let's start posting the swallow-pictures! it'll probably take some time until all of the 50 pictures will appear in here and again for adding some explaining comments. please, if you'll get the bird ready, post a picture to the forum and do not forget the authorship - it's a model by sipho mabona. sipho taught this old version - the new one has a closed belly - at the german convention 2009 . i took the chance to join his workshop and with refolding it from time to time i managed it to remember the way to fold that swallow.
i'd recommend a size not smaller than 20x20 cm. i did it with different paper qualities - copy, kraft, tant - but cannot say what's best. just try to find your own favourites ...
1 fold the diagonals and - on the other side - the middle creases

2 collapse the paper to a triangle

3 fold the long edge of each flap to the middle crease
4 squash fold each flap

5 and make ...
6 a petal fold - 4 times

7 fold one of the lower triangle flaps ...
8 ... inside

9 fold the short edges of the remaining flaps to the middle crease
10 open again and squash fold ...

11 ... to get something like this

12 pull the free tips downwards ...

13 to reach this level - the future backside

14 and the front or belly side

15 pull out the wings

16 if you do it right, the lower part will misteriously catch
the parting edge inside

17

18 fold the tip of the wings to the opposite crossing point of neck and shoulderline

19 and back outside-down

20 do you recognize the reference points to fold both of these little flaps?

21 open up the wings slightly and make two pockets

22 form the lower wing parts ...

23 ... like this

24 and tuck the rearranged upper flaps ...

25 into the pocket below
do you remember creating these small pockets in step 21? now you have to fold the lower layer over the edge of the pockets and tuck the little flaps inside.
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50
that's it ...