Tea Bag Folding | A Paper Folding Craft

Tea bag folding is a fun art to pursue. New ideas grow from one project to the next, and I always find something to be excited about.

You start with eight squares or tea bag tiles, all printed alike, and fold each the same, then interlock them together into a pie or medallion using a dab of glue.

The medallions or paper rosettes can be used for handmade cards, gift tags, or scrapbooking. You decide. Use specially printed tea bag folding paper or any paper that suits your fancy.

I like to use the dollar notepads or list pads in the bargain bins at your craft store. This pink and yellow star is made from sticky notes. Hint: just use corn starch over the sticky patch to make folding easier.

I have included here some of my tricks that I have learned on my journey with tea bag folding. The most unique tip I will give you is the use of everyday printed paper to create your medallions and paper rosettes. This page is organized with the origami water bomb as the beginning step to creating and making pattern variations of your own.

My first suggestion is pull out some construction paper, colored printer paper or the printed stationary paper for the letters you never sent out.

So get out your paper and try the tea bag folding instructions that follow.

As I became more enchanted with tea bag folding I started displaying and selling at craft fairs and people had memories of their paper folding experiences in school.

This is a collection of histories that have been compiled and finally written down as an informal record of paper folding in Western countries. Tea bag folding is a much older tradition than the internet is portraying on easily accessed sites.


I began learning this as I met people during craft fairs. Several remembered folding paper in the same manner as a child. One in Canada during the 40's, and in the states during the 50's using wallpaper sample books. Two people remembered folding paper in Germany. One just after The War, was shown paper folding by her mother. A younger woman learned kaleidoscope folding in the sixties as a child of a serviceman stationed in Germany.

It has occurred to me now that I should get more information and in the future I plan on getting dates, locations and the ages of the student and teachers.

If you have any past info on tea bag folding do not hesitate to message me here.

Tea Bag Folding may have been around for decades but it is thanks to an artist in Holland that it has worldwide recognition.

Tiny Van Der Plas came upon the name as she was sitting with her cup of tea. Of course, her artist mind was whirling and as she was thinking about a greeting she wanted to make, she was also working her fingers with the papers that covered her tea bags. European teas come in fancy papers. I am sure one thing led to another with her friend Janet Wilson.


They have written more than three books together about this fun craft. So it may have been around for decades but it is these two women that have given it a new name and sparked enthusiasts everywhere. Especially in England, Australia and the United States.

The fold at the right is from one of their books titled "More Tea Bag Folding:Celtic and Oriental Designs".

Mixed media: Tea Bag Folding on Monoprint

Follows is a step-by-step pattern for a tea bag fold medallion or star. This is the very first pattern that I learned from an instruction book I bought at a scrapbooking fair. I have folded paper at least 300 days a year since that day.

STEP ONE (p.s. Click on any instruction photo to enlarge in another window.)

You will need eight squares of paper cut 2X2 inches. I will refer to these squares as tiles.
A glue bottle with a tip or a tooth pick to dab glue.


Start your pattern by folding your square 4 ways. Opening the tile up again after each fold as follows.

Fold corner to corner. Open.
Fold other corner to corner. Open.

Fold one side to other side. Open.
Fold other side to side. Open.

The folds will look like the penciled folds in the picture above.

STEP TWO

Now make the tile into an origami water bomb base.
or
Squish the sides in to create a double triangle.


This is the basic origami water bomb.

This origami water bomb is the base to all the patterns that follow. It is the base to the patterns on the page marked **Part Two, as well..

STEP THREE

With your double triangle flat swing the left side to the right and fold to meet the center.

STEP FOUR

Do the same to the opposite side.
Take the right side and swing to the left and fold to the center.

STEP FIVE

Your folded tile should look like this. It is a triangle with a pop-up diamond in the middle.

Fold seven more tiles the same way.

Take two folded tiles and interlock them as shown in photos.

Think of one piece in each hand. The point of the piece in the left hand goes under the diamond of the tile in your right hand and meets at the arrows.

This photo is to illustrate what a project might look like. The eight tiles will be identical
and folded so the motif is identical after the tiles are folded.

Put a dab of glue under the diamond so the point of the left hand piece will adhere to it and stay.


Dab glue for each as you work around to form the medallion.

Tea bag Folding paper should not be something to hinder your creativity. Get what's out there. You do not have to use your printer or that expensive printer ink.




Additional examples with different papers. I used list pad paper from the bargain bin for these stars. This kind of paper is thinner making it easier to fold.

Hint: Don't hesitate to fold because of materials. Maybe that stationary you have never used, or the decorated laser printing paper you still have can be used for practice. I like to use the fancy drawer paper that is available at Marshall's and Ross. All you need is eight repeat patterns.

Look closely above and you will notice that these two stars are opposite. The second star was interlocked clockwise.

Hint: Before you are ready to assemble your star try it both ways to see which is more attractive.

The star on the right below is an example of trimming the white tips off the bottom most fold. This variation gives the star a little spin.

Last the stars are turned over and you see the back side. As can be noted the back is as artful as the front.

Hint: Cut a circle out of the front of a folded card and center the star over the circle opening to reveal a portion of the back when the card is opened.

Here are the two medallions from last week's tea bag folding pattern lesson. Just add some background paper and mount them on a plain card. Add your message in your very recognizable handwriting and your friend will be thrilled to receive an original greeting from you.

Michaels and Joann Stores have packages of plain cards and envelopes ready to decorate. With the Sunday coupon they would be very affordable.

STEP ONE

Start with the water bomb base following steps 1-5 from Lesson One. Make eight units making sure the patterns end up all the same.

Now unfold them and fold down the two top corners to the center. The creases will already be there from your previous folding.

STEP TWO

Squish the sides in. The shape is the triangle with the diamond on top. Now you have a unit that looks like Step 5. The diamond folds are inside causing it to pop up even more than in Lesson One.

Take the right wing and fold into the center as in the photo to the left. The point will be pointing down. Do the same to the left wing.

Your unit should look like the photo to the right. Fold all the tiles in the same manner.

Hint: The white excess on the lower left can be trimmed off for a cleaner look.

STEP THREE

Cut a scrap of paper into a one inch square and glue four units onto it. Dab the glue at the tip of the triangle on the back as in the photo below. The diamond shape needs to be free of glue. You will slip the other units under them.

Dabbing the glue in the same manner as above take the four remaining units and slip them under the flaps of the ones already glued onto the square.

STEP FOUR

The back of your project should look like this.

Your finished project should look like this.

Gently bend up the four top units so there is a valley effect in the center.

Idea: Use tiles 3 inches and the scrapbooking paper that is a heavier thickness. Your star will be three dimensional and use it as a gift box topper.

The project we just finished is the card on the left. A punch out die cut frame matches nicely. The card on the right is our new variation assembled like the star in our first lesson. There is less of a pinwheel effect with this new fold.

STEP ONE

If you are already familiar with Lesson 2's fold than this week is easy.
We will work with a new pattern layout. I used scrapbooking paper for this project.

You will need only four tiles. Get folding. Fold all four like Lesson 2.





Your units will look like the second picture.
Instead of using the diamond side the other side will be up.

STEP TWO

Cut a square from scrap paper. Glue the folded tiles like the picture below.



The finished medallion will look like this.

Here is the medallion for Lesson 3 made into a Thank You card. It has been sold on ebay.

Try these two arrangements with the same fold.

This week's lesson will show how to make and use a template to get the most out of your papers. My fans at the Farmer's Market wonder how I get certain motifs to pop up and show on the paper medallion. This is how it is done. Once you have your template, save it for the next time you want to use that particular pattern.

Again, I will use grocery list pad paper from craft store bargain bins. They usually have a magnet on the back.

STEP ONE

We will use our fold from Lesson One for the template. Refer to Lesson 1 and make two units out of plain scrap paper. Put a dot on one of them as shown below.

STEP TWO

Interlock as shown. Concentrating on the tile that is placed on top highlight the parts of the dotted unit that will be exposed when the tile is interlocked as shown in first picture.

Now, interlock the units the opposite way and highlight the additional exposed parts of the "dotted unit" on the right side. (second photo below) This will take some trial and error but after you are familiar with the folds it will be easier to make templates.

Open up the dotted unit and you have a template of the exposed parts of the folded unit.


Above is a finished template. The penciled areas are the spots on your tile that will show when your folded pattern is complete.

I have put the template pattern on vellum so I can see through and compare the exposed motifs of the printed paper.


The first picture on above shows that one berry will be exposed. It is under the yellow highlight. Click picture to enlarge.

This second picture shows more berries under the highlight.






I have decided to cut both. The cut with the three berries I use the vellum template as a guide and cut one square using the template. I take this first tile and line it up over each sheet to cut seven more. Hint: Sometimes the paper is thin enough for you to cut more than one at a time. Just make sure to keep edges lined up.








Here are the folds interlocked into medallions. As you study both examples note that the first cut is the medallion on the left and the second with three berries is on the right.

I use the templates almost for every project. That does not mean the finished project is exactly what I had in mind when I started, but you can see how you can have some control over what will be exposed.

The following cards were made from the two above examples.
The white card I used the medallion with the three berries.

For the cut with the single berry I used Lesson 3 and made two projects each with four units instead of eight. I have a "Got to Have Red" greeting card and a matching gift tag.

For both cards I used elements from the list pad to give it a coordinating look.

Lessons One and Two gave you variations of the same basic pattern. Now you are armed with additional variations in Lesson 3. Lesson 4 was about making a template and more card making hints.

You found out here to start with the basic origami water bomb, use some imagination, and you are armed with many projects to keep you busy.

If you have a question or comment on these lessons feel free to leave one in the section that follows.

Lesson 5 through 8 is at the new page called Tea Bag Folding Pattern Instructions**Part Two. New instructions on a Pretty Holiday Tree for Christmas using the water bomb, of course.

Bat in the Kitchen A fun page for kids. Fold bats for the Kitchen or for Halloween.

I have a lens devoted to all the information about tea bag folding available on the internet.

This lens has links and more links. It may be just what you have been wanting.

Websites for the Craft of Tea Bag Folding

Fiskars Straight Scissors A long lasting craft tool and be purchased at Blick: A place for all your art supplies. I have used this particular scissors in the 5" size since 2002.