Lotus Joy

From one A4 sheet to your paper cut

Fold, cut & unfold

Both halves of this finished design match. Use one center fold for the printable version, then open it for delicate finishing.

Start with a complete, uncut sheet. Each picture shows the paper before that step; red dashes mark only the next cuts. Keep the surrounding paper until the outside-cutting step.

1. Start with a full A4 sheet

Take one blank A4 sheet (210 x 297 mm), preferably thin colored paper. Print PDF page 1 separately at 100% and check its 50 mm line. Center the pattern on your blank sheet; do not cut off the surrounding paper yet.

2. Fold and transfer half

Fold once through the middle of the upright lotus. Trace the right half of the petals and their white spaces. Identify the red joins at the petal bases before cutting; do not connect separate white gaps.

3. Cut the inside first

Cut the central petal opening first, then work outward through the side-petal gaps. Keep the outside sheet in place and stop at each pointed end. An adult starts enclosed holes on a mat. Leave each narrow petal border attached at its base.

4. Cut the outside contour

Cut the outer petal tips and curved lower edge last. Turn the paper at each tip instead of twisting the scissors. Unfold from the broad lower edge and support the side petals so their narrow bases do not tear.

5. Unfold and refine

Open the folded paper slowly. Matching openings now appear on both sides. Lay it flat and trim only attached scraps or uneven edges. Preserve the thin petal borders and their joins at the base. A finished opening does not need to be cut again.

Use thin paper: two layers should remain easy to control.

PDF page 1 is the clean full-size pattern; pages 2–3 show this complete sequence. A4 is the default; the Letter download uses a Letter sheet. Try a scrap first to check fragile bridges.