How to Fold an Origami Butterfly

This super delicate and beautiful origami butterfly is highly recommended for insect lovers. You can use glitter paper to make it even more unique and charming. When you finish it, you can adjust its wings to make its shape appear more light and graceful.

This middle version of the origami butterfly has broad wings shaped like elongated triangles, and the upper wings are even wider. This butterfly folds its wings above its compact shape body. The lower pair of wings are connected with the curled legs.

It would be a great idea to use it for a gift box decoration or to create a mini origami insect world since we offer many other instructions, which you can check at the end of this post.

This is a middle version. We also offer an easy origami butterfly; it is as lovely as this one and more suited for beginners. If you are new to origami, start here from our beginner guide to know the basics and how to read the step-by-step instructions.

• Folding time: 20 minutes
• Paper: 15×15 cm
• Total steps: 31
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Designer: Evi Binzinger

Material

Get a piece of 15×15 cm origami square paper, with different colors on each side, to create an 8.1×12.2 cm origami butterfly. We strongly recommend that you use paper with fine glitter, which will make your butterfly look more eye-catching and luminous.

Origami Butterfly Video

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Start with the white side of the paper facing up, fold it in half horizontally, leaving a crease then unfold it.

Step 2

Fold it in half vertically, and unfold it.

Step 3

Fold the paper in half diagonally from the bottom right to the top left, and unfold it.

Step 4

Fold in half diagonally from the opposite position, and unfold it.

Step 5

Fold the four points to meet the center intersection point formed by the creases you just made, crease them well then unfold.

Step 6

Fold the left and right edges to align with the middle vertical crease, crease them well then unfold.

Step 7

Fold the top and bottom edges to align with the middle horizontal crease.

Step 8

Fold the right section of the bottom edge of the top rectangle to meet its middle vertical crease along the existing crease, and similarly, fold the right section of the top edge of the bottom rectangle to align with its middle vertical crease, then the right pocket will be opened. Next, fold the right edge to the left to align with the middle vertical crease, and finally flatten the pocket.

Repeat this for the left pocket.

Step 9

Flip the paper over.

Step 10

Fold up the bottom corners horizontally to meet the top edge of the middle square, crease it well then unfold.

Step 11

Similarly, fold down the top corners to meet the bottom edge of the middle square, and unfold it.

Step 12

Fold the left and right edges to align with the middle vertical crease, crease them well, and unfold them.

Step 13

Rotate the paper 90 degrees clockwise.

Step 14

Focus on the middle square, and fold its left and right edges toward the center, the top and bottom edges will be lifted as you do so, then press down the top and bottom edges toward the center as well, and finally flatten the fold. All the required creases are existing.

Step 15

Turn over the paper.

Step 16

Shape the middle vertical crease to form two arched corners on the top and bottom, then fold the left and right sections of both the two horizontal edges on the middle to align with the vertical crease you shaped. Next, shape the four horizontal and vertical creases separately in the center as the third picture shows, making the four parts of the butterfly spread out more naturally.

Step 17

Flip the paper over.

Step 18

Fold the bottom right point toward the top left along the crease shown by the dotted line.

Step 19

Then fold it toward the top right along the dotted line, leaving a crease then unfold.

Step 20

Fold the left edge of the folded layer on the bottom right to the right along the dotted line, to align with its right edge, leaving a crease then unfold.

Step 21

You can see here an intersection point formed by the two creases you made in the previous steps, shown by the red spot, next, you should fold the bottom right corner to meet this intersection point.

Then fold the left edge of this layer to the right again along the existing crease.

Step 22

Focus on the bottom left part, and fold the bottom left point toward the top right along the crease shown by the dotted line.

Step 23

Then fold it to its top left corner along the dotted line, leaving a crease then unfold.

Step 24

Fold the top right edge of this folded layer to align with its left edge, leaving a crease then unfold.

Step 25

Like before, fold the bottom left corner to meet the intersection point, and fold the top right edge of this layer to align with its left edge again.

Step 26

Turn over the model.

Step 27

Sharpen the bottom right corner, and bend it to the right side.

Step 28

Similarly, sharpen the bottom left corner and bend it to the left side.

Step 29

Flip the paper over.

Step 30

Fold the top left corner of the bottom left part and the top right corner of the bottom right part a little.

Step 31

Flip the paper over, this is your lovely origami butterfly.

What’s Next

This is the final shape of an origami butterfly, now you can explore our other origami insects instructions. Happy folding!

Other Origami Insects Ideas

Gum Wrapper Origami Butterfly Instruction

10 Minutes

19 Steps

Easy Dollar Bill Origami Butterfly

30 Minutes

30 Steps

Easy Sticky Note Origami Butterfly

5 Minutes

12 Steps

Origami Butterfly Bookmark

15 Minutes

17 Steps