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"Impatien Ball" Modular Origami Globe




Impatien Ball design from Ornamental Origami: Exploring 3D Geometric Designs by Meenakshi Mukerji, instructions posted with permission.



modular origami

Select 12 origami papers. I used 4 each of three different colors.

Folding the units

Precrease in half each way, and diagonally each way.

modular origami

Turn over and fold points into center.

modular origami

Unfold the top and bottom, then fold each point toward the center. Fold the side points toward the outside.

modular origami

Fold down the top, fold up the bottom. The points will be inside these folds.

modular origami

Turn over. Fold all four points to the center.

modular origami

modular origami

Unfold. Fold the points toward the center up to the creases you just made.

modular origami

Fold all four sides toward the center. The points will be inside these folds.

modular origami

modular origami

Flip it over and check that the back looks like this. Two opposite corners will have pockets, and the other two will have flaps. Here, I am holding a flap.

modular origami

Flip piece over to front side. Crease and uncrease along the vertical and horizontal midlines.

modular origami

modular origami

Crease and uncrease each corner, folding them to the center.

modular origami

modular origami

Pinch the center of each side so the V folds stand up.

modular origami

Assembling the globe

Attach two pieces together by slipping the flap of one unit into the pocket of the other, wrong sides facing each other. I use a bit of gluestick on the flap to keep it from slipping out of the pocket.

modular origami

modular origami

modular origami

Slide four units together in a cross. Make another cross from another four units and set it aside.

modular origami

Folding the cross in half slightly, attach another unit (green) to the two halves at the end of the cross.

Here you see it from the wrong side (inside of the globe).

modular origami

Here you see it from the right side (the outside of the globe).

modular origami

Attach the other cross assembly to the remaining two sides of the single (green) unit.

Inside view.

modular origami

Outside view.

modular origami

Rotate the globe 1/4 turn away from you and attach another single unit (green) to the next available sides of the two cross assemblies. Here it is pink on the left and orange on the right.

modular origami

Here is the inside view.

modular origami

Attach the bottom half of the single (green) unit to the next open sides. (Orange on the left, pink on the right.)

modular origami

Add a third single unit, and then the fourth single unit, in the same way. Sliding in the last two flaps can be frustrating. Just keep working at it!

modular origami

If you have a battery operated tealight, you can slash one of the units and stick the "flame" through to light the globe.

modular origami

modular origami

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