Window Stars Revisited

 
I've posted about window stars before, but a recent purchase of an Origami Suncatcher kit (which I found in-store) has gotten me on a major paper-folding binge.  The instructions are for very simple stars, but they're still fun and beautiful...plus it comes with 60 pieces of very nice paper already cut into squares (which I much prefer to cutting from large rolled sheets!).  It even comes with a glue stick and a nice box to keep it all in.

One thing that has kept me from making tons of stars before now was the issue with paper.  Actual kite paper is hard to find.  You HAVE to order it.  Period.  Double sided origami paper holds it's color really well, but it isn't as transparent as I'd like (particularly if you're doing something intricate).  Tissue paper is delicate to work with, fades like no tomorrow, has to be cut down from large unwieldy sheets and, did I mention, it FADES LIKE NO TOMORROW (it's worth repeating)....but it's cheap and readily available.

Figure 28 from Window Stars made from the kit's paper

Which brings me to the paper that came in the kit - it's very nice, the color is even and bright and it seems to hold up well to the sun (so far).  The drawbacks being that I have no clue where to get it besides in the kit, it's a bit plasticity so it doesn't hold a crease or glue as well as other things, and it only comes in 6 colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple).  I was going through it rather fast so I decided it was time to break down and order some kite paper.

Figure 21 from Window Stars made with Folia transparent origami paper

In my previous searches for a good (see "cheap") source for kite paper I heard mention of transparent origami paper.  I decided to revisit that avenue this time and it paid off: Folia Transparent Origami Paper  And the best part....IT CONTAINS 500 SHEETS!!!  Plenty of places carry it, but Supermart was the cheapest ($15!) and the shipping was also inexpensive and it came QUICK.  One of the reviews I read for it before I ordered complained that it was basically colored wax paper which is exactly what I needed.  I had gone so far as to look into how to make colored wax paper.  Yeah...screw that!  I don't have time for such things!  It comes in 10 colors: red, orange, yellow, light green, dark green, blue, purple, pink, white, and brown. I may also order some plastic origami paper which I am guessing is probably very similar to the paper that came with the kit.

The view out my "knitting room" window

As for instructions I have Magical Window Stars, Window Stars, Making Folded Stars from Colored Papers, and Origami Suncatchers (kit).  If you're not ready to buy, here are some online tutorials:

GardenMama - A Tutorial For Waldorf Window Stars
Duo Fiberworks - Window Star tutorial
Arwen Art - Waldorf Window Stars / Tissue Paper Stars Tutorials
The Enchanted Tree - Folded Paper Butterflies, Flowers, & Dragonflies & Tissue Paper Hearts

Here are some more stars for your viewing pleasure:

5 Pointed Star from Magical Window Stars made from tissue paper

Pinwheel Star from Origami Suncatchers made with the kit's paper

Figure 23 from Window Stars made with the kit's paper

Our front door and a variety of stars from all 3 books as well as a few improvisations

Happy folding!

Productive Thursdays - Knit Crowns

Three crowns to be felted

Stars & Lanterns

Waldorf education is not my thing.  However, the Waldorf style and Waldorf crafts are beautiful to me.  Waldorf paper stars in particular are some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.  I would love to plaster every window and door in my house with them!




Not only are they gorgeous....but they're EASY too.  Even the most complex looking star is just five or more simpler pieces of folded paper.  The overlapping parts look a lot more complicated than they actually are, and a number of interesting effects can be achieved by mixing colors or changing small details.

This star is made of coffee filters painted with watercolours.

Materials can vary.  The ideal being kite paper...which is NOT available locally as far as I, or anyone else I know, can tell.  Origami paper also works well.  I particularly like Fold 'Ems brand that has a variety of paper that is colored on both sides.  Tissue paper can work too as well as dyed coffee filters.  Coffee filters and tissue paper are the cheapest option, though the filters hold of a LOT better than tissue while folding.  Plus the watercolour effect is lovely.



Now down to the actual folding....I started with the basic instructions in The Children's Year (which is a great resource for amazing Waldorfy crafts.  More complex looking, but still very simple stars can be found in Window Stars: Making folded stars from colored papers (which was originally offered in a star making kit from Hearth Song's toy catalog.  Then the REALLY neat ones (like the ones pictured here) came from a book called Magical Window Stars which I will soon be the proud owner of (thank you Stephanie!).



For some starter tutorials on the web, check out the following:
Duo Fiberworks - Window Star Tutorial
Gardenmama - A Tutorial For Waldorf Window Stars
Arwen Art - Five Tissue Paper Stars

 And then there's lanterns...which are a whole other post!  :)