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Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) we are closed... or are we? See more info here.Origami Page:
Message Shirt
Mary Ellen Palmeri
Welcome to our monthly "Origami Page". Origami is folding paper and ending up with delightful figures and models, such as flowers, boxes and animals. This feature will showcase a different origami model in each monthly issue, with diagrams and photos to help readers learn how to fold them. Most models use one square of paper, some use a rectangle, and others use more than one piece of paper.
Photo by Mary Ellen Palmeri
All greeting cards are NOT the same! Especially when paper is folded into an attractive "Message Shirt"!
This origami model is folded from any 8.5" x 11" paper. Begin by writing and / or drawing your message on the center of a piece paper, then fold it following the attached diagrams. Draw on your folded model to add details of a shirt or a blouse, and color additional decorations according to taste. You will then have a unique greeting for someone special.
There are several shirt folds in origami. This one is a variation of a Traditional fold. Try it with solid-color or patterned papers. I find it fun to fold this model into different sizes - just cut the paper into a rectangle that has similar proportions to the original 8.5 x 11". Here are a few sizes to get you started: 5.5" x 7-7/8" (will result in a shirt exactly half the size of one folded from 8.5 x 11"); if you'd like to go smaller, try 3" x 4", or even 2" x 2-5/8". You can use scrap-booking paper for a larger result, cutting the paper 9" x 12" before folding.
Happy folding!
Origami originated in ancient Asian cultures and has been adapted by contemporary artists worldwide to reflect their own cultures. Local artist Mary Ellen Palmeri has incorporated paper folding into many of her mixed media art paintings, and teaches origami classes locally and nationally. Some of her work can be seen in a Tucson Happenings feature here: Artist_Profile
Ms. Palmeri's original origami models have been published in books and magazines, she has been featured on broadcast media, and her mixed-media fine art works often include various original origami models. Origami LAFF (Lyric Arts Folding Fest) is a Tucson based club founded by Ms. Palmeri to provide a venue for sharing this art. The group meets monthly at a local library; for more details please contact the artist at info@lyric-arts.com
