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 Wheat Ear Snowflake pattern
Wheat Ear is an open silhouette: rounded grain shapes branch from six long stems, with a terminal grain at each tip. It has no enclosed inner holes. Its main challenge is following the deep spaces between grains without trimming away their joins.
- Find the stem through each ear
- Follow the straight central strip from the hub to the terminal grain. It is continuous retained paper, even where paired side grains nearly cover it in the finished view.
- Read the paired grains as attached lobes
- Each rounded side grain joins the stem near its inner end. The crease and the grain’s outline are different boundaries; do not separate a grain from the stem to make its oval look complete.
- Locate open gaps rather than holes
- The spaces between grains lead in from the outside. The guide’s inner-opening stage is a connection check for this design, not an instruction to pierce new holes in the paper.
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. Check the retained connections
This design has no enclosed holes to cut at this stage. Check the black center and branch connections against your traced guide. Leave the paper intact, then continue to the outside contour in step 4.
4. Cut the outside silhouette
Follow the red outside contour while retaining the black paper. Follow the gaps around the grains without narrowing their joins to the stem. 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 wheat ear 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 Wheat Ear Snowflake
- Stop each gap before it crosses the stem
- Follow the marked depth between one pair of grains and the next. Going farther inward makes the grains look more separate, but can cut through the narrow strip that holds the ear together.
- Turn around rounded grain tips
- Support the folded stack near the curve and turn the paper in small movements. Do not pull a partly cut grain outward to reach the next gap; its join is still carrying the load.
- Release the terminal grain last in its area
- Keep a secure hold on the adjacent stem while finishing the outermost rounded tip. During unfolding, support that stem and let the paired grains separate without tugging on them.
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.
Wheat Ear Snowflake: common questions
Should I cut tiny holes between the grains?
No. The supplied Wheat Ear has no enclosed holes. Its open gaps are formed by the outside contour. Cutting extra holes is a redesign and may weaken the grain-to-stem connections.
Why do some grains fall off when I unfold?
A gap may have been deepened across a grain’s inner join, or a partly released lobe may have been pulled. Check the corresponding point in the folded guide and keep the original gap depth on the next attempt.
Does having no enclosed holes make this an easy pattern?
It removes the need to access enclosed openings, but the repeated curves, deep gaps, and twelve-layer stack still require control. Try a few gaps on scrap paper before committing to the full silhouette.
For general fold alignment and print-size problems, see the snowflake troubleshooting guide. To try a different structure, compare the 20 paper snowflake templates.
