Fabric Origami Flower Instructions

The iris (or lily) is an ancient flower design and a good beginner model. Other flower designs you might try with practice include the lotus, bellflower, rose, dahlia, tulip, and orchid. For this tutorial, the choice is the iris.

To start, you'll need a few supplies. Because fabric is soft, it will need to be stiffened. To do so, use a water-based stiffener, which simply needs to be brushed on to the fabric and dried.

Other supplies: scissors, an iron, and origami paper to measure.

Cut your fabric to be a bit larger than what you'll use to fold. This way, you have room to trim it after the stiffener dries. For this tutorial, a 6" square will be used to fold the iris. This piece of fabric is about 8" square.

Apply the stiffener to your fabric and let it dry. Be sure to remove the fabric from the surface on which you applied the stiffener; otherwise, they will stick together. Elevate it somehow, with a screen, rocks, etc.

Iron the fabric to make it softer, yet still "stiff." Use a paper towel to absorb any residue stiffener.

For this project, a standard 6" square was used as a template. Once you have your square, start to fold. Your creases should hold, just like with paper.

Start by making a water balloon base (also known as a water bomb).

Take a flap and squash it down the center; flatten into a kite. Repeat for remaining three flaps.

Next, fold the outside corners toward the center; crease and unfold.

Next, fold the top tip down to the bottom, crease, and unfold. These will create the lines for the next step.

Lift the top layer of the model and pull up towards the top tip, using the creases of Steps 7 and 8 to define the shape. Squash down and flatten. Repeat for remaining three sections.

By now, your model should look like this.

Next, pull the top layer of the kite down, creating a diamond. Repeat for remaining three sections. Rotate model so that the open part is at the top.

Fold the outer flaps toward the center, crease, and flatten. Repeat for remaining three sections.

Your model should now look like this.

Now, holding the base, pull the top sections down, all the way around -- four times.

And viola, you have an iris!

Tie a stem on if you'd like. This one is made from a bamboo skewer and yarn.

With these fabric origami flower instructions, you should be set to make your own bouquet. Remember, to make your fabric more foldable, add a stiffener at the start.

Other ways to fold fabric origami include using rubber bands to secure sections, as well as applying decorative fasteners like buttons, pins, or floss. With a bit of sewing, you might also tack the sections as you fold, securing each petal in place until you're finished.