Origami Crane Wreath Craft Tutorial
With grief comes acceptance and peace. As a follow up to my Paper Cranes story, I’m back today with a follow-up post, my Origami Crane Wreath Craft Tutorial. This is the end result of my grief “therapy,” and I couldn’t have been more happy with the results. Hours of work. A few paper cuts. Many a blank stare at the computer as I wrestled with writing or not writing this one. But the results are flawless. Here’s how I made this wreath and what I hope you take away from this post:
What You Will Need:
- Origami Paper, lots of it. Don’t have origami paper? Try any type of thin and strong paper cut in a precise square shape. Make sure that the paper creates tight creases when folded.
- Sewing Pins – I used straight pins
- Foam Wreath of choice – I did a heart.
- Ribbon
- Time & Patience
Directions:
1. First you will need to fold a bunch of origami cranes. I won’t lie, this took hours to complete. Even as fast and proficient as I am now at folding, I took about 5 minutes per bird. I used a variety of colors, but I think it could be very dramatic with one color, or mostly one color with a pop of another. Go with what works for you. Red would be super fun for Valentine’s Day! Easiest way to show you how to fold an origami crane? See my video tutorial:
2. Decide which will be the top of your wreath. Use ribbon to create a loop for hanging. I secured with straight pins.
3. Once birds are folded, place the base of the crane onto your foam wreath. Using the straight pins, pin from the top of the core of the bird (not the head) and down into the wreath. I used 2 per bird to make sure it’s on there securely.
4. Then keep on pinning. And pinning, and pinning. I placed the cranes as close as possible, with wings overlapping so no foam wreath is showing. Get creative in your arrangement. While I did not cover cranes onto the back portion of my wreath, that certainly is an option as well, especially if hanging in the center of a room, etc.
And done. The folding definitely takes the most time. While I did not count every crane I folded, I would estimate at least 50 birds for my small heart wreath.
And while this made an absolutely stunning art piece, I was more appreciative of the time and therapy that went into this craft. It was intentional. It was creative. It was beautiful. It was sad. But most importantly, I found it as one of the last moments where I got to “sit” and enjoy my Grandmother. While she’s still with me today, this wreath is a wonderful reminder of the beauty and patience and grace that was my grandmother’s personality. And she probably would have scolded me on a few of the flaws in my cranes’ beaks. 🙂
Need another wreath craft? I’ve got this FUN Valentine’s Day Wreath to make with the kids! We made this beautiful wreath for $0!
I hope that this tutorial may serve as a therapy for you if you’re going through a tough time as well.Maybe you can forward it to someone who’s struggling. Maybe someone will find encouragement and hope in learning a new skill. Maybe you just like origami and never got to try it before. Maybe you have and have forgotten how much origami was a peaceful part to your life.
It’s been comforting, humbling and amazing to see how pieces of paper can change a life.
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Love easy kid crafts? Try these popular ones:
That came out awesome. What a fun craft.
This is such a neat idea. I’m pinning it to try soon. I’ve never tried origami.
I love this! What a cute idea. It looks spectacular.
This came out awesome! I love it!
That is super pretty. I never learned to make the paper origami cranes. I tried and paper folding is not my forte.
This is such a neat looking wreath! Perfect for spring or summer!
Okay you win best blog post from all day. I love this so much and I know my 9 year old would dig it.
This is absolutely beautiful. I would love looking at this every day.
Wow! All of the folding really pays off. It looks so pretty with all of the colors.
I love this origami crane wreath and the directions you’ve provided. It reminds me of the time my hubby and I learned to make an origami crane when the boys were Cub Scouts. It definitely takes time for all the folding, but the result delivers a happy feeling!
Wow this is gorgeous! Super colourful, creative and really adorable! I really like this idea!
This is a fantastic wreath. This will be such a fun project to try.
This is amazing it is so cute.Thank you for sharing.
Wow!! I’m going to give this fab craft a try! I hope mine looks just half as good as yours! Simply awesome!
I thought of your previous story as soon as I saw it was made from cranes. This is amazing!
This is beautiful! I love all of the bright colors!
Your work is so beautiful! You did a great job. This is just gorgeous!
This is such a cute idea! My 10 year old would love to make it!
I love this wreath!!! So beautiful and has such great meaning.
That looks a little bit complicated, but it is so gorgeous. I love all the colors
Beautiful. We did 1000 cranes to decorate my best friends hospital room, she is in a pallative care unit and she loves orgami so I so get the connection.
Such a beautiful wreath. I would love to make an origami wreath like that.
I love this – I have so much crafting paper – perfect spring wreath!
That is a GORGEOUS wreath!
I love this. It is so beautiful.
Oh wow that looks time-consuming but oh how pretty!!!! I do love to paper craft though!!! love the colors too.
That is so pretty, colorful and pretty easy to assemble. My daughter would love to create this wreath for her home!