Iris Folding Sun, Sea and Sand!
Iris folding is such a wonderful papercraft. This post will share with you a free iris folding seascape tutorial and pattern template for you to use. This is to make a seascape with sun, sea, sand and even a little boat to sail away on! To find out how to iris fold check out this post.
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Check out the video below for the full instructions on how to create this iris folding seascape. You can access the free download template in this post. You can find the materials I used for this project here.
Perfect Iris Folding Scrap Project
If you’ve done iris folding before you will know that you can end up with random scraps of paper left. I don’t like getting rid of anything so I have a little stash of random papers. This project – with it’s small pieces of paper – is perfect for using up these scraps.
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. If scoring paper is something you find a little tricky then a scoring tool may be helpful to give a crisp line.
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.
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. In this design I have used the sparkly card for the sun and to back the design to form a bookmark. These can be thicker than what you’ve used in the rest of your design as there is no need to fold.
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. In this pattern I have turned the design into a bookmark but you can easily make it into a card or frame it to display. You can work directly onto a card blank or mount 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. As this is a a straight rectangle it won’t matter what side you cut out. If you decided to work directly onto the card blank then using a small paper insert inside the card will hide your working.
Sail Away or Not?
You don’t have to add anything to this iris folding design but I really loved the pop of colour by adding the boat. You could add rocks, a lighthouse even a whale. Whatever you like!
If you’re making the seascape into a bookmark then you’re entering the controversial world of where a tassel should be on a bookmark – at the top or the bottom!. This is a hotly debated topic in our family! This set of tassels has a good range of colours to choose from.
Free Seascape Iris Folding Pattern
You can download the free template to create this beautiful seascape iris folding papercraft here. You’ll also find out about the latest iris folding pattern releases too. Find more free iris folding patterns here including heart, bunny, bee and rainbow archway.
Cutting Out Iris Folding Templates
When cutting out the aperture 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
(image from Cricut)
Have you tried Macrame?
You might be interested in my macrame tutorials. They’re super slow so that you can see what knots to do and how to do them. I would suggest starting with the spiral pattern for complete beginners.
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