Multi Color Friday

Back in 2014, I made this very large and colorful paper bauble for the blog.

It's a very simple design, a sphere made from twenty circular paper units, each of these folded into a triangular shape (and as usual, to make it as easy as possible, I even made the folding lines for you). 

A really fun and intriguing construction, and one that could easily be made in any kind of slightly sturdy paper, that might take your fancy - but I liked the idea of a patchwork multi-pattern bauble. Now, to un-celebrate the ghastly Black Friday, lets give it a rerun this year!

Here is a link back to the original post from December 2014, with a series of step-by-step images, explaining how to make it (all you need is scissors and glue), and of course, the link to the original design PDF. 

Throwback Christmas project # 1: The Big Patchwork Bauble

Big Patchwork Bauble

If you only make one single paper ornament this year, this could be the one. It is slightly related to these but assembled in a different way. This one is a little bit crazy and multicolored but manages to be quite Christmasy all the same, at least in my view. It is very easy and fun to make, and only requires that you cut the 20 circular units quite carefully, fold the edges and glue the whole thing together. This is actually an icosahedron, but there is absolutely no need to be intimidated by that. 

Download your PDF right here!

2021: I have a new location for my downloads, please go here:
page 1  /  page 2  /  page 3

A bit of advice follows, and really - it takes about fifteen minutes to make this baby.

An 'icosahedron' is a polyhedron with 20 faces. Now you know.

Cut all your round bits - 20 bits to make one bauble.

Very gently trace - DON'T CUT - the dotted lines with a knife or the tip of a needle. This will make folding easier!

Assemble the first five bits like this.

Add the next five ones like  this - and the next five in between those.

The shape is now bowl-like - now add the last five bits, and perhaps glue in a ribbon when adding the last one.

And your patchwork bauble is done. I punched a hole in one of the round flaps for my string.