Festive Paper Star Lantern Tutorial

With Independence Day just around the corner, our home is decorated with red, white and blue and multiple flags, small and large fly outside.  As night comes on the colors fade to grey so to add to the evening festive feel, I made some red, white and blue paper star lanterns, known well in Waldorf circles. By the way, these work great with tea light citronella candles for an outdoor celebration.

To begin, use a plate to trace a circle on a piece of construction or scrapbook paper then cut it out.

Fold the circle in half then again in quarters then again in eighths.

Use a ruler to draw and cut lines from segment to segment. (There should be 8 straight edges when you are done.)

Refold into eights and then once more to make sixteenths.

Open the circle and turn it over so the inside of the lantern is facing you and fold in at every 4^th crease to make a square. 

Open the folds back out, rotate the paper 45 degrees and repeat this stage so that your two squares create an eight pointed star shape when opened back out. 

 

There are 8 kite shapes inside the circle.

Fold 2 edges of the kite in then turn the paper over and fold a triangle down with the ends at the creases.  Do this at each kite.



 

 The next several folds will fold against each other like an accordion. The center fold line of your kite shapes will fold inwards and the edges, outwards.

This is what you should have after you do this 8 times.

 

Then all you have to do is push the inside flat with your fingers and put in a candle.