I have had this piece of argyle scrapbook paper for almost a year and have been looking for just the right use for it. It was one of those impulse purchases, where it looks so unique that you know it will be perfect for something, you just don’t know what. It’s very spring-y, and honestly it reminds me of a golfer’s sweater – perfect for fathers’ day.
Since it remind sme of a sweater, I thought of making a card cut in the shape of a sweater. I also remembered making an origami tie card when I was in grade school. While looking for directions online for the tie, I came across an entire origami shirt. And as my dad always says, “If you’re in for a dollar, you’re in for a dime’. (I still haven’t figured out what exactly that means, I figure if I say it enough, eventually it will make sense.)
Origami Shirt Card
You will need:
- 1 rectangular piece of white paper
- 1 piece of patterned paper
- 1 piece of matching solid paper
- 2 colourful brads
- 1 piece of contrasting paper (if you want to make the tie)
How to Make it:
1. Fold the white paper in half hotdog way
2. Use the center fold to fold the page in to quarters
3-4. Fold the flaps outwards at about a 45* angle. These will be the sleeves.
5. Turn the paper over. Fold back a small section at the top. This will be the height of the collar.
6. Turn the paper over again. Fold the top right corners in to form one of the peaks of the collar.
7. Repeat with the left side to form the other peak.
8. Fold the shirt in half hamburger way and tuck it under the collar.
9. Cut a piece of the patterned paper the width of your shirt body (not including the sleeves) and long enough to wrap all the way around to the back. Attach it to the white paper using scrapbook tape.
10. Cut a piece of the matching solid paper the same width as the pattern paper, and about 1/2 the length. Place it inside the card and cut where the top of the shirt slopes. Attach it using scrapbook tape.
11. Poke holes in the top layer of the shirt collar (only through one layer, not both) and attach the brads.
Want to add an origami tie?
12. Using the contrasting paper, cut a square where the diagonal length is a little longer than you want the tie to end up. Fold the left and right corners in so that they are right angle triangles.
13. Turn the paper over, and fold the top tip down to the middle of the tie, then fold it back on itself leaving a small margin.
14. Fold the top tip over on itself one more time, so that it create’s a Z-fold (if viewed from the side). This is a very common origami fold.
15. Turn the paper over agian, and fold the two sides in to the middle, narrowing the tie to the desired width and also forming the ‘knot’ shape at the top.
16. Turn it over – it looks like a tie! Attach it to the shirt with scrapbooking tape.
The finished product:
*Note: I used my Cricut cutter to cut out the ‘Happy Fathers Day’ saying. It is on the Calligraphy cartridge. Also, as I didn’t have a matching pattern paper for the tie, i created my own by using a solid yellow piece, and a cut-out overlay that says “#1 Dad”. I think it turned out pretty cute!
