Lotus in the Window

Closed, the lotus peeks out of the round window on the cover. When you open it, the platform with the lotus slides out on the fold and passes through the window to the inside. Inspired by @nayiidraw.

• Hard
• 42 steps
• 7 stages
• 1 Letter sheet

Make it with your phone cameraLesson code: 3460

On VanGami the template appears over your sheet through your phone camera — no printer needed. Trace it, cut, fold and glue. Below are all the steps in text.

What you’ll need

• 2 Letter sheets — office paper, 80 gsm (20 lb)
• Markers
• Pencil — and eraser
• Ruler — 11¾ in
• Scissors — small
• Glue — stick and PVA glue
• Glass — phone stand

Steps

Trace

1. Sturdy sheet from two. Spread a glue stick over a whole sheet of office paper, lay a second sheet on top and smooth it with your palm from the middle to the edges. You get a sturdy sheet — work on it.
2. Base edge. The base is the top 4¾ in of the sheet, 8¼ in wide. Draw a line across the sheet 4¾ in from the top edge and a vertical one 8¼ in from the left edge: you’ll cut the base out along them later.
3. Window Ø 3⅛ in. Trace the whole circle. Mark the two short spots on the circle with crosses — don't cut them, they hold the circle in place. Inside, trace a thin Ø 2⅞ in circle with a cross: the glue goes along it later.
4. Card fold. In the middle of the base, make two short marks, ⅜ in each, at the top and bottom edges. Draw them as dashed lines: this is a fold, not a cut.
5. Hinges and bend. Three lines above and below the circle: 1⅝ in and ¾ in to the left of the fold and ¾ in to the right. Dashed too — these are the mechanism’s folds.
6. Slits. Two slits of 2⅜ in, ⅜ in from the edge — above and below the circle — and one ¾ in slit in the middle, to the right of the circle.
7. Writing lines. On the right half — 7 lines for your message. Draw them thin; you’ll trace over them with a marker later.
8. Five stars. Below the base — five stars with 8 petals each: from Ø 2¾ in down to Ø 1⅛ in. The lines down the middle of the petals are veins.
9. Three leaves. A large leaf, Ø 2⅞ in, to go under the lotus, and two small ones next to the window. Don’t forget the narrow notch to the center and the veins.
10. Fringed strip. A ½ × 3⅛ in strip and closely spaced fringe marks: 5/16 in deep, every 1/16 in.

Color

11. Petals. Use a pink marker: darker near the center, lighter toward the tips. Go over the veins with dark pink.
12. Leaves. Color the leaves green and leave the veins lighter, or go over them with light green.
13. Center. Color the strip yellow and its bottom edge orange — that way the center looks three-dimensional.
14. Writing lines. Trace over the writing lines in pink. That’s it — you can put the phone away; the rest is done by hand.

Cut

15. Cut off the base. Cut with scissors along the line 4¾ in from the top and along the vertical line on the right. The left and top edges are the sheet’s own edges — don’t touch them.
16. Cut out the stars. All five stars, along the outline. In the narrow spots between petals, cut with the tips of the scissors.
17. Cut out the leaves. The large leaf and the two small ones. Cut the notch to the center too.
18. Cut out the strip. Cut the ½ × 3⅛ in strip along the straight lines.
19. Cut the fringe. Along the marks: cuts 5/16 in deep, every 1/16 in. Leave the bottom 3/16 in of the strip uncut.
20. Cut the window. Put the base on a cutting mat or cardboard. Cut around the circle with a craft knife, but don’t cut the two arcs with crosses — they hold the circle in place.
21. Slits near the edge. Along a ruler — two slits, 2⅜ in each, ⅜ in from the top and bottom edges. From the hinge at 1⅝ in on the left to the line at ¾ in on the right.
22. Middle slit. A short ¾ in slit at mid-height: from the point where the circle touches the fold, going right.

Fold

23. Score the lines. Score all the dashed lines with an empty pen along a ruler: the middle fold, the hinges and the bend.
24. Which way each fold goes. Valley fold (inward) — the card fold and both hinges. Mountain fold (outward) — the bend ¾ in to the left of the fold.
25. To a right angle. Fold to 90°: the circle stands up by itself as a horizontal platform and comes halfway through the window.
26. Trim the circle. The platform lies flat — trim half 1/16 in off the edge of the circle so it passes through the window without catching.
27. Close and open. Fold the card all the way shut, then open it. The circle should pass through the window and back. Do this 2–3 times to soften the folds.

Lotus

28. Curl the petals. Take the large star and curl each petal slightly upward by running a pencil or a scissor blade from the center to the tip.
29. The other stars. The smaller the star, the stronger the curl: on the smallest one the petals are almost vertical.
30. First layer. Put a drop of glue in the center of the large leaf and set the biggest star on top.
31. Second layer. Turn the second star half a petal so its petals sit between the petals of the first.
32. Three more layers. Add the third, fourth and fifth the same way, each turned half a petal, from largest to smallest.
33. Roll the center. Roll the strip tightly with the fringe facing up, and fix the end with a drop of glue.
34. Glue in the center. Dab PVA glue in the center of the lotus and set the roll in it. Fluff the fringe with your fingers.

Glue

35. Erase the pencil. Use the eraser wherever pencil shows: stitch lines, dashed lines, the window outline. Leave the glue circle for now.
36. Glue on the circle. Open the card flat. Apply glue stick along the Ø 2⅞ in circle and in the center.
37. Glue on the lotus. Set the leaf with the lotus exactly in the center of the circle. Press for 10 seconds.
38. Small leaves. Glue the two small leaves to the left of the window, on the same side as the lotus. Don’t glue anything on the circle or the little tabs: they move.
39. Message. Write a message on the lines on the right. You can skip this.

Check

40. Close. Slowly fold the card shut: the platform with the lotus will pass through the window.
41. How it looks closed. The lotus peeks out of the cover window; inside, there are only flat tabs. Nothing gets crumpled.
42. Open. When you open the card, the platform slides forward and settles into the window, lotus facing you.
43. If something’s off. The circle catches on the window — trim its edge another half millimeter. The platform won’t stand up — fold the bend harder as a mountain fold. The lotus rubs the edge — trim the longest petals.

Done. Close and open the card: the lotus passes through the window and back.

Make it with your phone camera

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