Origami without the Paper

I began my explorations of origami in the usual way, with square sheets of paper. I was seduced by the beautiful patterns of paper. The many high quality papers made in Japan.

But somewhere along the line of trying to fold 1000 cranes from paper, I began to wonder about folding fabric. Shortly after I began working with polymer clay, I was asking myself, "Can I fold a crane from clay?" Eventually, the answer was, "Yes!!"

After folding several thousand cranes from polymer clay, and several other forms, I have learned many of the ins and outs of what is unique about folding clay. And I have deepened my understanding of origami along the way.

Each material offers it's own challenges. Some materials will conform more easily to what would be challenging folds in paper, but, they present other challenges.

Clay sticks to itself, cannot be made as thin as paper, and has limits to how much it can be handled.
Fabric needs to be pressed, and a stiffener to stay in it's folds. Felt needs to be needle felted to lock into position. Metal faces failure on the fold if manipulated too much, and the edges of wire mesh can be a threat to your fingers.

Other paper variations present challenges as well. Dollar bills have a different proportion, but the paper is strong. Business cards are a different proportion, and bulkier. Vellum will leave very visible crease marks in the paper.

Folding different materials presents new challenges. How do you overcome these potential hurdles. But, that can stir up the creative juices. And many of the other materials are more durable than many forms of paper.

One of the appeals to me in folding polymer clay is that I can make any color I want, or do surface designs on the clay sheet using millefiore techniques to create pattern. Or I can screen print, use metal leaf, or acrylic paint on the surface of the clay to make it visually more appealing. I often spend more time preparing and decorating the clay surface than I do folding a form from the clay.