![[Easy] Cute Origami Ideas Recommended for Tanabata Decorations](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/2Ho5LWHFD-E/maxresdefault.webp)
[Easy] Cute Origami Ideas Recommended for Tanabata Decorations
July 7 is Tanabata, when it’s said that Orihime and Hikoboshi can meet only once a year.
Some of you may decorate bamboo branches, hang tanzaku with your wishes written on them, and celebrate the festival.
When you’re enjoying a Tanabata festival or want to bring a touch of Tanabata to your room as a seasonal event, you’ll want beautiful decorations, right? In this article, we introduce cute Tanabata decoration ideas that are easy to make with origami.
Some can be hung on the Tanabata bamboo, so be sure to try them and create lovely bamboo and Tanabata decorations!
[Easy] Cute Origami Ideas Recommended for Tanabata Decorations (1–10)
diamond-shaped ornament
Here’s an idea for making a diamond-shaped ornament using 7.5 cm origami paper.
After folding the paper into a triangle, make three cuts from the outside at 7 mm intervals.
Follow the shape of the triangular “roof” when cutting, but don’t cut all the way through—leave a small margin at the edge.
Also, alternate the cuts from left and right.
This way, when you unfold it, everything will stay connected as a single decoration.
Once you’ve made the cuts, open the origami, mountain-fold the edges you left, and fold the inner sections downward, layer by layer.
Finish by adding a star ornament at the end.
windsock
Here’s an idea for a windsock made by gluing circular parts together.
Prepare five sheets of origami paper; divide four of them into four equal squares, stack them, draw circles, and cut them out to make 16 identical circular pieces.
Fold each circular piece in half twice, then fold both ends to the creases to make fold lines.
With the colored side facing inward, glue only the edges at the center, stacking and attaching them all in the same way.
Glue the remaining ends together to form a sphere, then use the remaining one sheet to make the fluttering part.
Place it with the colored side facing up, fold down the top edge about 1 cm, then cut slits into the remaining area, make it into a loop, and connect it to the sphere and a string.
Shell ornament
Let’s make a classic Tanabata decoration called a shell chain.
Fold the origami in half, aligning the top and bottom edges.
Leave a 2 cm margin at the top, then cut slits along the folded edge at 1.5 cm intervals.
Unfold the paper and glue together the diagonal corners.
Use a craft punch to make 10 yellow stars and attach them to the slitted sections.
Adjust the shape, add a string for hanging, and it’s done.
It’s very easy, so try making it with your favorite origami.
Using semi-transparent origami also looks cute.
Milky Way
Here’s how to make a Tanabata decoration, the Milky Way.
Fold the origami paper in half by matching the top and bottom edges, then fold it in half once more the same way.
Leave a small margin at the top of the paper, and make slits from the bottom edge upward at about 1.5 cm intervals.
Flip the paper top to bottom, again leave a margin at what is now the top, and cut additional slits in between the existing ones.
Finally, carefully open the paper so it doesn’t tear, and you’re done.
Gently pull left and right so the woven pattern spreads out.
Hikoboshi
Place the origami paper with the white side facing up.
Draw lines with a pen about 1 cm in from two adjacent edges to represent the kimono collar.
Turn the paper over and fold up along the lines you drew.
Turn it over again and fold up along the lined section once more.
Fold so that the colored part and the white part are the same width.
Draw a face on the remaining white square, then flip it over and fold up the bottom corner.
Add hair and a hair ornament to finish.
You can use this idea to make Orihime as well, so be sure to fold her too.
star
After folding the origami into a triangle twice and unfolding it, fold it into a square twice.
Flatten the pocketed part into a triangle, then fold the right edge of the triangle to align with the center line.
Flip the origami over and fold the other side the same way.
Pull the left corner sideways and shift the part you just folded to create the two bottom points of the star.
Fold the pulled section inward along the crease, then fold it back the other way to form the left part of the star.
Repeat the same steps on the other side to complete the star.
Star tanzaku
This idea uses two sheets of origami paper: one for the strip and one for the star.
For the first sheet, cut it in half, fold each long edge inward, and shape it into a strip.
For the second sheet, fold it into a triangle twice, then open it up and fold it into a square twice.
Open the pocketed part and squash it into a triangle.
Fold the left edge of the triangle to align with the center line.
Fold the triangle on the opposite side in the same way.
Pull the right corner, shifting the folded section to form the lower point of the star.
Then fold the right corner you just pulled inward along the crease and fold it back outward.
Fold the corner on the other side the same way to finish.
Attach the two pieces together and add a string for hanging to complete it.