Multi-Layer Clover Folding (Shuzo Fujimoto): Instructions

Designer: 
Folder: 
Adams, Sara
Difficulty Level: 
Intermediate
Model type: 
Square Grid
Tessellations and Fractals

Origami Tessellation Instructions: Multi-Stage Clover Folding (Shuzo Fujimoto)

Paper used in this video: 24cm x 24 cm (9.5in x 9.5in), Kami

Comments

Sara Adams you blow of my mind.. always. youre awesome.I less than three you! (<3) Get it reply please thanks. =D

I like the "practice piece" you showed in the beginning of the video, with the different kind of finishing. It looks more like a pyramid than a clover. How did you do it? Thanks!

Use a 6n-4 grid instead and skip the final step, which forms the zigzag edge.

-- Sara

Excellent. I think I will try it for a 6-stage, giving me an easy number of divisions to work with. :) I will also try this variation collapse method too, thanks!

I just thought of something else to ask. Is it possible to do "high-density" or tiled clover folding, like you can with the hydrangea model? I know you can have an off-center point, but could you do multiple starting points? Just an idea...

NICE TESSELLATIONS!! I was wondering what size of paper did you use for the 11 stage clover folding.

It was 19.5cm or about 7.5in. You can find this by looking at the description at the bottom of the 11- stage clover folding picture.

Can I use glass paper to fold tessellations?

Hi Sara, I was wondering which variation you used on your 7 and 11 stage clover folding and also which variation Shuzo Fujimoto does. Please reply:)
PS: I made a 7 stage clover fold, it was awesome! But it took about 2 hours!

I folded the closed version in the 7-stage fold, and the open version in the 11-stage fold. I think I also noted that in the video where I added the snapshot.

-- Sara

I was just curious why you said to crease every 2 diagonals, because i did a 7-stage a few weeks ago with only every 6 diagonals. I assume it's for making the collapses between the squares easier.

The advantage here is that when collapsing you won't need to add new creases anymore. This helps get better precision.

-- Sara

Hello Sara! I've got a question: what paper do you recommend using for my first try? Glassine , plain kami , shiny kami or Tant?( or maybe printer paper?) Also, Happy Easter!

Actually, I use kami for almost all my first folds. Of the paper types you listed, I'd say use kami or Tant - but definitely not glassine. It's harder to work with.
By the way, from my experience shiny kami usually isn't of great quality, and not the best paper to work with.

-- Sara

Thanks for the reply. I really look forward to the instructional video on the Begonia leaf, in looks great! Happy folding!

--Alex

Hello, i just recently learned how to fold the three stage clover folding model. I was wondering when you pre-crease for the five stage clover folding model do you do all valley folds or do they vary please reply.

It's best to make all creases bidirectional, i.e. fold them valley and mountain. But if that's too much work, just go with either direction. You'll be reversing the creases and folding them as both valley and mountain while collapsing.

-- Sara

When i folded 64ths on both sides, the paper literally expanded 4 mm to one side so it became a rectangle. Have you ever heard of this phenomenon? I might have to change the papertype

It's totally normal to see this with machine-made paper. The reason is that in the production process, the paper fibers are basically aligned. So a horizontal crease will either run with the paper fibers or perpendicular to it. This means the paper will not be square anymore if you fold larger grids anymore.
You shouldn't see this effect (as much) with hand-made paper, as the fibers are then not aligned. However, I see no problem with having slightly off-square paper for tessellations - at least once the grid is folded.

-- Sara

Well, you see, the horizontal grid was finished, but when I folded the diagonal ones the edge was not aligned with the correct crease, so the paper was off by one 64th. I folded precisely all the way. I even tried to flatten the paper, but it didn't work, so I ended up with abstract creases.

To get precise diagonal folds, ensure that the creases run through the grid points of the small squares that you are folding the diagonal of. This is very different to aligning the corner of the paper with reference points. This is indeed the case, because the paper is not square anymore after folding the square grid.
And, yes, it's more work - but it will also result in much nicer precision.

-- Sara

So what happened was that the entire flap was parallel to the 64ths. That looked fine , but the diagonal point itself was not where it was supposed to be. According to the other creases everything was accurate, besides when I tried to fold the corners.

Not sure whether I understand you correctly. But I don't ensure that the grid is parallel, I only ensure that the crease actually runs through the corners of the small squares at the edge that's created when folding the blintz. Like that your diagonals are going to be precise in that they run through the corners of the grid squares.

-- Sara

That's is the problem though. When I try to line up the crease so it fits the small boxes at the end, the paper naturally lies in such a manner that when I've used the boxes as a reference point and the crease looks fine, the corner of the diagonal does not hit the intended intersection which makes me doubt the final outcome.

I think we are misunderstanding each other, and I'm not sure how to best solve it. :)

My point is to make the creases so that they run through the corners of the small squares - using no other reference. Then the crease - by definition - cannot have the error of not running through the corners of the small squares. To be clear, all other references you might use when the paper hasn't distorted due to folding a large grid do not matter and should not be used.

-- Sara

Yeah, miscommunication happens. but I understand. Since I used both the corners of the small squares and the corner as a reference, and they didn't match. I'll only use the boxes as a reference point then:)
Danke schön =)

Hello, I was just wandering what is the easiest way to fold sevenths?

hi
can you please tell me how to get a 22x22 grid division .
reply

The easiest is probably to divide into thirds, then each third into eights. This gives you a 24 by 24 grid. Then you can cut off a strip on the top and right, which are each 2 squares thick.

-- Sara

Hello Sara!! I write from Argentina, I would like to know the dimensions of the paper to stage 6, and the measure to the 7 and on, etc etc, and you take the measure to the 5 stages is 24 x 24 and that gives 32 divisions but if the short is 28 divisions, thanks and very good videos!! continues to rise more tutorials and the truth that you're beautiful (-. -)!! Greetings from a distance and forgive for my English!!

Great post. The video was very interesting to watch. I loved the way you made that Multi-Layer Clover Folding. The method looks a little bit difficult but I think it is worth trying. I appreciate the effort and creativity behind this work. Thanks.

Hi, Mrs. Adams!

I LOVE it when you make tessellation videos! I realize that you are probably very busy, but for your next video would it be possible to make a video for the 3464 Waterbomb Flagstone Tessellation By Eric Gjerde? It would be very nice to have access to one of the very rare tesselation videos!

~Keith

Very clear explanation, and really good method to obtain the model, I did enjoy to fold with this video. Thanks a lot Sara.

i really wish I could subscribe to you more than once im a really big fan

I remember starting origami and watching videos on this channel when I was about 6 years old. I made the 3-stage version from the old video, and several years later this one was uploaded, and I watched it, wanting to do more layers of the pattern. Unfortunately, figuring out the 28x28 grid was a bit too complex for me at the time, so I stuck with my 3-stage version. I gave up origami for a long time, as I started high school and soon after college.

I just had my 19th birthday, and decided why not pick up an old pastime. Here in America, the coronavirus is rampant, so I have tons of free time on my hands. So I picked up a piece of 8.5x11" sheet of printer paper, folded the diagonal, trimmed off the excess, and googled "fold a paper into 7ths" and went on. About 5 hours later, I finished it, and feel very proud but also nostalgic. Thank you Sara, for making these videos, and for showing me that the artist never leaves you, even when you grow up. <3

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