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Pinwheel

Pinwheel Model Step 4

Pinwheel

Pinwheel Fold #10
Pull the fourth side all the way out, and crease it diagonally in the center of the model, so that it overlaps the first triangle you made.
 

 Valley fold the square below (in the center of the model) it in half diagonally, so that the square covers the first triangle you made.
 

Pinwheel Fold #11
Finish the third side, which will create the fourth side, in the wrong place and backwards.
 

 Complete the third edge now, forming the triangle like before, and a backwards triangle over the first triangle you made.
 

Pinwheel Model Step 3

Pinwheel

Pinwheel Fold #7
As you fold the left flap over, the top right square will need to be folded in half, into a triangle on the top of the model.
 
 
 After creasing the valley fold, valley fold the right third over it. This will create a triangle on the top, which is your mountain fold. Crease well, rotate the paper 90 degrees, and do it again to the second side, creating a triangle above it.
 

Pinwheel Fold #8
Rotate the model 90 degrees to the left, and do the fold again. Repeat.
 

Pinwheel Model Step 2

Pinwheel

Pinwheel Fold #4
Valley fold the top third down
 

 Valley fold the top third down, so that you have a rectangle made of 6 squares.

Pinwheel Fold #5
Create two folds, one diagonal valley fold (from left bottom to top right) through the middle of the center square on the third you just folded last, and one diagonal mountain through the right square (from left top to right bottom).
 
 
 Look closely at this picture. You will fold a valley fold through the center square, and a mountain fold through the right square. The are diagonal folds, going in opposite directions. Completing these folds will require valley folding the right third of the paper.

Pinwheel Model

Pinwheel

Origami Pinwheel
The first known paper pinwheel originate in Europe where baptism certificates were folded into this unique shape during the 1800's.

The first known paper pinwheel originate in Europe where baptism certificates were folded into this unique shape during the 1800's. I must assume that either the fold is older than that, or the name was applied later, since the obvious use for a pinwheel involves pinning it to something, and letting the wind spin it. I can't imagine that Europians did this with baptism certificates. Here are the directions, so that you too can make your own paper pinwheel.

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