The Ultimate Towel Folding Guide (Infographic)

Posted on Oct 1 2013 - 12:48am by Alexandra Ashton

Origami means “to fold paper” and is a secular traditional Japanese art, which teaches people how to create certain shapes only with a piece of paper and special geometrical folds. The Origami art uses only a small number of different folds, which however may be combined in various ways to form intricate designs. It all usually starts with a square piece of paper, whose sides might have different colors or prints. But it can also be done with… towels! We will show you how to transform your bathroom fabrics into cute animals, from a mouse to a jumping monkey. Our latest infographic has all the directions you need to do it!

This traditional Japanese origami has been practiced since the Edo Period, from 1603 to 1868, following the traditional conventions, but also evolving over time and allowing people to use different forms of paper, like round or rectangular. Or even towels and washcloths… The great divide between the old and the new folding paper techniques came in 1950, when the work of Akira Yoshizawa became known throughout the world.

Yoshizawa created the idea of creative folding – called Origami Sasaku – and invented a whole set of methods very different from the original Origami methods, allowing you to produce a number of animals and birds. Exactly the techniques we use in our infographic to teach you how to create a snake or an elephant. To do it with the traditional materials, you’ll need two pieces of paper to get four-legged animals, a need that would only be overcome with the invention of the Base Blintz Origami in the mid-1950s, created by other enthusiasts like the North-American George Rhoades. Until then, it was only possible to bend very primitive animals, like the traditional pork. You can thank all these geniuses that modernized Origami the chance you have today to make a funny crab with a bath towel!

the-ultimate-towel-folding-guide

 

About the Author

Alexandra Ashton, Communications at Neomam Studios , the UK based Infographic Agency. Alexandra is a content and design enthusiast with a keen eye for detail.