One of these four petal flowers was the first origami design I created as a teenager. I came up with the inside out design later on, but the original is from a number of years ago.
Expert tips
I used Crayola Marker & Watercolour Paper for the flowers in this design! It works just fine if you are looking for a plain white paper to fold. For the paper curls in the bottom of the wall-mounted planter, I used my favourite 100 colour pack of Tant origami paper. There are so many colours it is easy to create an appealing colour gradient effect with this paper.
Finally, for the wall-mounted planter itself, I bought something that I liked off Etsy. The specific planter is no longer available, but there are many examples online of this type of design. The one I chose came with battery operated fairy lights to light up your design in the dark!
Four petal inside out origami flower supplies
• Tant origami paper, 100 colour package • Crayola Marker & Watercolour pad, 60 sheets • 26 gauge uncoated wire • scissors • 6 mm clear plastic or glass beads • white craft glue • green florist tape • fondue skewer • needle • wall planter with clear plexiglass front, your choice of size • small square of cloth (optional) • drill (optional) • fairy lights (optional)
Four petal inside out origami flower instructions
Step 1
Begin with a square of white paper measuring 3 inches.
Step 2
Follow steps 2-29 in the paper crane mural instructions to make a diamond-shaped base.
Step 3
Fold the top flaps down on the front and back.
Step 4
Fold the outer flaps into the centre line on left and right in front and back.
Step 5
Flip the model around from top to bottom. Carefully open and squash fold the left and right flaps. You will have to fold in the bottom flaps at an angle that tapers to a point.
Step 6
Fold the entire right wing to the left on front and back.
Step 7
Fold in the top left and right flaps to the centre line.
Step 8
Open the four petals by folding each down as far as it can go.
Step 9
Use a round-tipped tool, such as the handle on these scissors, to open the bottom of the flower up.
Step 10
Use a tool such as this fondue skewer to curl the petals.
Step 11
Up to Step 10 produced the original four petal flower. Now for the inside out version! Fold up to step 7 and then open the paper up and turn it inside out.
Step 12
Using existing fold lines, carefully collapse the paper to produce this shape.
Step 13
Pinch each of the four petals up to the base of the flower.
Step 14
This is what the model should look like now.
Step 15
Squash fold each of the four petals.
Step 16
Use the fondue skewer to curl the petals.
Step 17
The completed inside out four petal flower.
Step 18
To make stems for either model of flower, pierce the base of the flower with a needle.
Step 19
Cut a length of the 26 gauge wire that is double the desired length of stem for the flower. Thread the bead halfway, then bend the wire and wrap it round itself. Use a drill to twist if you like. Check out steps 53-59 of the origami paper crane mural for more details on this technique.
Step 20
Pass the stem through the hole in the base of the flower, apply a drop of glue under the bead, and slip the bead to the base of the flower.
Step 21
This is the appearance of the flower with the bead glued inside holding the stem in place.
Step 22
Here are 10 flowers completed, without the stems wrapped. You should make one of each type of flower with a longer stem and four of each type with shorter stems.
Step 23
Use florist tape, colour of your choice, to wrap the stems of the shorter flowers. Start at the top and work your way down. Pull the tape gently as you work so that it sticks to itself.
Step 24
Wrap the shorter flowers in a pattern of your choosing around the stem of the longer flower of the same type.
Step 25
Wrap florist tape around the stem of the longest flower, covering any gaps as you move from top to bottom.
Step 26
Here is the set of the inside out flowers completed.
Step 27
To make the paper rolls inside the planter, measure the inner depth of the planter and cut strips of paper slightly smaller than this dimension. Length is up to you – I used strips about 6 inches long.
Step 28
Roll the paper strips you have cut as tightly as possible.
Step 29
When you release the rolls, they should stay relatively tightly rolled.
Step 30
Place the rolls of paper inside the bottom of the planter and glue the flower arrangements to the inside back lip of the planter. Hang your planter up and add fairy lights to the planter if you wish!
