Henrys Star

origami star origami star

This paper star is called Henrys Star because of the book The Carpenter’s Gift, by David Rubel. The boy in the story is named Henry and he makes a star out of newspaper. The story does not go into detail as to how the star was made, but the front cover shows a star like the one shown here. The book is illustrated by Jim La Marche. Diagrams of this model can be found here.

Henry’s Star is not hard to fold, but it hard to fold well. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the angles just right. But the good news is that it takes less than 5 minutes to make so you can try folding the paper star as often as you like.

Instructions for Henrys Star


Henrys Star

Step 1:

Start with a square sheet of paper and fold it in half horizontal and vertical. Unfold and turn the paper over.


origami star

Step 2:

Fold and unfold along the diagonals.


origami star

Step 3:

Collapse the paper into a waterbomb base. First, push in the sides of the paper together.


origami star

Allow the top to come down.


origami star

Press down flat.


origami star

Step 4:

Fold the top-right flap towards the left. Align the edge of the paper with the middle crease.


origami star

Turn the model over.


origami star

Step 5:

Fold one layer from left to right.


origami star

Rotate the model counter-clockwise slightly so two of the points look like the bottom of a star.


origami star

Step 6:

Fold up the left flap.


origami star

Imagine this point is the top-left point of the star. Adjust the position a little to the left or right to get a nice looking star. Once you’ve decided the best positioning, press the paper down to establish the creases.


origami star

Step 7:

Fold the right flap towards the left. Use the bottom layer of the star as a guide.


origami star

Step 8:

Fold this flap back up. Note the location of the left-flap and try to make the right-flap symmetrical. Once you have found the perfect spot, press down to establish the crease.


origami star

Turn over and Henrys Star is done.


origami star

Not bad!