Origami Blintz Base (Blintz Fold)

Blintz is a Yiddish word for a very thin pancake that is folded over its filling (particularly cheese). It’s also known as the cushion fold, due to resembling a popular cushion making technique in Japan. The manner in which this pastry was folded, was by taking all corners and foldwd to the center. Gershon Legman coined the term Blintz fold due to the fact that all four corners of the paper come to the center just like the Eastern European blintz pancake.

There are two methods for folding the Blintz fold. The second method is preferred for teaching origami to kids as it is much easier.

Method 1

Step 1

blue square origami sheet of paper

Start with a square sheet of paper and valley fold diagonally in half.

blue square origami sheet of paper folded in half diagonally

Step 2

Unfold.

Step 3

blue square origami sheet of paper folded in half diagonally

Valley fold the sheet diagonally in half again but in the opposite side.

Step 4

Unfold.

Step 5

blue square origami sheet of paper with diagonal creases

Notice the creases from the valley folds are in the shape of an “X”.

blue square origami sheet of paper being folded into a blintz base

Fold all four corners to the center of the “X” (where the two creases intersect).

Step 6

blue origami blintz base

Flatten the corner folds and you have just created a Blintz Fold

Method 2 – Easy Origami Blintz Fold For Kids

This method is much easier for kids as it require less estimation for aligning corners diagnolly which children have a hard time doing. Instead, it relies on aligining straight lines.

Step 1

orange square origami sheet of paper

Start with a square sheet of paper and valley fold vertically in half.

blintz base kids step 1.2

Step 2

orange square origami sheet of paper with right edge folded

Make sure the open ends are facing you. Then take the edge of the right side and fold it to meet with the top of the edge.

Step 3

orange square origami sheet of paper with both edges folded

Repeat with the left edge. It should kinda look like an envelope with a big flap at this point.

Step 4

orange square origami blintz base folded on half

Leave the corners folded in Step 3 and repeat Steps 2-3 on the opposite side.

Step 5

orange origami blintz base

Now unfold Step 1 and you are left with a Blintz fold.

What Can I Make With An Origami Blintz Base?

  • Origami Star
  • Origami Box
  • Origami Heart
  • Origami masu box
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