Quarantine Crafting with Mary S

Hi Friends! With so many opportunities to keep kids learning and entertained virtually I wanted to reach out and provide some at-home fun for us adults. Welcome to my weekly craft corner! Each Wednesday I’ll share a craft I discovered online that I could do with only supplies I already have in my house. Full disclosure – I consider myself a rookie, passive crafter so hopefully we can learn some new things together!  I have amassed a bit of a stockpile of various craft supplies from learning to quilt/making my kids’ birthday decorations/some grandparent gifts but I will try and find things that everyone can do – even without a stockpile! My favorite thing about crafting is that it doesn’t have to be perfect and each craft can typically be adjusted and customized to make it your own. If the craft I demonstrate for the week isn’t your cup of tea, please browse our crafting book collections in our eBook library at https://lclibs.overdrive.com/ and find something you like! There are also plenty of craft themed fiction novels to enjoy.

This week I chose a cut paper bookmark. I also saw it referred to as a lattice or paper weaving bookmark. This technique is in the origami family but because we will fold and cut the paper it is called kirigami. Below I have included a photo with labeled steps so please reference that for a visual of each completed step.

The materials you will need are: paper, scissors, pencil, ruler or straight edge and glue (optional).

Step 1: Find a piece of decorative paper you like. I had double-sided scrapbook paper which works perfectly as the backside of the paper will peek through to the front. Cut it to the size you’d like your bookmark to be. I found 6” x 1.5” to be a perfect size.

Step 2: Fold the paper in half lengthwise. If you are using double-sided paper don’t worry about the side that faces out right now. You can worry about that at a later step.

Step 3: This is an optional step depending on how particular you want to be with this project. I measured out how far apart I want my cuts to be. I made my first mark 1/8” from the bottom of the paper. From that mark, I made each sequential mark ¼” apart. Be mindful of where the angles will end once cut and make sure you aren’t drawing a mark for a cut that will go further than the top of the paper. I then measured for a guideline on the opposite side of my marks so I could make the length of each cut the same and used my ruler to draw the angle of the cut. This is by far the most time-consuming step of this project – I did see many people online estimating their cuts without any measuring so do what works for you! Keep in mind the more severe your angle the better. If the angle isn’t sloped enough the lattice won’t overlap.

Steps 4 & 5: Cut along the lines to make angled cuts and unfold your paper. You should now see a bunch of “V” shapes cut in the paper.

Step 6: Starting with the bottom, fold every other “V” up (or down, depending on your cuts). The tips of the “V” shapes should overlap. If you’re using double-sided paper this is where you can decide which side of your paper you want to be the front. Face that side up to begin your folds.

Step 7: Tuck the folded “V” behind the tip of the unfolded “V” it overlaps with.

At this point, your bookmark is finished! Be creative and play around with different angles and paper combinations. I made some bookmarks and then glued them on to a slightly larger piece of paper for a different look and even cut out the top large triangle for a window effect. Have fun and share your creations with us on Facebook!