Folding Umbrellas – Easy DIY Fun

Folding umbrellas are a lot of fun to make and these ones can spark your imagination when it comes to paper choices, designs, and even using some of your digital papers in the process. I was intrigued with these cute umbrellas when I saw a tutorial on how to make them using origami techniques. I immediately had to give it a try but as usual found myself folding challenged.

It occured to me that I could design the pattern in Illustrator, Cut and score the pieces using my Cricut machine and then simply put one of these together. I hate to admit, it took me several tries until I got it right but it has been well worth it. I now have an easy to use template you can use for hand folding or using your Cricut

You will find the templates in my resources library - all free for the download! If you are not already a subscriber to my newsletter, you will need to do so in order to get the password to the resource library - it is all FREE and I do not charge anything for the files there.  

Here’s what you need to make your own Floating Die-Cut Handmade Card . This post does contain some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy. 

You need very few supplies for this project (budget friendly)

This is a general step-by-step guide. I suggest you watch the video below to get more details on how to put together these gorgeous folding umbrellas. For this guide I have used a template made for using with a Cricut cutting machine.

Download the template from the resource library.

Upload the file to Design Space and open it in a new project.

Change the center lines to score lines and then attach each unit together before setting the Cricut to Score and Cut (see the video for details).

Remove your cut project pieces from your Cricut mat.

Fold the score lines for the top in a zig-zag pattern (mountain and valley folds - alternating)

Fold the inner part of the umbrella the same way except make sure the cut triangle parts are valley folds.

Pre fold the inner part of the umbrella so it closes properly. This means there is a center pointing down and the outside edges fold into them.

Glue the two edges (top and inner pieces) together.

Roll your sheet of origami paper on the diagonal. You do not want it to get too thick as you will need to insert one ends into the bottom and through to the top of the umbrella.

Curl one end of the handle tightly and insert it into the small hole in the inner piece of the umbrella and push it until it goes through the top. Pull it through so that you can add your wooden bead into place. 

Apply glue to the wooden bead at the bottom and press it into the top of the umbrella. Hold it in place then set aside to dry.

Now curve the handle at the bottom to represent an umbrella handle.

This folding umbrella is generally done with Origami paper and folding techniques without the use of a Cricut. In this tutorial I created the template for you so the folds will be very accurate. Here are some books on Origami that you may be interested in exploring:

Di you have fun making these gorgeous folding umbrellas? I know I certainly did and will be making more for birthday parties and celebrations. This were so simple to make once the inner part of the umbrella was folded correctly. There is a trick, and that was to prefold the inside before doing any gluing.

For the handle, you could have used any type of paper as long as it was fairly thin. I also found I could use a paper straw (although it did not work as well). You can try different materials to see what works best for you.

If you have not tried this fun craft, just go back to the video and get started.

Until next time,

Happy Crafting

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