Today's blog post is a tutorial on how to make these origami baby booties! They are the most adorable little things, suitable for all manner of baby-related decorative uses. For example, you can make them small, like this, and attach them to your gift wrapping for a cute personal touch. For small presents, you can make them bigger, and then put the presents inside them before tying them up. That would be adorable.
If you have far too much time, or a rainy day and a bunch of kids, you could make lots of them and make a garland. You could make a mobile, you could make them in gold and have them as Christmas tree decorations (write your kids names on them and put sweeties in for an extra treat), you could use them on your nappy cake.
I used these to wrap a gift for my friends' new baby (who is the most adorable creature on the planet with his tiny tiny fingernails and his wrinkly old man head) but as my blog links go on my facebook, and so do my friends, I won't tell you what the gift was in case they see!
But the booties, I will show you.
Fold a square of paper in half, top to bottom, wrong side facing you. My paper was the same on both sides but if you are using origami paper or cute gift wrap, it makes a difference.
Then, fold the top and the bottom over by a little bit. I used the edge of my ruler to make sure this narrow fold stayed straight and even.
Then fold in half from side to side.
Then fold each edge into the middle.
Mark the centre of the top half by folding the top to the bottom and just creasing over the centre line. This isn't a fold, it's just a marker, so you want to keep it small.
With the assistance of the mark you just made, fold the top right hand corner into the centre of the top half, so that the corner is in the middle of the little crease-cross.
Fold the left side in as well, so that the left top edge meets what used to be the right hand edge.
Fold back the sloping left back edge twice, so it rolls over itself - this will be the channel for your ribbon in the end.
Fold in half backwards. Or, flip the paper over, fold in half top to bottom, and flip it back. Either way, half the height, with the ribbon channel still at the front.
Lift the ribbon channel and fold up, to make the heel of the bootie. The middle of the channel should be the left hand edge, and this part should look the same on both sides.
In the same manner, lift up the sloping edge on the right hand side and fold up to make the toe. The bootie should now be entirely the same on both sides.
Fold up the front section of the bootie on a line between the two side points.
Then fold down the top to the middle, and fold up the bottom to the middle.
Then fold the top to the bottom, to get back to your bootie shape. Is this not adorable? Well you're not finished quite yet...
Fold the bottom right hand corners up inside the shoe to shape the toe.
Now to make it 3D! Push the sole flat and persuade the ankle part to stand up straight.
Inside the shoe you will see two edges which nearly touch in the middle, lying flat against the sole. Lift each of these out to the side and form the toe.
You also need to shape the ankle/ribbon channel by making little creases, so that the ankle makes a nice curvy shape.
Unfold the top-most part of the heel.
Slide a piece of co-ordinating ribbon underneath the flap that remains, then fold the top back down again to keep it in place.
Tie a bow in the ribbon at the front and trim the ends.
If you wish to hang your booties off something, like a garland, a christmas tree, or through the knot of the ribbon on your wrapped gift, thread a needle with a piece of thread in white, or a coordinating colour. Push the needle through the heel of each bootie, and tie a double knot in each end. You can use a dab of glue to secure this as well.
Now try not to drown in cuteness.
Love and hugs
