By CraftingStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Wonder Crafts.
Paper snowflakes are one of those crafts that look complicated but really come down to two skills - folding into the right starting shape and cutting clean lines. The folding builds the six-fold symmetry that makes the snowflake look real; the cuts you make decide whether you get a delicate filigree or a chunky cartoon.
This walkthrough is from Wonder Crafts on YouTube. The technique is the classic six-fold method - fold a square in half three times into a narrow wedge, sketch a design along the folded edges, cut, and unfold.
One sheet makes one snowflake. Cut a few at once for a window display - they look great taped to a window with daylight coming through.
Start with a square sheet of paper. Standard 8.5x11 printer paper works fine - just trim one end so you have an 8.5x8.5 square. Origami paper or thinner craft paper also works well.
Thin paper cuts cleaner and is easier to fold tightly through multiple layers. Card stock is too thick for this technique.
Tip
For really crisp folds, run a fingernail or bone folder along each crease. Sloppy folds at the start lead to crooked snowflake arms at the end.
Fold the square in half along the diagonal so you end up with a triangle. The folded edge runs along one of the sides; the long open edge runs along the bottom.
Press the crease firmly. This first fold sets up the symmetry for everything that follows.
Tip
Match the corners exactly before pressing the crease. A few millimeters off here means the finished snowflake won't be quite symmetrical.
Fold the triangle in half again, bringing one of the bottom corners up to meet the other. You now have a smaller triangle with the folded edge at the bottom and the open corners at the top.
This second fold creates the four-fold symmetry. The next fold takes it to six-fold, which is what makes paper snowflakes look like real ice crystals.
Tip
If you stop here and cut, you get a four-pointed snowflake instead of six. That's a thing you can do too - but the six-pointed version looks more like a real snowflake.
Now fold the triangle into thirds. Take the right corner and fold it across the front so its edge sits at about one-third of the way across the triangle. Then fold the left corner over the top of the right fold.
The result is a long narrow wedge with overlapping flaps at the top. This is your snowflake blank.
Tip
The thirds don't have to be exact. As long as both side folds match each other, the snowflake stays symmetrical. Eyeball it and adjust before pressing the creases.
Look at the top of the wedge - it has uneven points sticking up from the third folds. Cut straight across with scissors to even them off.
The angle you cut here decides the outer edge of the snowflake. A flat cut gives a hexagonal silhouette; a slight V-cut gives points; a curved cut gives rounded arms.
Tip
Cut a slight V into the top edge for the most snowflake-looking outer shape. The two outer points become the tips of the snowflake arms when you unfold.
Take a pencil and sketch shapes along the two folded edges of the wedge. Anywhere you cut INTO a folded edge becomes the negative space of the snowflake when you unfold.
Try chevrons, small diamonds, triangles, and short rectangles. The classic snowflake look uses 3 to 5 shapes per side, alternating between the two folded edges.
Tip
Don't cut all the way across the wedge - that would chop the snowflake in half. Leave at least a thin spine of paper running down the center.
Cut along the pencil lines with sharp scissors. Press the layers firmly together with one hand while the other hand cuts. The wedge has six layers of paper at this point - sharp scissors make a real difference.
Take it slow on the smaller cuts. Clean clean cuts give crisp snowflake edges; ragged cuts ruin the effect.
Tip
If your scissors are dull or the paper is thick, cut each shape in stages - rough cut first, then come back and refine.
Carefully unfold the wedge. Each cut you made repeats six times around the center to form the symmetrical snowflake.
Press it flat under a heavy book for a few minutes to flatten the creases. Tape to a window or string it up with thread for a winter display.
Tip
Cut multiple snowflakes from different paper sizes for a window cluster. A mix of large, medium, and small snowflakes looks more natural than identical ones.
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Quick reference
5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.What gives a paper snowflake its 6-fold symmetry?
Answer: After folding in half diagonally then in half again, you fold the triangle into THIRDS (right corner across, left corner over)
Diagonal fold + half fold + thirds = 6-fold symmetry. Each cut you make repeats six times around the center.
2.Why does CARDSTOCK NOT work for paper snowflakes?
Answer: Too thick - you cannot fold tightly through multiple layers and the scissors cannot cut six layers cleanly
Standard printer or origami paper folds cleanly through 6 layers. Cardstock cannot fold tight enough and cuts ragged.
3.What does cutting INTO a folded edge become when unfolded?
Answer: NEGATIVE SPACE - the cut-out becomes the empty shape in the snowflake design
Anywhere you cut INTO a folded edge becomes a hole; the paper that stays becomes the snowflake arms.
4.How many shapes per side make a classic snowflake design?
Answer: 3 to 5 shapes per side, alternating between the two folded edges
3-5 shapes alternating per edge gives the right complexity without making the snowflake fall apart.
5.After unfolding, how do you flatten the snowflake?
Answer: Press it under a heavy BOOK for a few minutes to flatten the creases
Book press = a soft flat result. Iron can scorch paper.
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