Origami Stars

This book is not for the faint of heart, and I like that! While it is always nice to have origami books for beginners, or ones that start with easy projects and increase in hardness, I love origami books that assume that you know what you are doing. Origami stars certainly is for more seasoned folders, so if you are a beginner I suggest looking elsewhere because you might find yourself really frustrated. The folds in this book are a delight, lots of sinking folds and pre-creasing that leads to the whole model collapsing into a beautiful star. I am tempted to fold multiples of all the stars and hang them from a tree during the holidays, because with the right paper these models are beautiful. Even using typical colored on one side white on the other origami paper can lead to very striking stars, with duo paper you can get some fantastic contrast.

Before each model's instruction there are little snippets of information (along with who created the original design) ranging from the history of that specific model to cute little trivia facts (like needing a sheet of paper 902,508 miles wide to make a life size paper star.)

I think the most exciting thing about all the models is they are single sheet. When I say the cover I was convinced at least half of them were modular (my specialty) but nope, all one sheet. This of course means some of the folds are crazy intense and very complex, boggling my mind, and I have been folding for years.

It is safe to say this book will be added to my collection!

Review will be posted December 26 I am always looking for fun crafty things to do and add to my scrapbook, so when I saw a book all about how to make Origami Stars, I needed to check it out! The book is broken down by the number of points the star has ranging from 3-8+. They are also ranked by how difficult they are to make, using, of course, a star ranking system where 1 star is simple, 2 stars is intermediate and 3 stars is complex. There are pictures of all 37 of the stars listed in the book in the index so you can easily pick out which one you would like to make and then flip to the pages with the instructions! There is also a guide to the origami symbols which was great because while I've done origami in the past, I didn't really remember much about how to do it. I needed the refresher! There are also some how to's on folding and what the basic folds are. This is definitely a book I'll be referencing again and who knows, maybe you'll see a star or two in my future scrapbook posts!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

This is an excellent resource for folding origami shapes that can be integrated into math instruction. Since it focuses on star shapes, it is perfect for illustrating symmetry and fractions. Love it!

This is a wonderful and different kind of origami book. To start with, I didn't realise quite how many different kinds of stars there are that you can make out of paper! This looks like a lot of fun and I'll certainly be having a good go at making a few of these. There's a range in complexity of each of the stars, some suitable for novices like me and some quite extraordinary stars for those who have had a bit more practice. I think you certainly need a bit of knowledge before tackling some of these stars!

With some entertaining passages and well detailed instructions it made it a fun and challenging book. I loved reading the snippets of information by the side of each star's instructions such as on the twelve-pointed propeller star, which when you have captured it allows you to become "Master of the Universe". Now who doesn't want that?

The diagrams are beautifully illustrating showing each fold needed along the way! A bright and beautiful origami book. It would be a great resource to use in the near future and certainly one that I'll be keeping an eye out for. I may well need to work on my paper folding skills beforehand though!

Origami Stars by John Montroll was an excellent guide to making a paper folding that looked like a star when it was finished. My mother in law has tried to get me to like origami, and my sister who is in Japan is constantly sending me paper packets of origami paper. After trying and trying, I had finally given up. This book has made me a believer that anyone, even the untalented, can learn to fold origami. There are not only pictures, but step by step instructions (in english.) Also there are instructions in the beginning which tell you what those little arrows mean. Whether they mean fold to the front, fold to the back, fold while standing on your head, it is all explained. I enjoyed reading this book, thank you John for explaining so fully, how to fold Origami!

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I've always been fascinated by the oriental art of Origami, or paper folding to make animals and other shapes, so when I saw this book I had to take a look.

What makes this craft book different from other books with Origami instructions is that it specializes in stars! These range from three-pointed stars all the way up to twelve pointed stars.

The instructions are clearly illustrated in color with step by step demonstrations and a page at the beginning of the book designated the complexity level of each design. The author says in the introduction that most of them are his own design. Though colors will vary according to what paper you use, some designs are folded so that the back color of the paper alternates with the front color for variation in designs.

Some of them do require small cuts and are woven together in ways that make very striking designs. I should think they would be wonderful for making home made Christmas decorations, maybe finishing with a little glitter spray.

The book is unique in its speciality and I think would make a great addition to any craft library.

In this book there are instructions for making forty different two-dimensional stars, each made from a single sheet of square paper. There are relatively easy to follow diagrams which apparently are “drawn in the internationally approved Randlett-Yoshizawa style” (quoted from the book’s introduction). The contents page shows drawings of the different stars and, very helpfully, indicates how difficult they are to make – very useful when, like me, you are a beginner as it shows you which are easiest to start with! Teachers and anyone trying to create interesting displays should certainly take a look at this book. I think it will also be useful in teaching several aspects of mathematics relating to number, shape, symmetry and pattern as well as fractions.

Symbols used and basic folds are clearly explained in words and diagrams making them relatively easy to follow or to refer back to if you forget any of them. The steps to follow to create each star are well illustrated and annotated. What a fantastic book for anyone interested in making an incredible variety of origami stars! Now, all I want is a limitless supply of two coloured square sheets of paper . . . stars in the making!

These easy-to-follow instrictions and diagrams make it possible to complete an endless variety of colorful, 3-D stars. Make one or make enough to decorate a classroom or make a mobile.

An excellent book, ideal for the beginner or the more experienced. Great diagrams and clear instructions.

A very enjoyable, fun origami book.

I've dabbled some in origami. I first became interested in when I was a kid and went to Epcot Center, and one of the ladies there taught me a few things. My dad was hooked as well, bought a couple of packs of origami paper and some books for me, and I did some folding for a few years and then forgot about it, until I met a gal from Japan in college, and got back into it thanks to her.

This is a great book to add to my library. The directions are clear, there is such great variety in skill levels here and the stars are all fascinating as well. I love all the little comments and notes throughout the book as well.

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I received a copy of this book for free from netgalley in exchange for my honest review

Great fun for all and easy to follow clear and precise directions. Hours of fun to be had by all. Assorted color paper will make these even more fun.

For those who are new, or at an intermediate level of learning origami, this is a good book to get. And if you like making stars it’s even better, because the whole book shows how to make different kinds of stars. I do recommend you learn, and memorize, all the different folds, arrows, and creasing diagrams. I am new to origami so I had to keep stopping and going back to the illustrations of the folds, and figuring out what the different creasing and arrows were. Once I figured out I needed to spend a little more time remembering those it went a little better for me. I even got my son (who is mentally retarded with learning disabilities) to come and learn the easier ones with me, and we had fun trying to get them to look just like the ones in the book. Now we are going to look around for more of Mr. Montroll’s books so we can have some more fun.