Cindy Higham - Snowflakes: Creative Paper Cutouts for All Seasons

I ts been said that no twosnowflakes are alike. Thats also true with paper snowflakes! Everyone in the familycan cut out the same pattern and they will all look a little different. Theslightest change in the paper folding or the smallest cut difference will give you anew and entirely unique snowflake.

Use this book as a tool to learn the techniques, and then startexperimenting on your own. This book has some very simple patterns along with somethat are more difficult. There is something for everyone! The pattern you are to cutout is shown in the wedge shape on the bottom of each page. Your job is to cut outthe white part of the pattern. As youre flipping through the book, look at eachpattern (not the entire snowflake) in order to determine how easy or difficult thesnowflake will be to create.

Trace or photocopy the pattern you want to use. Each pattern ismade for 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper. Set the pattern aside.

Select a paper that is not too thickstandard copy paper workswell. Anything very heavy will be difficult to cut through. The sharper yourscissors are, the easier it is to cut the snowflakes, and the better they will turnout. You wont need to use the point on the end of the scissor blade, so blunt-endscissors are great for children.

Use the to learn how to fold your paper. Fold the paper withthe edges tucked in tight to get the best snowflake. You should now have a foldedpaper triangle.

Pick up your snowflake pattern and tape it to your folded papertriangle. The best way to do this is to put a small piece of tape on each side ofthe pattern, and then fold the tape over onto the paper triangle.

Cut out the white part of the pattern. Cut the small sectionsfirst, and then work your way up to the larger cuts. This will give you more paperto hold onto for a longer amount of time.

After you have finished cutting, remove the tape and carefullyunfold the snowflake.

Press out the folds in the paper by folding the creases backward sothey flatten out. You can also press the snowflake with a warm iron, or you can layit flat in a book for a day or two.

If you want to make your snowflakes sparkle, you can use gluesticks with glitter in them or glue glitter pens. Use colored paper to give yoursnowflakes variety. You can also try different types of paper, or even shiny foil orwrapping paper. (When using paper with a design on it, fold your paper so theprinted side is on the inside. That way the tape wont pull the design off thepaper.) Children will love to use crayons, colored pencils, or markers to decoratetheir snowflakes.

The finished snowflakes are perfect for scrapbooking, holidaycards, and decorating.

You can also use your snowflake patterns as quilt blocks,stencils, crochet patterns, wood ornaments, or patterns for stained glass!

Folding Instructions

If your paper is a rectangle, fold the top right corner down to theleft side of the paper so that the top edge aligns with the left edge. Cut off thepaper that extends past the bottom of the triangle. Unfold the paper, and now youhave a square.

Diagram 1

Fold corner A down to B. (After each fold, run your fingernailalong the fold to press it down tight.)

Fold corner C down to D. You should have a triangle that looks likethe shaded area on the diagram.

Diagram 2

Fold the triangle as illustrated. Fold A to A, B to B, and C toC.

Diagram 3

Now fold in the opposite side. Fold A to A, B to B, and C to C.Make sure the folds are tight. The more precisely the paper is folded, the moreprecise the snowflake will be.

Diagram 4

Your paper should now look like this. On one side of the foldedpaper you will see a straight line, where the dotted line is shown in the diagram.Cut off the paper along this line. You now have your snowflake triangle and areready to choose a pattern to make.

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