DIY origami wreath tutorial

I was so pleased with how this herringbone origami wreath turned out that I asked the wonderful people on Instagram whether they'd like a tutorial for one - and they did, enthusiastically. Drawing origami diagrams can be hard, so I decided to make a video tutorial instead!

This wreath is made with 16 fairly simple units, but you can use more for a larger wreath. The hole in the middle just gets bigger and so does the diameter. I used 20 cm squares of herringbone print gift wrap for a 24cm diameter wreath. I also added an eyelet for the ribbon hanger, but you can skip it and just make a hole for the ribbon using a hole punch, or tie the ribbon around the wreath.

Whether or not you need to glue the wreath units together depends both on the paper you use and how much wear you expect the wreath to go through (will you be handling it a lot? kids? outdoor/indoor?). The gift wrap I used has rough enough surface for the wreath to stay together just fine without any glue in our grown-up home. If you decide you need glue, finish the wreath first and round it in your hands, and only then use a toothpick to insert glue under the little 'pocket' flaps.

The individual units are easy to make once you get the hang of it, but assembling the wreath may require some patience if you're not familiar with modular origami. If you've got nimble fingers, 3,5cm squares make great little wreaths for earrings! I used 18 book page units for 4,5cm diameter wreaths. My earrings are still waiting for a coat of waterproof lacquer and earring hooks, but I'll make sure to share them on Instagram once they're done!

Now, grab some paper and click play: