For more details, you can go here.

Darth Paper, designed by Tom Angleberger, folded by me. 
I'll have to find a more interesting background before entering the contest....

Slice of Pie

A while back I posted about a slice of pie that I designed.

Today I am sharing with you the diagrams I made so that you can fold it as well! I hope it's not too confusing. The end model is 3D and hollow, so don't be zealous about getting the model to lay flat all the time!

New Diagrams!

So, here in Minnesota we got more snow than we know what to do with! I had planned to go to the Brookdale Library and teach origami, but the streets were clogged with snow and most businesses closed. I decided to call it off. The library did stay open for a while, but closed early. When I called, the woman told me that almost no staff had made it in that day, so I can assume that few customers were there either. 

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that I spent my whole day at home and inside with no schedule. I decided to spend some of that time finally diagramming a project I have wanted to record for some time now.

See, in traditional origami there are two models that only really make sense when combined together. They are Yakko San and Hakama. 

Note the torso/arms/head are one square sheet and the legs are a second sheet. I realized early on that the raw edges of the squares nearly touch when the sheets are brought together and decided that there was a way to redesign this to be from a single sheet. Indeed, I was right! Okay, so my design does not appear exactly the same, but I like the aesthetic changes that happened with the redesign.

Today, I was able to fold one slowly and draw the steps. I will add these to my Diagrams page so that they are in a central location, but for your consideration, I will put them here, too.

Let me warn you now, steps 10 & 11 are probably the toughest. They are not clean folds, but I assure you that they do work!

Schoolyard Origami, Part 2

I realized shortly after my first Schoolyard Origami post that there was one more thing I folded as a student that was not on the list. But instead of just taking on one more thing, I thought I would also include some diagrams showing how to fold some of these schoolyard models.

---Secret Note---

The beauty of this model is that a student can write a full page note on one side of the sheet (8.5in x 11in), then fold it into a neat, manageable envelope that will not unfold accidentally. In fact, it is a little frustrating to close it up so easily, and then find it difficult to open it back up.

 I folded this in school, but have not yet seen it emerge at the school where I am working.

---Diagrams---

I have drawn up some diagrams for the paper claw, paper football and the secret note.


SCHOOLYARD PAPER CLAW

SCHOOLYARD PAPER FOOTBALL

SCHOOLYARD SECRET NOTE

I have also posted them on the Diagrams Page.

[Photos taken by me of models I folded.]