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Santa hat

Make a flat holiday hat with a turned-up brim and a bent tip. It is a small paper decoration, not a wearable hat, and needs no cutting or glue.

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Before you begin

1 sheet · Square paper

15 × 15 cm

No scissors needed

This lesson is being checked for folding accuracy. It has not yet passed a physical fold-through review.

Step-by-step instructions

Read through the fold before you begin, or open any step in the folding viewer.

  1. After step 1: All four corners of the square are visible.

    Begin with a square

    Place a square flat with your chosen outside face down. A different reverse color will show on the turned-up brim; plain paper works too.

    Look for: All four corners of the square are visible.

    See this fold
  2. After step 2: The sheet is a double-layer right triangle.

    Fold corner to corner

    Bring the upper-left half across the diagonal onto the lower-right half. Align the corners and flatten the fold.

    Look for: The sheet is a double-layer right triangle.

    See this fold
  3. After step 3: A wide triangle points straight upward.

    Turn the point upward

    Rotate the folded triangle on the table until the long folded edge is at the bottom and the opposite point faces up.

    Look for: A wide triangle points straight upward.

    See this fold
  4. After step 4: A broad turned-up brim crosses the bottom of the hat.

    Turn up the brim

    Fold the narrow band below the highlighted horizontal line upward. Fold both layers at once and keep the crease straight.

    Look for: A broad turned-up brim crosses the bottom of the hat.

    See this fold
  5. After step 5: The top of the hat bends to the left above the broad brim.

    Bend the tip

    Fold the top point down and toward the left along the slanting highlighted crease. Press this small flap flat without moving the brim.

    Look for: The top of the hat bends to the left above the broad brim.

    See this fold
  6. After step 6: The folded hat has a visible brim and a bent tip, with the whole square retained.

    Finish the little hat

    Flatten the creases and arrange the hat on a card, place setting, or garland. This is a flat decoration, so keep its layers together when picking it up.

    Look for: The folded hat has a visible brim and a bent tip, with the whole square retained.

    See this fold
A little less rush. A little more paper.