Help with Gerwin Sturm's Four Leaf Clover

[Supasing]

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to fold this four leave clover for a couple hours now, and I'm not making any progress. I'm stuck on step 3 to about step 9. I feel like these shouldn't be very difficult, but I'm having trouble understanding them. 12 and on makes sense to me.

I'd really appreciate some help with this folding. A video or an explanation would be wonderful. It's a surprise for someone slightly more talented in origami than me, so asking for help would be a bit odd.

Here's the pdf: http://www.origamiaustria.at/diagrams/f ... clover.pdf

Thanks in advance,
Supasing

[Adam]

Hello Supasing,
Since you're getting stuck on step 3, it's not really surprising that the subsequent steps seem confusing. Here's a video showing you how to perform what is called an 'open sink'. This is also what you have to do in step 12, by the way.

I hope this helped.

[Supasing]

Hi Adam,

Oops. I meant I'm stuck from step 5 to 12. I'm able to do the open sink and the inside reverse folds.

The rabbit ear fold of step five is confusing me. I can do the fold, I just don't understand how it's done in that scenario.



Thanks

[Adam]

Here's an image showing you the intermediary steps:



First, take the top right edge (created in the previous step) and move it so that the red lines from the diagram are aligned. Make sure you only grab the top layer of paper, as shown in the picture below [the flap I'm holding] (- sorry for the poor quality; I've only got a webcam at my disposal and the lighting is horrible..). If you crease all the way through (just pretend the dashed line is twice as long in the diagram), then the next step (the squash fold) will be made easier.



Then, do the same on the other side, but in a mirrored fashion.

Finally, fold along these two creases at the same time. The flap you're trying to create with the rabbit-ear should now shoot up (and hence the model will not yet lie flat).



All you have to do now is to fold this flap over to the right, so that the model is flat again.

[Supasing]

Thank you so much!

This is what I have so far:


That looks to be at about step 8.

Now am I supposed to fold those flaps down and open up the open sink that I made?

When I do that, I get this:


I don't think that looks right at all. I don't have those splits like in step 13 of the diagram.

Did I mess up somewhere? I feel like my squash folds of step 10 are wrong.

[Adam]

Well, what you have after step 7 looks right. I guess you've indeed made some mistake in the squash-folding steps. Perhaps you opened up the wrong layer in step 8?

I'll try to make a video or some pictures later on, in an attempt to clarify those steps.

[Supasing]

That'd be fantastic. Thank you so much.

[Adam]

Here's a short photo guide I created, starting from step 7 and ending at step 11. I hope it helps you; if not, then I can always try to create a video:
http://img43.imageshack.us/g/dsc00145jk.jpg/

[Supasing]

Thank you so much. That was perfect. If you even happen to be in Rhode Island (USA) drinks are on me

[Adam]

You're very welcome. I'm delighted to hear that I could help you out.