Hermit Diary 49. Star

Christmas in my house would hardly be Christmas without a paper project or some sort of ornament-making, and this bizarre year is no exception. A while back, I became fascinated by mathematical origami models which are constructed using identical folded units that then are assembled into a shape, and over the years I've made a number of stellated octahedrons using Japanese papers in various combination of prints and solids.

This year, though, seemed like a good time to tackle the Bascetta Star, a model created by an Italian mathematician, Paolo Bascetta. The repetitive folding and concentration of origami are calming and meditative for me, and the process of making this star was a perfect antidote to the news.

Although each star requires 30 modular units, compared to the octahedron's 12, the folding goes fast once you understand how to do it and memorize the steps. And the assembly was actually easier than the octahedron, and way easier than the finished product would indicate. If you want to try, it's fun, and you'll end up with a pretty spectacular object that could even be hung with a small bulb inside. I made two -- this larger white and blue one, from 6 3/4" square sheets in different shades of blue and green with white on the reverse side, and a smaller red and gold star ornament from double-sided 3" squares.

 

This is the basic unit, folded from one square of paper. You can download a .pdf with instructions from Paolo Bascetta's website, and see other 2- and 3-dimensional origami pieces he's designed.

Three units joined together to make one "point". At first I thought you needed to make a bunch of three-unit modules, but that's wrong; in the final assembly, you make only one of these, then add one unit at a time in the same way, and in a particular order, until you've added all thirty. There are a number of videos out there, but I found this one on YouTube the best; it explains the assembly process very clearly, including how to hold the growing star and count the points so that you don't get confused!

Let me know if you try it -- I'd love to see what you make.

Comments

[Rachel Barenblat]

Those are beautiful, Beth. Wow.

[Roderick Robinson]

Never mind the aesthetics, it's as if you'd conquered space.

[Natalie]

Absolutely stunning, all of them. Do you hang them from the ceiling like stars, planets? Where do you keep them when the decoration season is over?

[Sharyn]

My sister makes thousands and thousands of cranes which she strings and sells at her shop. We learned to make those and the box with wings when we were kids. I have a photo of us at summer camp and she is carrying a paper crane as we walk. She would have the patience to make those stars!

[Jumpringer]

Wonderful post! I've recently become enamored with Japanese giftwrapping videos on YouTube - so precise and beautiful. Thanks for sharing your origami and web references.