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Sturdy Kusudama for the Origami-Impairedby watchmeflyy on June 23, 2014

Table of Contents

Sturdy Kusudama for the Origami-Impaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Sturdy Kusudama for the Origami-Impaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   Importing design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 3:   Cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4:   Scoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5:   Mostly fine but not quite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 6:   Folding units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 7:   Connecting units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 8:   Kusudama pendant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 9:   Photoshopin' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 10:   Mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

http://www.instructables.com/id/Sturdy-Kusudama-for-the-Origami-Impaired/

Intro:  Sturdy Kusudama for the Origami-ImpairedI've been experimenting with the Cricut Explore that I won from the Papercraft Contest (Thanks so much for the votes! ^^) and wanted to do something related to origami.However, why would anyone need a Cricut machine for origami? Scoring? Not necessary for that super thin origami paper, and figuring out the positioning of the scorelines would be a hassle anyway...

But wait. What could you do with a Cricut machine that you can't do just with your fingers? Cut. Score.

SCORE. Cardstock is WAY to thick for nice, clean folds that most origami models require, so a Cricut machine could help you score folds on cardstock. Problem: foldingtoo many layers of cardstock would warp the paper over time, leading to weird-looking origami, so simple units would be the best choice for a Cricut-origami hybridproject.

~~~~~~

That was basically the short conversation I had with my mind (I'm awesome like that.) while pondering the dilemma introduced in that first paragraph. This project ismainly for those who A) want to fold strong, cardstock kusudama (the model I'm working with in this project is called Little Island Kusudama) or B) are bad with accuratelyfolding origami and want a machine to aid precision. Or even C) too lazy to fold so much for 30 units. And of course there's the category for people like me: D)experimenting types who like to mess around with possibilities.

And I recently came up with E) people who want resilient origami jewelry (you'll need scoring for cardstock and for such small pieces of paper).

If you're any of those types, or just want to see some lovely paperwork in action, simple scroll down. :)

NOTE: I apologize in advance: this tutorial is sometimes lacking in screenshots (whenever I forgot to pause for pictures) so you might have trouble withoutvisual guidance. I'm working on another similar tutorial, though, and I assure you that its instructing is much better.

Step 1: MaterialsCricut Explore (or other Cricut machines, or printer..)cutting matweeder tools for Cricut machineAdobe Photoshop/Cricut Design Spacecardstock or other paperglue

Those are just the materials that I used; you can substitute for what you have on hand. You can use a Cricut machine or something similar to cut and score (or just cut...you'll see) or print out the pattern and fold along the lines.. either way's fine, but let's face it: using the Cricut machine is way more fun. ^^ Also, printing the design out ispretty pointless (yeah.. it was just a suggestion..). You'll have to cut all the parallelograms out and fold all the same, so might as well fold pre-cut paper the regularorigami way. If you really want kusudama made from thicker paper though, printing is an applicable way to go. Just print out one parallelogram with the score lines, cutout 30 of them, and use a pair of scissors' blade to lightly cut along the score lines.

But I'm getting off topic.

Step 2: Importing designI won't bore you with the painful process I went through to prepare all of this so I'll just jump into what you'll need to do. (what I did will be in the last steps of the tutorial)

Save the second and third images above (the first one is just the photoshop document I used, in case you want to see it) and upload them into Cricut Design Space.When editing the shapes in the window prior to official uploading, make sure you don't delete the inner parallelogram of both images.

On the right-hand side layers panel, change the black design into a score type of layer (just click the scissors and choose score in the resulting panel). The lines willbecome dotted. Then go to "Insert Image" on the left and search up "score line." Insert the free image of score lines (just a straight line) and rotate/pull it to fit it along oneof the dotted lines. Copy, paste, and repeat that for each dotted line that you see (except the outer rectangle).

When finished, delete the layer that you changed into score (click the trash can on bottom right corner while selecting that layer). Make sure your parallelogram is sent toback (click "arrange" on the top menu bar, and then click the "send to back" icon in the resulting dropped bar). Now you should see a parallelogram with lines where thescoring is. Fix the lines if necessary

Hold down the shift key and select all the score lines in the layers panel. Group them together before pressing "attach" in the layers panel. Click on "edit" next to layers toopen the edit panel, and click "mirror" for both the parallelogram's and the scoring design's layers to flip them horizontally.

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Image Notes1. This is the parallelogram to cut out for a unit.

Image Notes1. This is the design of the folds for each unit.

Image Notes1. This is the scoring line that you're looking for.

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Image Notes1. Score lines should be along the dotted lines that you see here.2. Change the design for the folds into a scoring layer.3. I don't have a scoring pen so I used a shallow cut for scoring. Go two stepsdown for more info on this.

Image Notes1. With the dotted lines removed, you can see that the score lines aren't exactlyaccurate. Just mess around with them some more to make them better.

Image Notes1. Much better. ^^

Image Notes1. edit panel here for flipping2. It's almost invisible here but this is the attach button.

File Downloads

Origami.psd (174 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Origami.psd']

Step 3: CuttingNow that you have your basic design, I suggest you do a trial run (just cut and score ONE parallelogram to make sure the scoring and cutting is correct). First cut yourimage out and load the next file and score it next WITHOUT removing paper from the mat (read this step and the next one to see how to cut and score).

For cutting, just upload ten total parallelograms (only -- no score lines) into a NEW file (leave your original file alone for now) and press go, making sure the Cricutmachine is set up and ready to cut. I won't go into that because different machines are different for setting up, I believe?

Do NOT move around any of the parallelograms on the virtual positioning cutting mat.

Image Notes1. Make a new file and insert 10 parallelograms. Don't forget the flip all of them!NOTE: when you insert them, their sizes will be different from your originals inthe first file with the score lines included.

Image Notes1. Dont' do anything to the positioning mat! The automatic paper-saving functionwill squeeze all the parallelograms closely, and this pattern will be just about thesame for the scoring part.

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Step 4: ScoringIf you have a scoring stylus, good for you! Make ten total copies of ONLY the scoring lines back in your original document (the first one), and then use the machine toscore along the lines on the parallelograms. If you leave the positioning mat alone, you'll be fine (mostly -- see next step..).

If you're like me and don't have a scoring stylus, you can just do lighter cuts along the lines you need scored. I experimented and found the right amount of pressure,and voila -- scored-lines-that-are-actually-cut-but-it's-all-good-in-the-end.

Make ten duplicates, and in the layers panel, make sure that the lines are CUT and NOT score anymore (click the pen-like icon and change it to scissors). Then let yourmachine cut, making sure that your pressure is set to the right amount (for my Cricut explore, I set the dial on "custom" and slid the slider to 149). Again, if you leave thepositioning alone, you'll be mostly fine, but see the next step.

And of course, if you're just doing that trial run I was talking about (check that impatience meter...), just do the steps with ONE parallelogram and score line design.

NOTE: MAKE SURE YOUR PARALLELOGRAMS AND SCORING DESIGNS ARE THE SAME SIZE. You can click on one of the sizing circles on the rectangle thatappears when you click on a layer to check the size. My parallelograms were about 2.4" by 1.2".

Image Notes1. This is my custom setting for scoring cardstock. It works just fine, but a bit lesspressure wouldn't hurt.

Image Notes1. Duplicate the score lines in your original file so that you have ten total.2. I used cut due to my lack of a scoring stylus.

Image Notes1. Just do minor repositioning; see next step for instructions.

Step 5: Mostly fine but not quiteIf you look at the first two images above, you'll notice that the last couple cuts on the right are a bit off. You can pull the right-most three scoring designs more to the rightto fix that.

Once you've cut out and scored parallelograms for one shade of cardstock, just pull everything off your mat and repeat with another color.

It'd be really nice if you could cut AND score ten parallelograms in one go without switching back and forth, but I haven't discovered how to do that [yet..]. If anyone hasany suggestions, please leave them in a comment below. *Bambi eyes*

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Image Notes1. All cut out!2. But what's this..?

Image Notes1. The lines are a bit off here. You'll want to move the last three score designs abit more to the right before the next cut/score.

Image Notes1. Admire the lovely curls while your paper is being cut..

Image Notes1. At last, after much trial and error!

Step 6: Folding unitsThis won't be too different from the real Little Island kusudama unit folding, but here's how to do it. Just click the above images for step-by-step instructions.

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Image Notes1. Fold the upper left and bottom right corners down along the correspondingline.

Image Notes1. Flip the paper over.

Image Notes1. Fold the bottom right corner up and under the adjacent flap.

Image Notes1. Fold the upper right corner down and under the adjacent flap.

Image Notes1. Fold along this line.

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Image Notes1. Turn the paper over and fold this corner to one end of the line that you folded inthe previous step.2. Repeat, folding this corner...3. .. to this corner.

Step 7: Connecting unitsWhen you've folded all thirty units, use glue to connect them. Glue shouldn't be too necessary, but hey -- if you're going for STURDY KUSUDAMA that would withstand abody slam (not really.. on a bed, perhaps.. ), then go for the extra strength provided by glue. See the first image for a color diagram I made for making sure that no colorswill overlap (basically so that all colors will be different for each "point" of the kusudama).

And that's a STRONG Little Island kusudama made the lazy way! You can tweak the process to fit your needs; use five colors, for example. With five colors, you'd needsix of each unit (still a total of thirty units per kusudama) so just make six copies instead of ten in Cricut Design Space.

Image Notes1. This is a really simplistic color diagram that I created a few years ago. If you'reusing three colors for an icosahedron, just look at the figure above the 3. If youhave five colors, look at 5. And so on...

Image Notes1. flap into pocket

Image Notes1. Add a unit to complete a "point" for the kusudama.

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Step 8: Kusudama pendantThis time I resized my parallelograms to 1.6" by 8" and used the same color scheme to create a pendant. Later I made another that was 1.4" by 0.7", and WOW it wastricky. I didn't have to do any repositioning on the virtual positioning mat, though.

For this, I'd strongly recommend glue for its additional support; cardstock is heavy, and who knows what kind of activities you'll be doing with this pendant on? ;) The unitsfor this were pretty small, and it's hard to make kusudama with units smaller than this. Downsize the parallelograms (Don't forget the scoring lines!) at your own risk...

But be creative, and have fun!

See the next steps for my pre-project process.

Image Notes1. handmade headpin from 20 gauge wire, plus a jump ring to ensure that the loopdoesn't fall back into the kusudama

Image Notes1. It's a bit big for a pendant, but this was quite hard enough!

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Image Notes1. BUT WAIT; THERE'S MORE! I made yet another kusudama with smaller units(1.4" by 0.7"), and yeah; that's the smallest I'm willing to go.

Step 9: Photoshopin'To come up with the design of everything, I folded a unit of the actual Little Island kusudama and studied it for paper folds that weren't necessary for the exterior of thepiece. Then... just read the notes on the images above. :3

Image Notes1. So I realized that I needed a parallelogram, and to get the diagonal I drew a1:2 rectangle, added two 45 degree lines, and drew in two more lines thatbisected the angles between the previous sides and the rectangle's edges.2. I made different layers for different sets of lines in case I decided to changethe angles, and only after I was satisfied did I merge all the layers.

Image Notes1. After erasing the upper right and bottom left corners, I got the parallelogram.2. eraser tool for such tasks

Image Notes1. I needed the lines for the folding, so I took a screenshot of this image...

Image Notes1. ... and inserted it into the parallelogram psd. I put the layer on top of theparallelogram layer...2. ... and made it opaque so that I could see the parallelogram through theimage (opacity at about 50%).

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Image Notes1. Then I used the brush tool to draw in two lines where there were dotted lineson the slightly transparent image.

Image Notes1. I realized that once I folding the upper right and lower left corners, therewould be a next fold going through two layers. Cardstock is thick so I wanted toscore in advance on that second layer, hence these little lines.2. The little lines are just a mirror of the long steeper lines going from top left tobottom right (like at this intersection, there's a line that should bisect the anglebetween the new shorter line and the line that it mirrors).3. new layer in case of mistakes :3

Step 10: MistakesAhhh yes.. I had a lot of trial and error going on. Mistakes were made in the production of such a magnificent slice of glory (all right.. that was a bit of generous flattery... ).See above for brief shpeals on what I did wrong.

That concludes my tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it!

Image Notes1. I had to cut a few times until I found the perfect pressure for scoring ratherthan just cutting. This 88 points of pressure, for example, barely left a mark onthe cardstock.

Image Notes1. I messed with the positioning in the page before the actual cutting, so theparallelograms are spaced out so that each left edge goes along an inch-increment of some sort (6" and then 8" and so on). However, at closer inspectionI realized that because the positioning mat is so small, even a tiny deviation fromthe grid lines marking out inches on the mat will correspond to a larger deviationfrom the inch marks on the actual cutting mat. My scoring designs would notwork with this because just a small mouse movement would make theparallelogram be far from the scoring.2. Fortunately, leaving the positioning alone seemed to work much better. It wasjust a long shot, and boy was I glad that it worked!3. You'll notice that these parallelograms are facing the wrong way...

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Image Notes1. When I cut out and scored my trial unit, I realized that my parallelogramswere facing the wrong way. I would be valley folding the corners over to theOPPOSITE side of the cutting (hard to explain..), but my parallelograms aremirrored because I was looking at the original Little Island kusudama unit on thevalley fold side. I'd need to flip them in order to have the correct orientation ofthe actual kusudama units. The scoring looks great, though. :)

Image Notes1. It's the wrong-parallelogram-direction-trial unit again, and I also noticed thatthe corners here aren't very high. I wanted them higher so I needed to adjust theparallelogram shape.

Image Notes1. This was the original parallelogram before a face-lift. When I cut it out, thecorners weren't tall enough like an actual Little Island kusudama unit.

Image Notes1. This was the original parallelogram shape. The newer one has a face-lift (well,I basically made the corner here and the opposite one a bit taller).

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Image Notes1. So I left the positioning alone, and yes, there was so much excitement for mefor the first batch of cut units! But then I made a dumb mistake: A) I forgot to setthe dial from scoring cardstock back to cardstock (in this picture, yes; this waspost dumb mistake #1) and then...2. ... B) I forgot to flip the parallelograms after inserting ten into a new file.*facepalm* Also, I hadn't planned for the units to be so small; the inserting ofparallelograms resulted in smaller ones. Good thing I actually resized thescoring designs before scoring!

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Comments

2 comments Add Comment

 Penolopy Bulnick says:  Jun 27, 2014. 4:11 PM  REPLYLove it! So fun!

 watchmeflyy says:  Jun 27, 2014. 4:30 PM  REPLYThank you! :)