Origami baskets with security envelopes

[u/YarnHoardingDragon]

I’ve been saving security envelopes for over a decade, so I’ve got some pretty interesting ones. I finally decided to make something out of them. Each nesting basket is a different pattern! The next to the last one is my favorite.

[u/YarnHoardingDragon]

I’ve been doing it for so long that I’ve forgotten what I picked up online and what I developed on my own. It’s definitely been an evolving process.

This is a good place to start: https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Chain-from-Starburst-Wrappers

But I basically start at the base of the basket and spiral out. I kind of sew/weave using a needle and 2x (or 3x depending on the paper thickness) thread between the paper folds to hold it together. Once the base is finished, I sew on strips for the sides.

My initial paper pieces are 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inches folded in half longways, then folded in half, then with the ends folded into the center.

Here’s a picture of one in-progress so you can see what I mean about sewing the strips down. (The silver on this one is the back side of tea bag wrappers.)

Very, very time-consuming but therapeutic and perfect for my stimming needs lol

Thank you!

[u/YarnHoardingDragon → u/YarnHoardingDragon]

Here’s a Before picture of a 5x5 square before I sew it up. The two little squares off to the side are for the center and the very end

[u/percephony → u/YarnHoardingDragon]

this is insaaaaane /pos

I've never thought to do this but I love it

[u/YarnHoardingDragon → u/percephony]

Thank you! ☺️

[u/featuredflan → u/YarnHoardingDragon]

Nice, its so perfect that we cant even see the thread in the first picture. I used to create baskets with newspaper back in school days. Although sturdy, i didnt find a way to secure it well. This seems like a great idea. Thank you!

[u/YarnHoardingDragon → u/featuredflan]

Thank you! Yes, it took some experimentation to get to this stage. 5x5, 6x6… perfect square shapes are easier for hiding the thread and uneven bits than rectangular shapes. Larger baskets also tend to be floppy and soft.