SnipFold

Upright Cup Magnolia

Nine broad ivory tepals rise in two sparse whorls around a tall golden six-sided receptacle. Transverse spoon folds and a footed cone distinguish this magnolia from a spreading lotus.

Materials

  • 160-180 gsm ivory paper for tepals
  • 160 gsm ochre paper for cone panels
  • 250 gsm green cardstock for support disk
  • Scissors
  • PVA glue
  • Ruler
  • Blunt scoring tool
  • Tweezers for narrow seam flaps
  • Protractor

Finished size: Approximately 81 x 87 x 54 mm

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Cut the support and nine tepals

    Print at 100 percent; check the 50 mm ruler. Cut B, O1-O6 and I1-I3 on solid perimeters. Score every transverse dashed line lightly. Keep the 10 x 6 mm root tabs intact. B is a 44 mm disk; mark its center lightly in pencil.

  2. Form and attach the outer whorl

    On each O tepal leave the root tab flat. Moving from root to tip, valley-fold by 40, 20, 18, 16 and 11 degrees, giving band inclinations of 40, 60, 78, 94 and 105 degrees above the disk. Tips turn slightly inward. Glue each 10 x 6 mm root tab to B, pointing inward: root hinge at radius 20 mm, tab inner edge at radius 14 mm. Space O1-O6 every 60 degrees, with O1 at the right (3 oclock). Hold each tab until tacky; let the entire whorl dry.

  3. Add three upright inner tepals

    Valley-fold each I tepal from root to tip by 58, 16, 14, 12 and 10 degrees, giving band inclinations 58, 74, 88, 100 and 110 degrees. Keep root tabs horizontal. Place root hinges at radius 15 mm, tab inner ends at radius 9 mm. Position I1, I2, I3 at 30, 150 and 270 degrees counterclockwise from O1. Glue tabs down onto B or the underlying outer tabs; do not glue blades together. Dry.

  4. Join the tall center shell

    Cut C1-C6. Score foot and side-lap lines. Arrange triangular faces into a six-sided cone with 7 mm base edges and height 29 mm. Fold each side lap inward about 59 degrees from its face; glue beneath the plain left edge of the next numbered panel. The lap tapers from 2 mm to 1.1 mm; align full sloping edges and tips, without widening the seam. Join C1 through C6, then close C6 onto C1. Use tweezers from the open bottom; let seams dry.

  5. Mount the cone on its feet

    Fold all six 5 x 4 mm feet outward by about 78 degrees from the unfolded position (about 102 degrees inside between foot and face) so they lie in one horizontal plane. The shell base is a regular hexagon, 14 mm corner to corner. Dry-fit centered on B, with one base vertex pointing toward O1; feet extend to roughly radius 10.4 mm. Glue the undersides of feet onto B and any inner-root-tab overlap. Seat flat without crushing the cone, then dry completely. Lift only by B; no extra cuts or hidden support are needed.

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.