Iris Folding Sun – Sunflower Papercraft
I’m thrilled with my latest iris folding pattern design. It’s the first time I’ve created one based on an octagon. You can find lots more of my patterns here. I love that this design can look very different with different colour combinations. You can also choose for it to be a sun or a flower.
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This post will share with you a free Sun/ Sunflower iris folding pattern template for you to use. Terms of use can be found here. To find out how to iris fold check out this post.
Navigate the Iris Folding Sun/ Sunflower Post
How to Create Sun – Sunflower Iris Folding
What You Will Need
You can find lots of the iris folding resources that I use here.
- Pattern (free download below)
- Card or card blank with outline cut out – you can use a craft knife or cutting machine
- Blue tack
- Scissors
- Tape (best to be in a heavy tape dispenser that you can use with one hand)
- Paper (origami paper works well or use recycled materials – inside of envelopes/ used packaging materials)
- Sparkly card (optional)
What To Do
The pattern has a sheet which goes through exactly what you need to do to create your Sun or Flower. If you’re more of a visual learner you may find it easier to have a look at the YouTube video tutorial.
Sun – Sunflower Specific Instructions
- The pattern looks symmetrical but isn’t so take care to place our aperture the correct way over your pattern. You’re always working on the reverse in iris folding
- Number 1 and 2 on the pattern need to be done precisely. The rest you don’t have to be so precise. On the petals just start on the right side in the correct position and overlap on the left side. The video will help you if you need further guidance and watch it from this point.
What Colours to Use on Your Iris Folding Sun for Sunflower/ Flower
It’s entirely up to you what colours you would like to use. I’ve made some suggestions in the pattern download but you can really go with whatever colours you would like.
You might like to make your flower a plant pot. I used a strip of green quilling paper but you could use any green paper. The plant pot is made from a piece of sparkly card. I used foam pads to elevate the plant pot.
Card Blank or Mounted?
It’s entirely up to you if you’d prefer to work on a piece of card and then mount onto a card blank. You can work directly onto a card blank.
Whatever way you choose you’ll need to make sure that you cut out the reverse of the shape onto your card as you work on the back of the design.
If you decided to work directly onto the card blank then using a small paper insert inside the card will hide your working. For the Sun and Sunflowers I used 200gsm cardstock for my aperture. I use this ream of paper as I love how smooth it is.
Top Tip for Iris Folding Paper
The paper you use is important. You really want to use paper that is between 60-80gsm. This paper is quite thin but makes folds easier and ensures your card is not too bulky once complete. Origami paper is a good term to search for when looking for iris folding papers. When purchasing be sure to check on the size of the paper as origami paper can be very small.
If you’d like to find out more about the traditions of iris folding and using used envelopes then check out this post. I do love using recycled materials in my projects. Get friends and family to collect interesting papers for you!
Iris Folding Finds
I’m always on the look out for for iris folding resources. Here’s a few that we have that are good value:
Packs of interesting cards and papers are perfect for the centre of your iris folding designs. These can be thicker than what you’ve used in the rest of your design as there is no need to fold.
Free Sun/ Sunflower Iris Folding Pattern Download
Use the download button below to get your free Sun/ Sunflower iris folding pattern.
Find more free iris folding patterns here including heart, bunny and rainbow archway.
Cutting Out Iris Folding Templates
When cutting out the Sun/ Sunflower you can use a cutting machine or you can use a craft knife. Yes, the scan and cut is so much easier and quicker but it’s still simple enough to do with a craft knife and much cheaper.
Brother Scan N Cut Options
Cricut Options
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