#920 Origami : A fun hobby for all ages

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Origami from ori meaning “folding” and kami meaning “paper” is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. Origami started in the 17th century AD and was popularized outside of Japan in the mid-1900s and has since evolved into a modern art form with classes being taught in schools and universities around the world. I once took a class at my local library. The goal is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture with is accomplished through various folding techniques. Normally the use of cuts or glue are not considered technically to be origami. Paper cutting and gluing is usually considered kirigami which is pretty cool also.

The number of basic folds is small, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. The best known origami model is probably the Japanese paper crane which some people confuse for a swan.

origami swan word

Origami is a fun hobby for everyone really. Even though masters can create the most amazing designs or sculptures the art can be started at an early age. At websites such as Origami Fun there are many patterns dedicated to helping children learn.

At Origami Instructions they suggest using standard size 6 inch x 6 inch (15cm x 15cm) square origami paper though on their site there are many different patterns you can make with a U.S. dollar bill.

I also like to visit Origami Club because they have many patterns dedicated to the holidays. I think perhaps this Christmas I will make a Christmas or New Year theme piece for my family members.

origami dinosaur

Even though some people recommend certain special paper the nice thing is you do not really need it. You can use paper that comes from ads or circulars that are sent to you in the mail. There is already a book out there called Junk Mail Origami. I wish I would have thought of that. The only requirement is that it should hold a crease. Washi is the traditional origami paper used in Japan. It is commonly colored on one side and white on the other. Washi is generally tougher than ordinary paper made from wood pulp.

Why is origami important? A number of technological advances have come from insights obtained through the art. As an example, techniques have been developed for the deployment of car airbags and heart stent implants from a folded position. As well advances in satellite technologies have come about, particularly in the area of solar panel deployment, thanks to the art of origami. Those are good things right?

But really, I just like the swan, uh, I mean crane. That one always makes me smile.

origami lego

Have you ever tried origami? What have you made? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

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67 Replies to “#920 Origami : A fun hobby for all ages”

  1. I’ve never been able to do this. The closest was paper airplanes as a kid, and I was bad at that also. I couldn’t even make those things kids did in my day (not sure if they still do it) where they’d put answers in spots and do this thing with their hands to move the paper like a flower… man, I’m old! lol So it’s always interesting seeing what people produce, especially when they’re good at it.
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  3. As a kid, i always looked for something fun to do, and my fun with origami started with making paper airplanes, cars, and motorcycles. And today it became some kind of a tradition, making paper swans for christmas with my family. When i stumbled upon this post, it just remined me about that. Thanks for reminding me of that 🙂

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  13. The admin is doing a great job by posting these awesome articles. i just had an awesome moment by reading such an article which provided me such awareness about all the stuff.

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  17. That’s Amazing. Thanks for providing us a very beautiful and nice article. This is really a great post. Thanks for the shearing. keep shearing bro.

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  18. Hi,
    Great work done.It is really good to visit your website and learn informative.I like the way you have mixture your words and thoughts to make it really easy to understand.Thanks for sharing the article with us.

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  19. The admin is doing a great job by posting these awesome articles. This is really great and creativity work. Thanks for sharing.Keep the good 🙂

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  24. Hello Troy! Great work done.It is really good to visit your website and learn informative.I like the way you have mixture your words and thoughts to make it really easy to understand.Thanks for sharing the article with us. By the way nice post. I really like it. Thanks a lot.

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  25. I love this post. This article is very informative. I learned a lot about IT. Thanks and This is completely amazing! I love your ideas. Keep up the good work.

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  36. Fascinating article very insightful and enlighting. Keep up with the good work. I have deriven two or three facts from your blogs. Thank you and keep on sharing this…

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  45. I’m a lover of art, probably obsessed with it. And I love origami since my childhood. I’m so glad I found this post today. It’s beautiful!

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  46. Hey there! This is an amazing website about oragami! I love how this blog is put together! I think if you added a few more pictures along the process of folding the oragami, you’d have a perfect website! Nevertheless, you’ve got an amazing blog going on here mate, and I hope lots of people end up seeing it! 🙂

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  51. It sounds like fun but it might take a little bit of practice. I used to create things with paper as a kid. it takes a creative mind to do this. This would be very fun to learn. Thanks for sharing this article and bringing back all the good times. I will try it again sometime.

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