How to Make an Origami Lotus Flower

Start with a square sheet of origami paper, pattern side down. Fold it in half corner to corner so you get a triangle, then open it back up. Fold the other diagonal the same way so both crease lines cross in the middle. Run a bone folder or your thumbnail along each fold to make it crisp. These two creases set up everything that comes next.

Open the paper flat, pattern side down. Bring each of the four corners in to meet at the center point. Line the tips up so they just touch in the middle. When all four are folded you'll have a smaller square. Press every crease flat with your fingers or the bone folder so the corners stay put.

Take the four new corners and fold them into the center again. Paper Kawaii uses the number 31 to remember this model: fold the corners in three times, flip it over, then fold the corners in one more time. You're on round two of the three. The square keeps getting smaller and a little thicker each pass.

By now you have several layers stacked up, so the folds want to spring open. Run a bone folder firmly along every edge to lock the creases down. Sharp, flat folds here are what let the petals peel up cleanly at the end instead of tearing. Spend a few extra seconds on this. It pays off.

Flip the whole piece over so the smooth back is facing up. Fold these four corners into the center one final time. That's the last fold of the sequence. You should be holding a small tight square with all the folded flaps hidden underneath. This little square is the base your lotus opens out of.

Now the fun part. Reach underneath one corner and gently pull a folded flap up and over so it stands as a petal. Go slow and support the base with your other hand so the paper doesn't rip at the folded tip. Work your way around all four corners until the first ring of petals is standing up.

There are more petals tucked underneath the first ones. Peel those up the same way, one layer at a time, pulling from the base of each flap. Each round you open adds another ring of petals and pushes the outer ones wider. The flat little square starts to look like an actual flower here.

Ease the last inner petals into place and pinch the outer ones to round out the shape. Your origami lotus is done. Sit it on a shelf, float it in a bowl, or make a second one and nest them together for a bigger, fuller bloom. Once you've folded a couple you'll have the 31 pattern memorized.