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: