Fabric Origami Cranes

As part of registering for the Daylesford Craft Experience we were sent a 5 inch square of fabric, to either stitch our favourite saying on or to create 'something crafty'.  The idea was to bring what ever you made to the retreat and to swap it with another person.

Initially I didn't know what I was going to do with my fabric square.  I kept thinking of all these things I could do if only it were paper!  Then I had an idea - Surely if I sprayed it with enough fabric starch then it would start to behave like paper?  It did exactly that...and so the fabric origami crane was born!

 

To make cranes like these, you basically follow the standard instructions on making paper origami cranes (making sure you press the fabric into position at each step) and then stitch around the outer edge to ensure it's secured together.  I was lucky enough to have a sister who knew how to make paper origami cranes, so she taught me one afternoon:

To make the cranes out of fabric , I found I needed to spray the fabric with a starch spray and then iron it a total of around 4 times before it stopped drooping and was rigid enough to fold.  

If you're going to attempt to make a fabric crane, I suggest you cover your fabric with an old hanky when you're ironing it to ensure that you don't get any scorch marks.  I would also suggest using a fabric that is 100% cotton to avoid as much fraying around the edges as possible.

Oh, and a word of caution.  The fabric gets REALLY hot when you're pressing it at each step, so be careful not to burn your little fingers!


Enjoy!