SnipFold

Reflexed Pendant Fuchsia

Four hot-pink sepals turn back above a violet four-lobed pendant skirt; eight slender gold stamens hang below a reinforced suspension plate.

Materials

  • 160-180 gsm double-sided pink and violet paper
  • 160 gsm gold paper for stamens
  • 220-250 gsm green card for H1 and H2
  • PVA glue
  • Scissors and craft knife
  • Ruler and blunt scoring tool
  • Needle and 300 mm sewing thread for suspension (not rendered)
  • Small clips or tweezers

Finished size: 97 x 97 x 61 mm paper body; suspension loop additional

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Calibrate and cut

    Print at actual size; the ruler must measure 50 mm. Cut all 18 instances once, including the two 2 x 2 mm holes in each hub plate. Keep the 1.8 mm stamen stems intact. Score only marked fold lines; use the listed paper weights.

  2. Laminate the mounting plate

    Glue H2 below H1, matching all four 24 mm edges and both holes exactly. Apply a thin film in the two marked 7 x 22 mm zones. Press flat for 20 minutes or until fully set; keep the holes clear.

  3. Thread the suspension

    Pass each end of a 300 mm thread down through a different hole, leaving a loop above H1. Tie the two ends together beneath H2 with a double knot and trim tails to 10 mm. The short thread bridge below the plate carries the load across the 4 mm card web between holes. Keep the loop centered; do not glue the thread. Final loop height is about 120 mm depending on knots.

  4. Fold and mount eight stamens

    Fold each T root at 5 mm by 90 degrees downward, leaving the diamond-like anther uncreased. Glue the 1.8 x 5 mm root tabs to the underside at eight evenly spaced directions, 45 degrees apart. Each tab runs radially from 4 to 9 mm from the plate center; its hanging stem starts at radius 9 mm. Alternate 48 and 52 mm hanging lengths. Hold with tweezers until set, keeping the thread bridge free.

  5. Make the violet skirt

    Fold K1-K4 down 70 degrees at the 6 mm root line; the 30 mm body remains planar including its narrowed end. Glue each 8 x 6 mm tab under H2, above the stamen tabs, centered toward a plate corner. Tabs run from radius 6 to 12 mm, with the skirt falling outward. Space lobes 90 degrees apart. Rim is about 28.2 mm below the plate; do not join lobe edges or close their intentional gaps. Let dry 15 minutes.

  6. Reflex the pink sepals

    Keep each 8 x 6 mm S root flat. At y=6 mm mountain-fold the next 18 mm down 35 degrees. At y=24 mm valley-fold the pointed 28 mm tip back up 75 degrees relative to the middle facet, so it rises 40 degrees above horizontal. The tip finishes about 7.7 mm above its root. Use the same folds for all four; do not curl or score the long edges.

  7. Attach the outer star

    Glue S1-S4 root tabs on top of H1, centered on the four side midpoints, alternating with the violet corner directions. Each root extends from radius 6 to 12 mm; its first crease meets the plate edge. Apply glue only to the marked 8 x 6 mm areas. Hold the 35-degree droop and 75-degree reflex while glue sets; opposite tips span approximately 96.4 mm.

  8. Cure and hang

    Allow all joints to cure at least 30 minutes, longer if the glue label requires it. Lift by the loop over a padded surface and inspect the plate holes, knot and all root bonds. The violet rim should hang about 28 mm below the plate, with anthers 20-24 mm farther down. Adjust only the thread knot to balance; do not pull individual sepals. Physical strength and long-term crease retention still require a real build.

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.