Pleated Twist Cross

Start with a square sheet of paper with the colored-side facing up.

Fold and unfold the paper horizontally into quarters. Make sure the folds are all valley folds.

Fold and unfold the paper into quarters vertically. Make sure all folds are valley folds.

Turn the paper over.

Fold and unfold the paper horizontally into eighths. To do this, make 4 valley folds in between existing crease lines.

Fold and unfold the paper vertically into eighths. To do this, make 4 valley folds in between existing vertical crease lines.

Fold and unfold the paper along the diagonals to make an X-shaped crease.

Turn the paper over.

Start to collapse the paper along existing crease lines. Sart with the outermost creases. Make mountain folds all around and along the corners as shown.

In the next round of creases, make valley folds all around and along the diagonal as shown.

For the third layer, make mountain folds all around and along the corners. The paper will start to stack and layer on top of itself.

Make valley folds as shown.

After the collapse, the paper will change from a square into an X shape.

Bring adjacent flaps together so it is stacked like a strip of paper.

Ease open the paper a little and twist along the center so the arms of the paper looks like a plus sign “+”.

Adjust as necessary to get a + shape. Try to get the arms to be perpendicular to one another.

Fold in the right arm of the cross so the pointy tip is tucked inside the layers of paper.

On the left side, the paper is a bit too long so you have to first make a reverse fold so the pointy tip is tucked in between the layers of paper of the cross.

Once that is done, fold in the left arm of the cross so the end is tucked under the layers of paper at the middle of the cross.

Make the left & right arms of the cross the same length.

Fold down the top arm down as in step 13.

Fold in the bottom tip as in step 14a. Pleated-Twist Cross is done!