You probably remember the smell of Elmer’s glue and the sound of safety scissors from second grade. Everyone was hacking away at white printer paper, trying to make something that didn’t look like a square with a hole in it. Most of us grew up thinking a paper snowflake has four sides or maybe eight if we got fancy. But honestly? Real snowflakes—the ones falling from the sky—are almost always six-sided. It’s a bit of molecular chemistry involving water molecules bonding in a hexagonal lattice. If you want to know how to fold a paper snowflake that actually looks like a professional decoration rather than a preschool craft project, you have to master the 60-degree fold.
Most people fail because they just fold the paper in half and in half again. That’s easy. It’s also wrong. It gives you a four-pointed star. To get that high-end, boutique-style look, you’ve got to trick the paper into a triangle that represents one-sixth of the circle.
It sounds technical. It isn't. You just need a bit of patience and a sharp pair of scissors.
The Secret Geometry of the Six-Pointed Fold
Before you even touch the paper, understand that the "real" way to do this involves a bit of geometry. Don't worry, there's no quiz. Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, the first person to successfully photograph a single snow crystal in 1885, spent his whole life documenting these things. He found that while no two are alike, they almost universally share that hexagonal symmetry.
To mimic nature, you start with a square. If you’re using standard A4 or Letter paper, fold one corner down to the opposite edge to create a triangle and slice off the extra strip. Now you have a square. Fold that square diagonally so it's a big triangle. Fold it in half again to find the center point, then open that last fold back up.
Here is where people mess up. You aren't folding it in half again. You are folding the left and right sides inward at 60-degree angles so they overlap like a bird's tail or a slice of pie. One side goes over, the other side goes over it. It should look like a little arrowhead with two "tails" sticking out the top. If those tails aren't even, your snowflake will be lopsided. Take the time to shimmy the paper until the edges align perfectly. If you've done it right, you've just compressed 360 degrees of paper into a 60-degree wedge.
Scissors, Snips, and the Physics of Negative Space
When you start cutting, you’re basically an architect of negative space. Every chunk of paper you remove is a "hole" in the final design. The most important rule? Do not cut all the way across the folded edges. If you cut from one side to the other, the whole thing falls apart. You’re left with a handful of confetti and a sad realization that you just wasted five minutes.
Keep at least some of those folded edges intact. These are the "bones" of your snowflake.
Professional paper artists, like those who follow the Kirigami tradition (the Japanese art of folding and cutting paper), often use detail knives. But for a standard how to fold a paper snowflake session at the kitchen table, small embroidery scissors are your best friend. They have tiny, sharp blades that can get into corners where big kitchen shears just crush the paper fibers.
Try cutting deep notches. Try tiny circles. If you snip off the very tip of the triangle (the point that was the center of the square), you’ll end up with a hole in the middle of your snowflake. Sometimes that looks cool. Sometimes it makes the whole thing look like a donut. It's your call.
Why Your Paper Choice Changes Everything
Thin paper is king.
If you use heavy cardstock, you’re going to have a bad time. By the time you fold a piece of cardstock into twelve layers (which is what happens with a six-point fold), it’s basically a piece of plywood. You’ll need a power saw to get through it.
Standard 20lb printer paper is okay, but it’s still a bit thick. If you want those incredibly intricate, lace-like designs, use origami paper or even tissue paper. Coffee filters are a legendary "hack" in the crafting world because they are already circular and very thin, though they can be a bit flimsy if you get too aggressive with the scissors.
- Origami Paper: Great because it often has a different color on each side.
- Wrapping Paper: Perfect for giant snowflakes, but it tears easily.
- Vellum: Provides a ghostly, translucent look that looks amazing taped to a window.
Avoiding the "Crumpled Mess" Look
Once you finish cutting, the temptation is to rip it open immediately. Stop. Breathe.
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Paper has "memory." Because you've crushed those folds down, the paper wants to stay curled up. If you force it open, you’ll likely snag a delicate branch and tear the whole thing. Peel the layers back one by one with the pads of your fingers.
If you want it to look truly professional—like something you'd see in a lifestyle magazine—you have to iron it. Put your snowflake under a thin dish towel and run a dry iron over it on low heat. This flattens the creases and makes the paper crisp. It’s the difference between a "craft" and "decor."
Common Mistakes That Ruin the Symmetry
I've seen people get frustrated because their snowflakes look "chunky." This usually happens because they are afraid to take out enough paper. A good snowflake should be about 50% to 70% empty space. If you only cut a few triangles out of the edges, it’s going to look heavy.
Another thing: the "tails" at the top of your folded wedge. Cut those off in a curve or a spike before you start your internal patterns. That defines the outer shape of the snowflake. If you leave them straight, your snowflake will be a hexagon; if you cut them into a deep "V," you get a classic star shape.
Also, watch your center. If you cut too much away near the point of your folded wedge, the center becomes very weak. One sneeze and the whole thing rips. Leave a little bit of "meat" near the center to act as an anchor.
Advanced Techniques: Beyond the Basics
If you’ve mastered the 6-point fold, you can start experimenting with 3D snowflakes. This involves cutting several identical snowflakes and slotting them together or using the "Stellar" method where you fold six individual squares of paper, cut parallel lines into them, and staple them together into a massive, architectural star.
But for the classic flat flake, try "stacking" your cuts. This means cutting shapes inside of other shapes. If you cut a large triangle out of the side, and then cut a tiny notch out of the edge of that triangle, you create a nested pattern. It looks incredibly complex but it's just two simple snips.
Real-world experts in "Scheren- schnitte" (the German art of paper cutting) use these techniques to tell stories within the paper. While you might not be cutting a forest scene into a 4-inch square of paper today, the principle of layered cutting is what makes the pros stand out from the amateurs.
Final Steps for a Flawless Finish
Once your snowflakes are cut and ironed, don't just tape them to the wall with masking tape. That’s for dorm rooms.
- Fishing Line: Use clear monofilament to hang them from the ceiling at different heights. It makes them look like they are actually floating in the air.
- Stiffening: If you used thin paper and want them to last, spray them with a light coat of hairspray or clear acrylic sealer. It keeps them from wilting in humid rooms.
- Glitter (Optional): If you must use glitter, use a spray adhesive. Please. Applying school glue and dumping a jar of glitter on a delicate snowflake is a recipe for a soggy, heavy mess.
The beauty of learning how to fold a paper snowflake is that it’s a low-stakes hobby. If you mess up, it's just a piece of paper. Toss it in the recycling bin and start over. The more you do it, the more your hands "learn" the angles. Eventually, you won't even need to think about the 60-degree fold; you'll just see the triangle in your mind and your hands will follow.
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Grab a stack of paper, find a sharp pair of small scissors, and start with the 60-degree overlap. Avoid the 90-degree "square" fold at all costs. Iron your finished pieces to remove the evidence of the struggle. Hang them with clear string to give them the space they deserve. You’ll find that a few well-placed, six-sided flakes look far more intentional and sophisticated than a blizzard of poorly folded squares.