Autumn is one of my favourite times of year for crafting. There are just so many gorgeous colours to work with – deep oranges, reds, mustard yellows, woodland greens and warm browns. Iris folding works particularly well at this time of year as you can completely change the feel of a design simply by switching the papers you use. A pattern that doesn’t immediately look “autumnal” can suddenly feel perfect for the season when made with rich autumn colours, recycled papers or scraps of old wrapping paper.
This website contains affiliate links. As an affiliate I may earn money from qualifying purchases. As an Amazon Influencer/ Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you if you do use one of my links – it helps keep my website going. Please see affiliate link and disclaimer page for more information.
I’ve gathered together some of my favourite autumn iris folding patterns and ideas, including several of my own free patterns and a few lovely designs from other iris-folding creators.
If you’ve never tried iris folding before, you might like to start with my Iris Folding for Beginners guide where you’ll find instructions, tips and links to lots of free patterns. Here’s my iris folding toolkit.
Free Autumn Iris Folding Patterns from Busy Busy Learning
All of the Busy Busy Learning patterns below are free to download. You’ll find even more in my Free Iris Folding Pattern Library.
Sunflower Iris Folding Pattern
Sunflowers are one of those lovely flowers that carry us from the end of summer right into autumn.
My free sunflower iris folding pattern can actually be used either as a sun or a flower depending on the colours you choose. For an autumn sunflower I’d use warm yellows, ochre and golden papers with rich brown tones towards the centre.
It’s also a lovely opportunity to use up those tiny pieces of patterned paper that always seem too pretty to throw away.
Woodland Owl Iris Folding Pattern
Owls feel very at home in an autumn craft collection. My free owl iris folding pattern could easily be given an autumn makeover using rusty oranges, browns, deep reds and woodland greens.
Twiggles the Owl is a little wonky, which I think rather adds to his charm! Based on a pillow I once made for my Mom many years ago. My lovely auntie has just done an autumnal version with three owls sat on a branch – two larger owls and one smaller. Totally adorable!
This would make a lovely autumn card or you could mount the finished design and add it to a seasonal nature table display.
Autumn Iris Folding Lantern
Lanterns are one of my favourite crafts as the evenings begin to draw in. I originally designed my free iris folding lantern pattern for Lunar New Year, but it’s a design that works beautifully for autumn too.
I’ve also included it in our Waldorf Inspired Autumn Lanterns ideas.
Try switching the surrounding card to orange, brown or deep red and using warm glowing shades of yellow, orange and gold for the folded papers. It’s one of my more intricate iris folding patterns, so if you’re completely new to the craft I’d start with one of the easier designs first.
Create an Autumn Landscape
You’ll find a free landscape iris folding pattern in my Iris Folding Pattern Library. This one is incredibly easy to adapt through the seasons.
For autumn you could use:
- rusty orange and brown for fields
- golden yellows
- muted greens
- soft autumn skies
- scraps of patterned paper to suggest different fields and textures
It could make a beautiful little autumn scene for a card or seasonal display. Find the Landscape pattern in the free Iris Folding Pattern Library.
Make a Simple Autumn Square
Sometimes the simplest designs give you the most freedom. My free recycled square iris folding pattern is one of my favourite beginner projects. Instead of creating a particular object, choose an autumn colour palette and let the papers do all the work.
Look out for:
- old envelopes
- paper packaging
- pages from magazines
- autumn-coloured wrapping paper
- paper bags
- scraps left over from other crafts
Iris folding originally made use of papers such as patterned envelope interiors, so it’s a perfect craft for raiding the recycling pile. You could even add a die-cut or hand-cut leaf, acorn or small pumpkin to the finished square to make it more obviously seasonal.
Craftober Hobbycraft Offer
Autumn Iris Folding Patterns from Pretty in Paper by B
Pretty in Paper by B was actually where I first discovered iris folding kits before I began designing patterns myself. Bethan has an enormous selection of iris folding patterns, but there are two that particularly caught my eye for autumn.
Pumpkin Iris Folding Pattern
You really can’t have an autumn craft round-up without a pumpkin! Bethan’s Pumpkin Iris Folding Pattern is a beginner-friendly digital download which includes the iris folding pattern, card template, instructions and an SVG cut file for those using a cutting machine.
I love that this one could work equally well for general autumn crafting, harvest displays or Halloween depending on the papers you choose.
Find the Pumpkin Iris Folding Pattern at Pretty in Paper by B. If you’re not based in the UK then she has an Etsy shop for international sales here.
Autumn Leaf Iris Folding Pattern
Another lovely seasonal design is Bethan’s mini leaf iris folding pattern. It’s based around a maple-style leaf and would look gorgeous made with several shades of orange, red and yellow.
It’s another beginner pattern and would make a lovely little autumn card.
Find the Leaf Iris Folding Pattern at Pretty in Paper by B.
You can also browse more of Bethan’s designs at Pretty in Paper by B or on her Etsy store here. I’m very fond of the hedgehog that came as part of a kit.
More Free Autumn Iris Folding Patterns
If you’re still looking for ideas, Craft with Sarah has a large collection of free iris folding patterns. Two that would work especially well for autumn are:
Pumpkin Iris Folding Pattern
Sarah has a free pumpkin pattern in her iris folding library – another great choice for autumn or Halloween crafting.
Pear Iris Folding Pattern
I particularly like the idea of using the pear pattern as part of an autumn or harvest theme. You could use yellow-green, golden and russet papers for a lovely seasonal look.
Both can be found in Sarah’s complete iris folding guide and free pattern collection. You’ll need a free account/login to download the patterns.
Choosing Autumn Papers for Iris Folding
You don’t necessarily need an autumn-specific pattern to create an autumn iris folding project.
Try combining papers in colours such as:
- burnt orange
- mustard
- ochre
- deep red
- burgundy
- olive green
- forest green
- kraft brown
- copper
- gold
I generally prefer fairly lightweight papers for iris folding – around 60–80gsm works particularly well because you’re folding each strip and don’t want the finished project to become too bulky.
Origami paper is often a good option, but don’t forget to look through your recycling too.
Design Your Own Autumn Iris Folding Pattern
Once you’ve tried a few patterns, you might even fancy designing your own.
My How to Design Your Own Iris Folding Patterns tutorial includes a free square template and shows you how I adapt it to create different designs.
You could experiment with a simple:
- pumpkin
- acorn
- apple
- mushroom
- leaf
- welly boot
- hedgehog silhouette
You don’t necessarily need to make a complicated pattern for the aperture itself to instantly give the finished piece an autumn feel.
More Iris Folding Patterns
I’ve got a growing collection of free iris folding patterns and tutorials here on Busy Busy Learning.
Browse the complete free Iris Folding Pattern Library
And if you’re completely new to iris folding, start here:
Iris Folding for Beginners – Free Templates, Patterns and Tutorials
I’d love to know which autumn pattern you choose. 🍂