SnipFold

Bowed Diamond Kite Ornament

A miniature hanging diamond with a shallow folded ridge, four paper angle spars, and a connected ribbon tail carrying three raised-wing bows. Decorative only, not a flying kite.

Materials

  • 160-180 gsm colored paper
  • Scissors
  • Scoring tool and ruler
  • PVA glue
  • 250 mm sewing thread for hanging

Finished size: Nominal illustrated paper envelope: 94.0 wide x 29.4 deep x 207.0 high mm (XYZ), including spars, tail and raised bows; external hanging thread excluded

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Cut and score

    Print at 100 percent and check the 50 mm ruler. Cut S1, R1-R4, T1 and B1-B3. Score only marked fold lines. Keep the glue flanges attached.

  2. Raise the diamond ridge

    With the colored front facing you, mountain-fold S1 along its long axis. Turn each half back 20 degrees: the interior opening at the rear is 140 degrees. The widest point is 50 mm below the top and 80 mm above the bottom, measured along the spine. Do not crease the horizontal diagonal.

  3. Fold the angle spars

    Fold each R piece 90 degrees along its length. The marked 4 mm flange will lie on the back of the sail; the other 4 mm web stands away from the sail toward the rear. Dry-fit before adding glue.

  4. Attach spine and hanging thread

    Use the widest point as height zero and the top as +50 mm. On the rear of the right half, glue R1 from +6 to +40 mm and R2 from -68 to -6 mm, with their flange long edge on the ridge and their 4 mm width extending right. Before bonding R1, loop the 250 mm thread around its angle section 5 mm below its upper end, secure with a small glue spot, then tie the free ends into a hanging loop. Let dry.

  5. Attach the split cross spar

    Glue R3 on the right rear and R4 on the left rear. Each begins 4 mm from the ridge and ends 44 mm from it, measured along the paper at the widest height. Each flange extends 4 mm toward the top. The two spars follow the two sail planes; do not force them into a straight bar. Keep the center gap and dry while holding the shallow ridge.

  6. Bond the tail

    Glue only the marked top 6 x 8 mm area of T1 onto the FRONT of the right lower sail. Place its top edge 23 mm above the bottom tip and its left edge 2 mm right of the ridge, measured on the paper. The tail extends downward 100 mm from that top edge, continuing the right sail plane. Allow this overlap to dry completely.

  7. Raise and attach three bows

    Valley-fold both wings of each B piece 25 degrees forward from its central 6 x 6 mm square. Glue that square to the front of T1, centered across its width. Put B1, B2 and B3 centers respectively 30, 58 and 86 mm below the tail top. Keep wings unglued and raised; let the joints dry.

  8. Hang the miniature

    After all bonds have dried, lift by the thread loop. Keep the bows facing outward and the ridge proud of the side tips. Adjust the free thread knot if needed for display balance. This is an indoor ornament, not a flying kite. Physical assembly and hanging balance remain unverified.

Notes

The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.