Credits and Resources:
Text-Only Tutorial copyright 2026 by Lindy van der Merwe and Nishi Sakpal
Video Tutorial: Sarah Adams
Paper to be used: 30 squares of similar size; use large paper to practice with at first. Thicker paper or thin cardstock is strongly recommended. Paper that is white or plain on one side will create a striking pattern for this model.
Folding Level: Intermediate
Description:
As the name suggests, this star uses a variation of the Sonobe unit.
This tutorial explains how to construct the star as an icosahedron. It makes a nice, sturdy decoration.
PHASE 1: CREATING THE UNITS
You will be folding 30 similar units to form your star.
Step 1
Place a square down with its edges to the left and right, top and bottom.
Step 2
Make a book fold by folding the bottom edge of the square up to meet the top edge to form a horizontal center crease line. Crease and unfold.
Step 3
Now fold the top and bottom edges in to meet the just-created line (cupboard fold). Crease and unfold.
Step 4
Fold the bottom edge up to reach the quarter crease, which will be the first crease from the bottom. Crease and leave folded to form a band along the bottom edge of the figure.
Step 5
Take the folded point at the bottom left and fold it diagonally upwards to form a tiny corner that will lie on top of the band. Leave folded.
Note: If preferred, you can also now fold in the bottom right corner in a similar way, although in the video tutorial this little corner is left unfolded at this point.
Step 6
Fold the bottom band, including the small triangular corner (or corners), upwards and over on itself. Press flat.
The flaps of the tiny corners are now hidden.
Step 7
Rotate the figure 180 degrees and repeat Steps 4 to 6 on the opposite side.
Result: You will have a rectangle lying in landscape orientation with a band at the top and another band at the bottom. The center of the rectangle will be made up of a smooth single layer of paper with one horizontal crease line across it.
Step 8
Flip the figure over from left to right. You will have a rectangle with a smooth surface.
Step 9
Fold the left edge of the model up to meet the top edge to form a large triangle on the left. Crease well and leave folded.
Step 10
Similarly, fold the right edge down to meet the bottom edge to form a large triangle on the right. Crease well and leave folded.
The outline of the unit has now become a parallelogram or four-sided shape. On the top surface of this shape, there will be what were the two bands, now in a vertical position. A vertical slit divides the two bands, but seen (or felt) together, they form a long, six-sided shape at the center of the unit.
Step 11
Flip the unit over from left to right again.
Step 12
Orient your parallelogram so the two bands are horizontal. One will be nearest you at the bottom left while the other will be furthest away, forming the top right of the shape. Locate the horizontal crease line that divides the model into a top and a bottom half. Using this line, fold the shape in half by bringing up the bottom edge to meet the top edge of the shape.
Result: You will have a multi-layered figure now that vaguely resembles a boat.
Step 13
Take the left half of the shape, including all the layers, and bring it diagonally down so it comes to rest along the vertical center of the shape. Press flat through all the layers to form a large triangle on the left.
Step 14
Take the bottom point of this last fold and fold it upwards to meet the top point of the shape. The left side of the figure will now have been folded in half, forming a multi-layered triangle.
Step 15
Flip the model over from left to right.
Step 16
Repeat steps 13 and 14 to form another multi-layered triangle on this side of the unit, making it symmetrical.
Step 17
Your first unit is done. Set it aside and prepare 29 more, making sure they are folded exactly as described above.
Specifically, you want to make sure the unit has an arm or tab on the left, nearest you, and another arm or tab on the right, situated behind the unit if it is held upright, like a screen.
You can measure units against each other if preferred, or use a single unit as an example.
PHASE 2 - EXPLANATION OF UNIT, JOINING METHOD, AND CONSTRUCTION
(A) Unit
The unit for this star may, at first, seem to resemble a floppy triangle shape with various points and pockets. So, to help us make sense of things, we will first identify the two pockets and then find the tabs of a unit.
2 Pockets:
Pick up a unit and press it flat so it opens into a diamond shape. Turn it so that one of its points is facing you and the smooth, flat surface of the unit is facing up towards the ceiling. Locate the valley crease/hinge fold that divides the unit into a top and bottom triangle and make sure this line is horizontal or running from left to right in front of you.
With the unit opened like this into a diamond shape, you will now notice two small triangular pockets, one nearest you and another furthest away.
Put another way, the two pockets of each unit are located at opposite ends of the diamond shape, with openings that lie towards each other, on top of the surface of the unit.
Two tabs:
Now that you know where the two pockets are located, fold your unit closed again by bringing the top and bottom points of the diamond shape together, so the pockets touch each other. Rotate the figure so one of its flat sides is facing you. It should feel like a small mountain that is standing and you are viewing it from the front. Holding the unit like this, so it forms an upright triangle, you will find one tab nearest you on the left side of the triangle and another tab will stick out behind the triangle, on the right and furthest away from you. Each of the flaps or tabs will have two triangular parts, reminding one a bit of an arm that is bent at the elbow.
(B) When inserting units, we will hold them sideways, meaning the triangular unit should be held folded closed in your hand, with its two pointy ends towards the ceiling. So, if held like this, with the main triangular body of a unit in your right hand, there will be a tab on the left, positioned furthest away from you, as well as a tab on the right, in a position nearest you.
(C) Pyramids:
To construct our star, we will be forming units into 3D pointy triangles or pyramid-like structures, which you may be familiar with if you have made Sonobe or other modular creations. A pyramid will be formed using 3 units and will then be connected to other pyramids.
(D) Forming Rings or Rows:
Our star will be constructed from the bottom, working upward in circles, or what we will call rows, to a point where it will be closed. There will be four rows.
Rows 1 and 2 will each use 10 units, while rows 3 and 4 will each use 5 units.
(E) Tip 1:
When doing this construction for the first time, it will help if you can group your units according to the row you are working on. So, when starting on row 1, set aside only 10 units, then 10 more as you move to row 2, etc. This will help you stay oriented while learning how each row is put together.
(F) Tip 2:
When adding units, always hold up your new unit with its standing front part or the screen facing you and the flat part, with the pocket, should be flat on the table.
Open only the tabs of the units when you need to, keeping the rest of the unit tucked and folded in place.
This will ensure better orientation as the assembly gets larger.
PHASE 3 - BUILDING ROW 1 WITH 10 UNITS
We will be constructing 5 pyramids in this first row.
Pyramid 1
(A) Place unit 1 down and open it along the central valley fold. The standing part of the unit should be nearest you, with the flat part open on the table. The pocket of unit 1 will be at the point furthest away from you.
This means that nearest you, the screen or standing triangular part should still remain upright, but behind this screen, there should be another triangle, the flat part, that will have its corner pocket accessible if you approach it from your own side.
Keep a finger on this pocket.
(B) Now, take a second unit and hold it upright and closed in your right hand, point facing the ceiling.
Slightly open unit 2 along its central valley crease and, turning the unit almost sideways, extend and insert its left tab, which will be furthest away from you, into the pocket of unit 1.
You will be approaching unit 1 from slightly right and above, so it will seem as if you are placing unit 2 directly over or on top of unit 1, which is the case, but you are doing this on the right side, at an angle. Once the point of unit 2 is inside the pocket of unit 1, you should open unit 2 slightly so it can fit over and rest against the right side of unit 1.
Result: Units 1 and 2 will now be joined.
(C) We will next be joining unit 3 from the right.
Without lifting the first two units from the table, rotate the assembly to the left until unit 2 is in front of you, once again with its standing triangle nearest you and its flat part on the table furthest away from you.
(D) Pick up unit 3 with your right hand and insert it into the pocket of unit 2 in the same way as you did before.
Result: Units 2 and 3 will now be joined to unit 1.
(E) To complete our pyramid shape, we have to join unit 1 to unit 3 now.
So, take the tab of unit 1 on the left, lift it over the standing part of unit 3 and tuck it into the pocket on the flat part of unit 3, which will be nearest you at this time.
Result: The 3 units will now be securely locked together. You will be able to pick the structure up without it falling apart.
It will be a neat, small pyramid with three flat, triangular flaps or parts spread out around it.
Pyramid 2
(A) If you place the first pyramid down, you will notice that there are 3 flat triangles or parts on the table.
These parts will be used for the assembly of more pyramids.
Turn the completed, standing pyramid so that one of the flat triangles is pointing straight towards you. There will be a second flat triangle on the left and another on the right towards the back of the already-formed pyramid.
(B) Take unit 4 and insert its left/furthest tab into this nearest pyramid. This time the tab of unit 4 will be inserted into the pocket on the side of the pyramid itself, on the right, just next to the tab already in place.
Once the tab has been inserted, lift up the existing triangle on the left, nearest you, and hold it upright, like a screen.
This will help to anchor the existing and new units together.
(C) Working towards the right, take unit 5 and insert its right/nearest tab into the flat part of unit 4.
(D) Rotate the assembly so that you are able to insert the remaining tab of unit 3 into the flat pocket of unit 5.
Result: The first 2 pyramids will stand back to back and you will now have 4 triangles flat on the table - two at the back (furthest away from you) and two at the front (nearest you).
Pyramid 3
(A) To construct our third pyramid, we will use the flat triangle on the right, which is closest to us.
(B) Take unit 6 and insert its tab into this pyramid. The left tab of unit 6 will once again be inserted into the pocket on the side of the pyramid itself, on the right, just next to the tab already in place.
Once the tab has been inserted, lift up the triangle nearest you and hold it upright, like a screen to anchor the two units for the moment.
(C) Take unit 7 and insert its right tab into the flat part of unit 6.
(D) Rotate the assembly so that you are able to insert the remaining tab of unit 5 into the flat pocket of unit 7.
Result: Pyramid 3 will be completed.
Pyramid 4
(A) You will notice that the 3 pyramids are starting to form a half-circle.
Locate the flat part on the right of the assembly, nearest you.
(B) Take unit 8 and insert its tab into this pyramid. The tab of unit 8 will once again be inserted into the pocket on the side of the pyramid itself, on the right, just next to the tab already in place.
Once the flap has been inserted, lift up the triangle nearest you and hold it upright, like a screen.
(C) Take unit 9 and insert it into the flat part of unit 8.
(D) Rotate the assembly so that you are able to insert the remaining tab of unit 7 into the flat pocket of unit 9.
Result: Pyramid 4 will be completed.
Pyramid 5
(A) There should be various flat parts spread out around the pyramids now, but if you investigate these, there will be two flaps that are lying side by side, almost touching. These are the flat parts of units 1 and 9.
If necessary, rotate the entire structure on the table so that these two flaps, one of unit 9 and one of unit 1, are nearest you.
(B) Join these two units by inserting the flap of the right unit sideways, into the pocket at the back of the left unit.
(Note: This is done in the same way you have joined units so far; you are just joining the units first, then adding unit 10.)
(C) To add unit 10, slide it into unit 9 on the right.
(D) Lastly, close the fifth pyramid by sliding the flap of unit 1 on the left into the side of unit 10.
Result: We have completed our fifth pyramid and the first row.
Units used: 10
Flat parts on table: 5
PHASE 4 - BUILDING ROW 2 WITH 10 UNITS
Pyramids 6 to 10
(A) To continue, we will notice that there are five flat triangles on the table. We need to form a new pyramid, adding two units each time, to each of these flat parts.
(B) So, as before, choose any one of the 5 flat triangles on the table and, working towards the right, add 2 units to it.
This will be units 11 and 12.
Close the new pyramid by inserting a tab from the existing unit on the left.
A pyramid will form very close to the one from which it was constructed, meaning that we can think of the two pyramids as standing back to back.
(C) Tip
It may be helpful to slightly lift the assembly from the table as you construct this row. If units have been properly connected, the structure should be quite strong and should not fall apart when gently lifted at this stage.
(D) This pattern should be repeated four more times as we move in a circle, always towards the right, constructing this second row of the star.
These four pyramids will be using units 13 to 20.
Result: We have completed five more pyramids and our second row.
Units used: 10
Flat parts on table: 10
PHASE 5 - BUILDING ROW 3 WITH 5 UNITS
Pyramids 11 to 16
(A) Explanation
Notice that your star should now have 10 standing pyramids. Moving from its center point, there will be 5 pyramids arranged in a circle, with 5 more pyramids forming an outer circle, the second row.
The pyramids will also seem to be paired back to back, as if each pyramid in the inner circle will stand with its back touching a friend in the outer circle.
If you now consider the flat parts that are laying all around the pyramids, you should once again find 10 flat triangular flaps.
Notice that the parts are also arranged in pairs. If you look at the end points of these flat triangles, you will notice a pair as being two units lying very close together or side by side. If moving to the right, there will then be a gap, and then another pair of units.
(B) So, to create our next pyramid, we should choose any one of the five pairs of units that are close together.
(C) Join the two units in the same way you did when you were joining units 1 and 9 in row 1, by inserting the flap of the right unit sideways into the pocket at the back of the left unit.
(D) Then we will add one new unit on the right, which will be unit 21.
(E) Close this first pyramid by using a flap from an existing pyramid on the left.
(F) Repeat joining pairs and adding 4 more units to complete this row.
These will be units 22 to 25.
(G) Curving
At this stage, you will notice that your assembly is starting to curve towards the table. You may be getting anxious about whether your model will hold together. The short answer is YES. These units are actually quite strong, so as long as you don't pull hard at any part of the structure, it should hold well together.
You should feel free to pick up and turn the figure as you add units to this row.
You might want to keep the assembly with its open side on the table and just lift the part you are working with or you may prefer to flip the entire structure upside down. Another option is to place the figure on its side so that you can join the units while holding them upright, in front of you. This has the added benefit that you can gently take hold of the units on the inside of your model while, with your other hand, adding new units.
(H) Frustration and patience
Modular origami is like most things: it becomes easier with practice. As you work with the units, both in folding and construction, you will develop muscle memory and find yourself manipulating the paper more skillfully. The model itself will also become more familiar at each stage.
With passion, time, and concentration, you will eventually succeed at this type of modular origami.
If your units become floppy or damaged, your structure may not hold. If you have spare units, use them. You might even need to start over. If you are frustrated, take a break. As with most modular origami, once you understand the assembly, you will handle the units less, and they will remain strong enough to complete the star.
Units used: 5
Flat parts on table: 5
PHASE 6 - BUILDING ROW 4 WITH 5 UNITS, AND CLOSURE
We are now going to add our last five units and close our star.
(A) Choose any one of the five remaining triangular flat parts of the star.
(B) Think of this flap as unit 1 and add units 26 and 27 to it to form a new pyramid.
(C) Connect a unit from the right sideways, inserting it into the just-created pyramid.
(D) Once joined, add one unit, 28, to complete a second pyramid.
(E) Again, connect a unit from the right sideways, inserting it into the last-formed pyramid.
(F) Once joined, add one unit, 29, to complete a third pyramid.
(G) Connect another unit from the right.
(H) Once joined, add unit 30, to complete a last pyramid.
(I) Once all units have been added to the star, there will only be three flaps remaining.
(J) Choose one of these and insert it into the pocket nearest it, moving in a counter-clockwise direction.
(K) Repeat the previous step for the last two remaining flaps.
Your star should be completed.
You can now appreciate its beauty, sturdiness and symmetry.
Making origami accessible through text-based tutorials.
For non-commercial use only.
Compiled by Nishi Sakpal and Lindy van der Merwe, January 2026
This text copyright 2026 by accessorigami.com and the authors.
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