The Accordion fold or base refers to a series of mountain and valley folds that are made across a sheet of paper.
Accordion or pleat folds can run from top to bottom, left to right or be made diagonally across a square.
Rectangles can also be fan-folded vertically, horizontally or diagonally using the technique below.
Although some people find fan-folding to be intuitive and thus not an origami base as such, the method described below provides an excellent way to ensure good accuracy and that valley and mountain folds are uniform and alternate each other in a consistent pattern across the sheet.
Apart from often having a decorative purpose in origami, accuracy is very useful and actually required when grids have to be folded.
Lastly, pleat folds can also serve to create texture on the starting sheet or on parts of a model, making it visually and tactually interesting and unique.
For instance, gluing a pleated sheet to an ordinary sheet may be a way for visually impaired folders to create duo paper, using texture instead of color, thus taking advantage of models that make use of the concept of duality.
The instructions below are for an accordion base with 7 creases forming 8 panels.
The folds are all made in a vertical direction, so the panels and creases will end up being vertical as well. To put it in another way, the creases and panels will run from top to bottom across your square or rectangle.
To help with visualization, you could mentally number the panels from 1 on the left to 8 on the right, once your base is completed and the sheet opened flat.
Keep in mind that the instructions below are very detailed, so might seem tedious the first time you fold this base. If you are a beginner folder or just want a systematic way of making pleats or grids, try the instructions out a few times. Once you understand the sequence and method of folding you won't need them any longer. Remember that if you would like to have your panels and creases running across the sheet horizontally, or if you would like to fold a grid, you can just rotate your page 90 degrees and repeat the instructions below.
To fold the Accordion Base:
Paper used: Square or rectangle
Orientation of panels and creases: Vertical
Panels: 8
Creases: 7
1. Place a square down with its edges left and right, top and bottom.
If using a rectangle, first determine if the instructions require landscape or portrait orientation before starting to fold the base.
2. Valley fold the right edge over to meet the left edge.
Crease and leave folded.
3. Valley fold the left edge, front flap only, back to the right edge.
Crease and leave folded.
4. Flip the model over from top to bottom.
5. Valley fold the left edge, front flap only, back to the right edge.
Crease and leave folded.
- We now have a vertical accordion fold with 4 panels.
6. Valley fold the right edge, front flap only, back to the left edge.
Crease and leave folded.
7. Flip the model over from top to bottom.
8. Valley fold the right edge, front flap only, back to the left edge.
Crease and leave folded.
- We now have a vertical rectangular shape composed of two wide inner flaps linked by a hinge fold on the right, and each carrying a narrow layered accordion fold on the left.
9. Lift up the model from your folding surface. Coming from the left, gently separate the model into two main flaps. While holding the front flap in place with one hand, use your other hand to move the back flap away from you, rotating it to the right.
Continue the movement all the way around until the accordion folds meet each other on the left of the rectangle.
- You will now have a long rectangle with a smooth surface on the outside. The two narrow accordions are now hidden on the inside of the folded rectangle.
10. Valley fold the left edge, front flap only but including the narrow accordion panel, back to the right edge.
Crease and leave folded.
- You should now have a rectangle divided down its center, with the right side being slightly thicker than the left.
11. Flip the model over from top to bottom.
12. Valley fold the left edge, front flap only but including the narrow accordion panel, back to the right edge.
Crease and leave folded.
- You should end up with a long, skinny strip or an eight-fold accordion base.
The above information has been compiled with the help of Google Translate.
Adapted from original Source: The Aveuglami Project, Folding Sheet, Accordion Base
Author: Traditional
Website:
Last update: 2011-11-07
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