Know what stays. Know what goes.
The cutting guide shows the folded 30-degree working wedge. Read the retained black paper and marked waste together; an opening in the unfolded picture may meet a folded edge in this guide.
Preserve narrow connections between shapes. Loose shapes need a backing sheet or separate placement; the drawing has not been physically tested for connectivity.
Print the right guide for this snowflake
Choose A4 or US Letter to match the paper loaded in your printer. Print at 100% / Actual size, turn off Fit to page and browser headers and footers, then measure the 50 mm calibration line. If it is not exactly 50 mm, correct the print settings before tracing.
- Page 1 — unfolded reference and round blank. Cut the 180 mm circle shown on the first page. A4 and Letter use the same design size; the page margins differ.
- Page 2 — folding sequence. Follow the half thirds half sequence. Keep the original center as the pointed end.
- Page 3 — full-size working wedge. Match the point and both straight fold edges to your folded paper before tracing. This is the sheet to use for folded cutting.
- Page 4 — cutting and opening order. Keep these step illustrations beside you; they are not full-size tracing patterns.
The SVG and PNG show the unfolded artwork. Use the PDF working wedge for folded paper. A small screen preview or a resized image is not a substitute for the calibrated sheet. SVG cutting-machine compatibility has not been tested.
Choose paper and tools for this pattern
Use thin paper that remains manageable when folded into twelve layers. Test a small folded scrap with your scissors before tracing the whole design. Thick card or slippery stacked sheets can make fine turns harder; use one circle per trial and stop if you have to force the tool.
The openings in this folded working guide meet an edge. Begin those cuts from the indicated edge instead of piercing through a retained stem. Small scissors may suit the accessible contours, but check the folded thickness and your ability to turn the paper first. A ruler checks the print scale; a light pencil or low-tack tape helps transfer the guide without shifting the layers.
Difficulty and time are planning estimates, not measured cutting results. Make one trial before choosing quantities or timing for a class. The snowflake materials guide explains how to prepare the paper and tools.
Read the Heart Petal Snowflake pattern
Heart Petal places six hollow hearts at the ends of stems around a solid center. Each smaller heart becomes an opening. The outer heart lobes, the paper around the opening, and the join at the heart’s point form the retained shape.
- Find the point that meets the stem
- Each heart points inward toward the center. Its point blends into the stem; this is a structural join, so the heart must not be cut free as a separate shape.
- Compare the two heart notches
- There is a notch in the outside heart and another in the smaller heart opening. They do not connect. Keep the strip of paper between those two boundaries.
- Read the border around the opening
- Follow the retained band around both rounded lobes and down to the lower point. Look for its narrowest places before cutting, rather than judging the border only at the widest part of a lobe.
Explore this pattern in the snowflake maker · Follow the six-point folding tutorial
Fold and cut your six-point snowflake
Circle paper • 30-degree sector • 12 layers
Start with a 180 mm circle. Fold in half, fold the semicircle in thirds to make a 60-degree sector, then fold that sector in half. The final 30-degree wedge has 12 layers; its pointed tip is the original paper center.
Start with the round blank on PDF page 1. The step illustrations show the sequence; use page 3 for tracing at actual size. Keep supporting paper until the outside-cutting step.
1. Prepare the circle
Print the matching PDF at 100% and check the 50 mm line. Cut a 180 mm circle from thin paper using the gray outline on page 1. Mark its center lightly; it will become the pointed end of every fold.
2. Fold to a 30-degree wedge
Fold the circle in half. Divide the semicircle into three equal 60-degree sectors and fold both sides inward. Fold the resulting 60-degree stack in half once more. Keep all 12 layers aligned; the rounded edge is away from the center. Align the center tip and both folded edges with the full-size guide on PDF page 3, then trace its cutting contours.
3. Cut the inner openings
Cut the small marked openings before the outside edge. An opening that reaches a folded edge can be started there; an enclosed opening needs an adult using a craft knife on a cutting mat. Keep the bottom of each heart joined to the center and do not extend its top notch.
4. Cut the outside silhouette
Follow the red outside contour while retaining the black paper. Keep the bottom of each heart joined to the center and do not extend its top notch. Blue dashed marks locate folded edges; do not cut along them. Support the stack and turn the paper for corners.
5. Open the layers gently
Separate the last fold first, then open the thirds and finally the semicircle. Support the center and release each branch without pulling on its tip. The 30-degree cut unit repeats by reflection to make six matching arms.
6. Flatten and display
Lay heart petal snowflake between clean sheets under a book. Use small removable tape tabs on broad areas for a window display, or mount it flat on a contrasting card. Save the SVG if you want to edit the geometry.
Print the PDF at 100% or Actual size. Its 50 mm check line must measure 50 mm. The full circle and folded guide use the same scale. Difficulty and time are planning estimates; this design has not been physically trial-cut.
Use the matching PDF working wedge for tracing; the step pictures are illustrations. A4 is the default; the Letter download uses a Letter sheet. Try a scrap first to check fragile bridges.
Cutting checks for Heart Petal Snowflake
- Cut the inner heart first
- Use the inner-opening stage while the surrounding blank still supports the heart. Follow the folded working shape; the smaller heart seen in the unfolded reference is not a second full heart to trace onto the stack.
- Keep both clefts shallow
- Stop at the marked depth of each heart notch. Extending the outer cleft toward the inner opening can split the top of the heart, even if both rounded lobes still look complete.
- Support the lobes during opening
- Separate the folds from the center outward, supporting each heart close to its stem. Release a caught lobe gently; pulling it away from its partner can tear the band around the inner opening.
If the layers stop lining up, pause before making another cut. Compare the folded tip and edges with PDF page 3. If a piece has already detached, a backing can hold it for display, but it will no longer be a connected paper cut.
Heart Petal Snowflake: common questions
Are the little hearts separate pieces to keep?
The small inner hearts are openings in the retained paper. Their cutout scraps are not needed to hold the snowflake together. Keep the larger heart borders and all six stems attached to the center.
Why did a heart open into two loose halves?
Check whether the top cleft reached the inner opening or whether the point-to-stem join was severed. Both areas need paper left between the cuts. Widening the inner heart after cutting can also remove a connection that was initially intact.
Can I make solid hearts for a simpler trial?
You can leave the inner-heart openings uncut and follow the outer silhouette. This retains more paper and changes the result to six solid hearts. Preserve the stem joins and the marked outer clefts rather than cutting individual hearts apart.
For general fold alignment and print-size problems, see the snowflake troubleshooting guide. To try a different structure, compare the 20 paper snowflake templates.
